Severe droughts are one of the costliest natural disasters in the United States, but the current level of skill in forecasting drought onset, development, and demise is limited.

CPO's Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) program has organized a new Marine Ecosystem Task Force (METF) in coordination with the NMFS Office of Science and Technology. The first meeting of the METF took place on October 7th and is led by OAR, NMFS, and university scientists.

The fourth Drought Task Force (DTF4), a coordinated effort between NIDIS and MAPP, launched on October 9th.

The impacts of single droughts on forests have been widely studied, but understanding whether forests acclimate to or become more vulnerable to repeated drought events remains largely unknown.

“From using machine learning to develop critical atmospheric datasets to creating an experimental system for rapidly assessing causes of extreme events, these new awards will expedite climate science discoveries and build the library of resilience solutions needed to protect all sectors of our economy and environment.”