Current CVP Research Areas

Air-Sea Interaction and Convection

The tropics receive the most incoming heat from the sun, and this heat is redistributed poleward driving much of the circulation, climate and weather we experience. As a result, what happens in the tropics is very important to understanding how weather and climate will change at the mid-latitudes and at the poles. Moreover, understanding variability on the sub-seasonal scale is important to close the gap between weather and climate timescales and create seamless prediction capabilities at NOAA. Understanding the Madden-Julian Oscillation (30-90 day cycles) increases intraseasonal projection skill.The Madden-Julian Oscillation is the key process we focus on in this area, as it is the dominant influence in the tropics at this timescale, and improved modeling of this phenomenon increases predictability across the United States.

Image Source: NOAA ATOMIC, Courtesy Elizabeth Thompson

Bridging Observations and Modeling

Using observations to improve understanding and representation of Pacific climate (ENSO, MJO, etc...) in models. At present, climate models exhibit a number of errors in the tropical Pacific in fields such as sea surface temperature, wind velocity, and cloud microphysics. This leads to representations of the Earth system that are not realistic, thus degrading our ability to forecast weather and climate. For example, many models do not yet accurately simulate the correct placement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - a belt of clouds and precipitation near the equator - and in fact may produce two ITCZs at times when this is not realistic. This leads to models not representing natural variability modes such as El Niño and the Madden-Julian Oscillation well. These biases in turn reduce prediction skill of temperature and precipitation, and lead to increased uncertainty in projections of future climate.

Image Source: www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/anomaly

Decadal Variability and Predictability

Prediction of climate at the decadal timescale is essential to long-term planning in a number of fields - from water resource management to urban planning and emergency management - but predictions at this scale face unique challenges when compared to short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate projections. While operational weather forecasts rely on proper initialization using observations, and while climate projections rely on scenarios of external forcing and a well-calibrated climate model, decadal-scale projections require that all of these perform well, skillfully simulating phenomena such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Image

Source: www.gfdl.noaa.gov/visualizations-oceans

Special Topics: CPTs (‘19), CVP-Fisheries (‘20), Explaining Extremes (‘20)

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Recent Competitions

AMOC-Climate Linkages in the North and/or South Atlantic

Year: 2016

The CVP program solicited projects that refine the current scientific understanding of the AMOC state, variability, and change. Specifically, projects were sought that use newly deployed and existing observations in combination with modeling experiments to refine our understanding of the present and historical circulation (and related transports of heat and freshwater) in the North and/or South Atlantic. An emerging priority is to provide a more detailed characterization of AMOC flow pathways and their impact on variability. Successful principal investigators become members of the U.S. AMOC Science Team.

Information Sheet: ESS_FY16_Information_Sheet.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: CPO FFO FY2016-final.pdf

Climate Process Teams – Understanding MJO Initiation and Propagation

Year: 2015

Proposals were solicited for focused data analysis and/or multi-model experimentation that sought to better understand tropical Pacific processes, biases, and climatology. Proposals for intercomparisons of model parameterizations, reduced-model experiments, intermediate and conceptual model studies of bias development, short-term forecast experiments, and metrics development were desired.

Information Sheet: FY15CVP_InfoSheet_v3_final.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2015-2004099 FFO Report REVISED.pdf

Projects Funded Under Competition: DivisionsProgramsEarthSystemScienceandModelingClimateVariabilityPredictability(CVP)FundedProjects

Understanding Arctic Sea Ice Mechanisms and Predictability

Year: 2015

Information Sheet: FY15CVP_InfoSheet_v3_final.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2015-2004099 FFO Report REVISED.pdf

Projects Funded Under Competition: DivisionsProgramsEarthSystemScienceandModelingClimateVariabilityPredictability(CVP)FundedProjects

Improved Understanding of Tropical Pacific Processes, Biases, and Climatology

Year: 2014

Information Sheet: FY14_InformationSheet_CVP_July 10.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: noaa-oar-cpo-2013-2003445-db (3).pdf

Projects Funded Under Competition: DivisionsProgramsEarthSystemScienceandModelingClimateVariabilityPredictability(CVP)FundedProjects

Understanding & Improving Prediction of Tropical Convection via DYNAMO Field Campaig

Year: 2013

Information Sheet: ESS_FY13Information_Sheet_(final)_6-26-2012.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: noaa-oar-cpo-2013-2003445-db (3).pdf

Projects Funded Under Competition: DivisionsProgramsEarthSystemScienceandModelingClimateVariabilityPredictability(CVP)FundedProjects

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) - Mechanisms and Decadal Predictability

Year: 2013

Information Sheet: ESS_FY13Information_Sheet_(final)_6-26-2012.pdf

Full Federal Funding Opportunity: noaa-oar-cpo-2013-2003445-db (3).pdf

Projects Funded Under Competition: DivisionsProgramsEarthSystemScienceandModelingClimateVariabilityPredictability(CVP)FundedProjects

Center For Climate Change Communication (4C) at George Mason University

The Center For Climate Change Communication develops and applies social science insights to help society make informed decisions that will stabilize the earth’s life-sustaining climate, and prevent further harm from climate change. We partner with the center on the Climate Matters program which has been helping TV weathercasters and journalists report local climate change stories since 2009.

Climate Central

Climate Central is an independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public. We partner with the center on the Climate Matters program which has been helping TV weathercasters and journalists report local climate change stories since 2009.

Resilient Schools Consortium (RiSC) Program

Research Foundation of CUNY / Brooklyn College
Working with NWF Eco-Schools USA, will create The Resilient Schools Consortium (RiSC) Program, which increases environmental literacy while engaging high school and middle school students in climate resilience planning and practice in New York City. The City’s long-term planning document, OneNYC, sets forth a vision for a resilient city without specifying a role for students or including specific plans for their schools. This project addresses this gap by developing resilience plans for NYC schools and including student voices in the process.

Community Partnership for Resilience

New England Aquarium Corporation / New England Aquarium (NEAq) · Boston, Massachusetts
The New England Aquarium will work with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to establish Community Partnerships for Resilience (CPR), which will create community partnerships in three Boston-area communities that face severe risk from a changing climate – Chelsea, Hull, and Lynn, Massachusetts. CPR will facilitate “Community Teams” of local professionals with diverse and relevant expertise in climate science, engineering, community planning and community action, and representatives from local schools or school-based educational programs serving youth in grades 4 through 8.

AMS/NOAA Cooperative Program for Earth System Education (CPESE)

American Meteorological Society (AMS) · Boston, Massachusetts
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) work together to share knowledge and information about weather and climate, ocean, and coasts with educators and students across the country. The goal of this effort is to build a scientifically informed and engaged society and a diverse STEM workforce prepared to respond to environmental hazards.

Empowering Rural Youth for Community Climate Resilience in New York State

Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks / The Wild Center · Tupper Lake, New York
Empowering Rural Youth for Community Climate Resilience in New York State is a three-year project led by The Wild Center in partnership with the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith College and the Alliance for Climate Education, which builds on the achievements of Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience, a project previously funded by NOAA. Today’s youth are deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change in their communities and increasingly demand positive action and a role in decision-making.

Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience in New York State

Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks / The Wild Center · Tupper Lake, New York
The Wild Center’s Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience in New York State project will increase climate literacy among high school students and teachers in New York City, the Catskill, and the Adirondacks, and give students the leadership skills to help their communities respond to the impacts of climate change.

Climate Resilience and Community-Driven Action with a Hyper-Localized Public Forum

Science Museum of Virginia Foundation / Science Museum of Virginia · Richmond, Virginia

The Science Museum of Virginia will build upon its community science experience and its role as a trusted source of climate science information to lead “Climate Resilience and Community-Driven Action with a Hyperlocalized Public Forum in Richmond, VA” in partnership with Virginia Community Voice, Groundwork RVA, Happily Natural Day, and Southside ReLeaf — local nonprofits with proven track records of effecting change through community engagement and urban greening initiatives.

Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities (CSCRC)

Museum of Science Boston · Boston, Massachusetts
The “Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities” education project, led by the Museum of Science, Boston in partnership with Arizona State University and Northeastern University, will increase resilience to extreme weather and environmental hazards through citizen-created data, local knowledge, and community values.

HEARTForce: Hazard Education, Awareness & Resilience Taskforce

University of Colorado Boulder / Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) · Boulder, Colorado
Communities in Colorado are increasingly experiencing major disruptions from environmental hazards, such as fire, flood, drought and extreme heat. With this rise in hazardous events, there is a pressing need for communities to build resilience. An interdisciplinary team from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) Education & Outreach Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder is developing and implementing an innovative, action-oriented youth engagement project targeting rural Colorado students, teachers and communities.