Droughts in the Southeast and Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Droughts in the Southeast and Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Puneet Srivastava Director, Water Resources Center Butler-Cunningham Eminent Scholar Auburn University Alabama Water Resources Institute aaes.auburn.edu/wrc

www.alabamawaterwatch.org 2

4-H A LABAMA W ATER W ATCH http://www.aces.edu/4-H-youth/AL4-H/resources/nature/environment/water.php A partnership between the Alabama Water Watch Program and Alabama 4-H, the youth development program of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. 3

G LOBAL W ATER W ATCH http://www.globalwaterwatch.org/ 4

The mission of GWW is to improve both water quality and water policy through citizen monitoring and action. 5

Clima te Va ria b ility in the So uthe a st  Dro ug ht is a re c urring phe no me no n in the So uthe a st a ffe c ting wa te r a va ila b ility  Gre a tly a ffe c te d b y E l Niño So uthe rn Osc illa tio n (E NSO) – se a so na l to inte r- a nnua l  L a Niña pha se o f E NSO b ring s wa rm a nd dry c o nditio ns (e .g ., 1999 – 2001, 2007, 2010-2012) in the So uthe a st, e spe c ia lly in winte r  Othe r c lima te va ria b ility phe no me na (PDO a nd AMO) mo dula te the e ffe c t o f E NSO 6

Clima te Va ria b ility vs. Clima te Cha ng e E NSO – E l Niño So uthe rn Osc illa tio n NAO PDO PDO – Pa c ific De c a da l AMO Osc illa tio n AMO – Atla ntic ENSO Multide c a da l Osc illa tio n NAO – No rth Atla ntic Osc illa tio n Se a so na l Clima te Cha ng e We a the r Clima te Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Seasonal- Week 1 De c a da l Interannual 7

Clima to lo g y o f the So uthe a st (Ala b a ma a nd Ge o rg ia )  Ave ra g e a nnua l pre c ipita tio n in o ve r 50 inc he s  L a rg e se a so na l- a nd inte r-a nnua l va ria b ility in ra infa ll a nd stre a m flo ws Typical Stream Flow JAN DEC

National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Regional Drought Early Warning Information Systems

What is NIDIS?  National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is congressionally authorized with specific mandates (Public Laws 109-430 and 113-86)  Brings drought information, research, education, policy and networking together  NOAA program that operates on an inter-agency level

What is Drought Early Warning? International Strategy for Disaster Reduction: “ Provision of timely and effective information , through identified institutions, that allows individuals exposed to a hazard to take action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response ” Monitoring/ Forecasts Engaging Research Preparedness and Drought Early Comm. Applications Warning Information System Education/ US Drought Communications Portal

ACF River Basin Drought Early Warning Webinars  Mo nthly we b ina rs (b i-we e kly during dro ug ht) c o nduc te d b y Aub urn Unive rsity Wa te r Re so urc e s Ce nte r in suppo rt o f NI DI S e ffo rts  Pre se nte rs  Sta te c lima to lo g ists  USGS So uth Atla ntic Wa te r Sc ie nc e Ce nte r  So uthe a st Rive r F o re c a st Ce nte r  Army Co rps o f E ng ine e rs  Apa la c hic o la Na tio na l E stua rine Re se a rc h Re se rve

ACF River Basin Drought Early Warning Webinars  More than just drought early warning webinars  Educates participants on a variety of climate concepts  As a conduit for trans-basin, cross-sector, and cross- scale communication  Support of research, monitoring, and habitat conservation efforts by state agencies  State policy-making “ NIDIS is considered a trusted and unbiased source of information, the information was appropriate and useful covering the whole basin, benefits people’s awareness and communication, and the format of the information makes it easy to share and read later. ”

Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin DEWS Webinars (Monthly/Bi-weekly) 2016 set more records over a broader area than any other year Ranking for days without measurable rain 14

Past Drought Webinars/ State Drought Declarations/Sign-up http:/ / a a e s.a ub urn.e du/ wrc / e xte nsio n-o utre a c h/ dro ug ht/ E ric Re ute b uc h, 334-844-1163; re ute e m@ a ub urn.e d u March June April July November October August January

Drought Research

Re duc ing dro ug ht risks fo r sma ll- to mid-size c o mmunitie s Demand Area Lake Ogletree Supply Watershed 17

E c o lo g ic a lly-susta ina b le wa te r withdra wa l fo r irrig a tio n a nd o the r use s 18

Ho w o the r c lima te va ria b ility phe no me na mo dula te the e ffe c t o f E NSO?

Contact Information Pune e t Sriva sta va , 334-844-5542; sriva pu@ a ub urn.e du