NOAA Satellite Conference April 11, 2013

Jenny Dissen1 Stephanie Schollaert Uz2 Phillip Arkin2 Otis Brown1

1Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites- NC (CICS-NC) / NC State University2Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites- MD (CICS-MD) / University of Maryland College Park

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center

Advancing Climate Literacy: A CICS Perspective

2

Translating Satellite Data and Information to Useful Messages K-12 (high school) students General public Business and Industry decision makers

Overcoming the Challenges Environmental Literacy Grant Satellite data in the classroom Users Engagement Discussions Executive Forum on Business and Climate

Advancing Climate Literacy: Summary

Outline

3

• One of the newer of NOAA’s CIs with a long heritage

• Two main centers: CICS-MD and CICS-NC

• With partners from academic, non-profit, and private institutions, including:

• all the UNC System campuses, Columbia/IRI, CSU, CUNY, Duke, Howard, Miami, OSU, Princeton, UIUC, UNC Chapel Hill, UC Irvine, USC, CECI, Climate Central, IGES, JGCRI, ORAU, ORNL, RENCI, and RemSS

What is CICS?htt

p://www.cicsnc.org

http://w

ww.cicsm

d.org

4

Climate Connections to Businesses/Industries

• Temperature• Heat waves• Precipitation• Sea level• Humidity• Drought

• Glaciers• Permafrost• Snowcover• Storms

• Changes in soil moisture

• Increased subsidence• Landslides• Coastal erosion• Fire risk• Growing season

changes

• Changes in flora, fauna and vegetation

• Changes in evapotranspitation

• Water resources stress• Changes in seawater

chemistry

ClimateChanges in climate parameters…

Environment…are creating environmental effects…

K-12 Education…that impact courses and information

General Public…that impact courses and information

Business and Industry…that impact business systems and operations

5

Satellite Data – Today’s Challenges

CHALLENGES WITH K-12 STUDENTS

Tell me and I’ll forget;

show me and I may remember;

Involve me and I’ll understand.~ Chinese proverb

• Connect satellite data to new National Science Standards

• Incorporate satellite data analysis into hands-on learning activities

6

Satellite Data – Today’s Challenges

• Make satellite data intuitive (e.g. familiar palette, land masks)

• Create engaging, easily digestible messages relating to people’s experience

• Foster stewardship through tangible actions

• Sustain their attention in a fast-paced world

CHALLENGES WITH GENERAL PUBLIC

7

• Consistent data series on average and extreme events (e.g., events that disrupt business operations)

• Make information relevant to business at the asset scale

• Climate data not always at the temporal and spatial scale for business/industry decision-making

• Mechanism for providing input to the climate community on climate information needs

Satellite Data – Today’s Challenges

CHALLENGES IN BUSINESS / INDUSTRY

Climate Information

Business Decisions

?

8

CDRs Supporting Farming and Agribusiness

Example: historical context

• 5 km resolution,“wall-to-wall” (globally)

• Historical record from 1981- to current

• Collateral products• Surface Reflectance• Leaf Area Index (LAI)• FPAR

(photosynthetically active radiation)

2012 drought depicted by Vegetation Index CDR (July 17)

Primary U.S. corn and soybean region

Example: Use of Climate Data in 2012 Drought

9

• Magic Planet visits to Washington, DC area schools

• Connecting satellite data to state Standards of Learning

• Students engaged - novelty of spherical display

• Planning hands-on activities to tie with satellite data

Overcoming Challenges (K-12):Satellite Data in the Classroom

10

• EarthNow team: Steve Ackerman (PI), Phil Arkin (PI), Rick Kohrs, Margaret Mooney, Dan Pisut, Patrick Rowley, Stephanie Schollaert Uz

• Collaboration with Maryland Science Center, Baltimore and National Zoo in Washington, DC to understand how to communicate with museum audiences

• Science features explain recent climate research findings

• Audio-narration developed in response to docent feedback

• Monthly updates of CPC products (climate digest, outlooks)

Overcoming Challenges (General Public):Environmental Literacy Grant

11

Executive Forum on Business and Climate

Climate Data User Workshop Series

Overcoming Challenges (Industry):Improving Literacy Engagement

• A four-day executive forum that explores the connection between weather and climate information

• Mixing expertise from the scientific community and business/industry community

- SCHEDULE -• Storm and Severe Weather

• November 28 – 29th, 2012• Frost and Freeze Data

• March 20 – 21st, 2013• Sea Surface Temperature

• July 29th, 2013 • Website: www.cicsnc.org/events/ddd/

FORUM

GOALS

AdvanceClimate

Information

CapacityBuilding

BuildingNetworks &KnowledgeExchange

12

K-12 Goal

General Public Goal

Advancing Climate Literacy: Summary

• Improved use of weather and climate data and information for managing climate risks and opportunities

Private Sector Goal

• K-12 students as comfortable using satellite data as YouTube and Instagram

• Improved understanding of current climate issues, fostering stewardship and appreciation of satellite data in monitoring the Earth system

13

Contacts and Additional Information

• CICS-NC: http://cicsnc.org• CICS-MD: http://essic.umd.edu/cics-md

Additional References:

For Additional Information:

• Jenny Dissen CICS-NC – Outreach & EngagementJennyDissen@cicsnc.org

• Stephanie Schollaert Uz CICS-MD – Outreach & Engagementses@essic.umd.edu

• Otis Brown Director, CICS-NCOtis_Brown@ncsu.edu

• Phillip Arkin Executive Director, CICSparkin@essic.umd.edu

• NOAA Cooperative Institutes: http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci• EarthNow

http://sphere.ssec.wisc.edu/