PSL Hosts National Seasonal Assessment Workshop
April 7, 2006
The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories, Physical Sciences Laboratory and the Climate Assessment of the Southwest (CLIMAS) are co-hosting the National Seasonal Assessment Workshops (NSAW) for the Western States and Alaska & North America April 4-6, 2004, at the David Skaggs Research Center in Boulder, CO. This meeting is part of a continuing effort to improve information available to fire management decision makers by incorporating the best science available and by fostering collaboration between fire and climate experts from state and federal agencies, universities, and the private sector. Participants include researchers from the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Background:
CLIMAS is one of eight teams created through the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program, which supports research that addresses complex climate sensitive issues of concern to decision-makers and policy planners at a regional level. The National Seasonal Assessment Workshops are designed to develop tools for proactive fire management bringing together climatologists, predictive service units, and fire managers from across the nation to produce seasonal fire outlook reports.
Significance:
This workshop is a means for developing comprehensive seasonal fire danger outlooks that incorporate information about climate and fuels conditions. Fire danger outlooks for the upcoming fire season are shared with decision makers, media, and the general public in order to mitigate potential societal impacts. These activities support NOAA's mission goal serving society's needs for weather and water information, and NOAA's cross-cutting priority of international cooperation and collaboration.
Contact: Robert Webb