NIDIS to Lead AMS Sessions on Megadrought, Drought Analysis & Prediction, and More

The American Meteorological Society’s 103rd annual meeting is quickly approaching. The meeting, which will be held on January 8–12, 2023, in Denver, Colorado, will focus on the theme, "Data: Driving Science. Informing Decisions. Enriching Humanity.”

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is excited to co-chair several town halls and oral/poster sessions, which cover topics such as megadroughts in the western U.S., soil moisture data, drought analysis and prediction, service delivery lessons, and translating climate science into action. 

In addition, NIDIS staff will give presentations on building drought resilience with Tribal Nations, the Southwest Drought Learning Network, the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network, and more.

Explore select sessions and presentations from NIDIS and partners below, or view all conference sessions on the AMS website. To share your insights during AMS, tweet at @DroughtGov.

NIDIS-Chaired Town Halls

Drought, Megadrought, or a Permanent Change? A Shifting Paradigm for Drought in the Western United States 

• When: Wednesday, January 11th from 12:15-1:15 pm MT
• Co-Chairs: Molly Woloszyn and Joel Lisonbee, NOAA/NIDIS, CIRES
• Speakers: Zachary Hoylman (University of Montana), Isla Simpson (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research), Andrew Hoell (NOAA)

This Town Hall session will highlight the recent challenges to assessing and managing drought in the Western U.S. / Plains (generally defined as west of the Mississippi River), and provide evidence for a need for a shifting paradigm for drought. The session will then open up for general discussion on the implications of this new paradigm for both research and policy. For instance, how do we accurately identify drought in the western states in the context of climate change and overall aridification? What other research does this new paradigm suggest is needed? And what are federal agencies and other organizations doing—and what more could they do—to adequately address the drought issues in the western U.S.?

Soil Moisture Data and You: When, Where, and How

• When: Tuesday, January 10, 2023, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM MT
• Chair: Marina Skumanich, NOAA/NIDIS
• Speakers: Mark Svoboda (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Peter Goble (Colorado State University), Steven Quiring (Ohio State University)

There is widespread recognition of the value of applying soil moisture data to address important policy and research topics, from drought and flood monitoring, to fire risk assessment, to improving subseasonal to seasonal forecasting and climatological modeling. And there are multiple sources of soil moisture data, whether from satellites, land surface model outputs, or in situ networks. Yet there remain clear gaps in research between what is available and what would best serve the needs of the atmospheric science community. Please join the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network Coordinating Team for this roundtable discussion on where current data falls short and what are emerging ideas to address those gaps. The Town Hall will begin with a brief survey of the available major soil moisture datasets, and then open up for a guided discussion on needs and opportunities.

NIDIS-Chaired Sessions

Advancements in Analysis and Prediction of Drought I (Poster Session)

• 37th Conference on Hydrology
• When: Wednesday, January 11 from 5:00–6:30 pm MT
• Session Chairs: Molly Woloszyn, NOAA/NIDIS, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); Joshua Roundy, University of Kansas

Advancements in Analysis and Prediction of Drought II (Oral Session)

• 37th Conference on Hydrology
• When: Thursday, January 12 from 1:30–3:00 pm MT
• Session Chairs: Molly Woloszyn, NOAA/NIDIS, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); Joshua Roundy, University of Kansas

Advancements in Analysis and Prediction of Drought III (Oral Session)

• 37th Conference on Hydrology
• When: Thursday, January 12 from 3:45–5:00 pm MT
• Session Chairs: Molly Woloszyn, NOAA/NIDIS, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); Joshua Roundy, University of Kansas

Service Delivery: Lessons and Examples of Connecting Users to Agile Product Development and Impactful Decision-Making (Oral Session)

• 27th Conference on Applied Climatology
• When: Wednesday, January 11th from 1:30-3:00 pm MT
• Session Chairs: Meredith Muth, NOAA/NIDIS; Ellen Mecray, Regional Climate Services Director, NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information

NIDIS Staff Presentations

Building Drought Resilience with Tribal Nations: The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

• Presenters: Crystal Stiles & Britt Parker, NOAA/NIDIS, CIRES
• When: Monday, January 9, 11:00-11:15 am MT, during the joint session on Indigenous and Earth System Science Collaborations

Evolution of the Southwest Drought Learning Network: Collective Response to Exceptional Drought

• Presenter: Joel Lisonbee, NOAA/NIDIS, CIRES
• When: Tuesday, January 10 from 8:30-10:00 am, during the Translating Climate Science into Action with the USDA Climate Hubs oral session

Bringing Drought Partners Together in the Southern Plains: A Meeting Summary

• Presenter: Joel Lisonbee, NOAA/NIDIS, CIRES
• When: Tuesday, January 10 from 8:30-10:00 am, during the Translating Climate Science into Action with the USDA Climate Hubs oral session

See NIDIS at the NOAA Booth

Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness Across the Nation: NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

• Presenter: Meredith Muth, NOAA/NIDIS
• When: Thursday, January 12, 9:40 - 10:00 am MT

The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network – What It Is and Why It Matters to Atmospheric Scientists

• Presenter: Marina Skumanich, NOAA/NIDIS
• When: Tuesday, January 10, 9:40 am MT