Maintaining Delivery of Climate Services in the Mountain West During Unprecedented Times

Abstract:

Western Water Assessment (WWA) is a university-based applied research program that conducts innovative research in partnership with decision-makers in the Rocky Mountain West. As one of eleven NOAA RISA teams, we value the principles of coproduction in developing use-inspired tools, products, outreach, and research. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge in our continued delivery of climate services in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Many of WWA’s stakeholders, which include water managers, municipal leaders, state agencies, and others, have needed to balance continued climate planning with new stressors like budget cuts and increased responsibilities due to the pandemic. The pandemic has also had impacts on the WWA core team, including reduced work hours, an inability to convene in-person meetings and workshops, and the need to coordinate and collaborate remotely. At the same time, we know that stakeholders continue to seek information about climate impacts to inform their planning efforts. WWA has continued to provide services in the form of our Intermountain West Climate Dashboard and Monthly Briefing, and through webinars and virtual workshops that link climate information with water management and planning. We have seen an increase in stakeholder engagement through these online services, including record webinar attendance, and we have used the transition to online meetings as an opportunity to expand the geographic range of meeting participants beyond what was feasible in the past. In this presentation, we will share our approach to continued delivery of climate services, including learning new techniques for engaging and interactive virtual workshops and continued delivery of online tools.