Overview of the Southeast Climate Consortium

1. Overview of the Southeast Climate Consortium Keith Ingram 21 June 2007, Peachtree City, GA

2. Outline • Who are we? • What do we do? • What makes us unusual? • Who are our partners? • Current challenges and future plans?

3. SECC Members • University of Miami • Florida State University • University of Florida • University of Georgia • Auburn University • University of Alabama – Huntsville • ? ? ?

4. Major SECC Funding Sources • NOAA – The SECC is one of 9 Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Centers funded by NOAA since 1998. Lead institution is UM. • USDA/Risk Management Agency – Has provided funding for the development of a web-based decision support system since 2002. Lead Institution is UF. • USDA/CSREES – Through a federal administrative research grant, CSREES has funded the SECC since 2003. Lead institution is FSU.

5. NOAA Climate Program Office: Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments USDA Risk Management Agency USDA Collaborative State Research, Extension, and Education Services $875,000 $462,000 $3,200,000 Major SECC Projects

6. Outline • Who are we? • What do we do? • What makes us unusual? • Who are our partners? • Current challenges and future plans?

7. SECC Mission The mission of the Southeast Climate Consortium is to use advances in climate sciences, including improved capabilities to forecast seasonal climate, to provide scientifically sound information and decision support tools for agriculture, forestry, and water resources management in the Southeastern USA. As a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team, the SECC conducts research and outreach to a broad community of potential users and forms partnerships with extension and education organizations to ensure that SECC products are relevant and reliable.

8. SECC Goal The goal of the SECC is to develop climate information and decision support systems for the Southeastern USA that will contribute to an improved quality of life, increased profitability, decreased economic risks, and more ecologically sustainable management of agriculture, forestry, and water resources

9. SECC Strategic Programs • Climate • Agricultural Research • Water Resources Management • Decision Analysis • Agricultural Extension

10. Outline • Who are we? • What do we do? • What makes us unusual? • Who are our partners? • Current challenges and future plans?

11. Focus on Agricultural Risk • Agriculture depends on a suitable climate • Climate variability leads to risk for agriculture • The ability to forecast climate variability gives us the opportunity to manage risks • AgClimate – the centerpiece of the SECC

12. Integrated approaches • We integrate activities within a 3-state region • We integrate activities across disciplines • We integrate research, extension, and education

13. Emphasis on Collaboration • Annual propose work plans and progress reports are evaluated based on inter-institutional collaboration • Administrators support SECC through waiving overhead on pass through funds • Two meeting annually, you are welcome! • Program review in spring • Program planning in fall • Regular meetings of strategic teams

14. Traditional Model SECC Model Extension Faculty Climate Extension Specialists State Climatologists Prototype AgClimate Agricultural & Forest Commodity Specialists Research Faculty Climate Agriculture Water Resources Decision Analysis Information Delivery Cooperative Extension Services Operational AgClimate County Agents Operational CoastalClimate.org HydroClimate (future DSS) Decision Makers Agricultural producers, Green industry managers, Forest managers, Water resource managers, Policy makers

15. Transition and Transfer • We are working with FL Extension so that they become the entity to manage AgClimate in an operational mode • We are beginning efforts to transfer AgClimate to other regions – New Mexico and North Carolina

16. Participatory approaches • Application of climate information products depends on participation of users • Our first partners was agricultural extension, over the past few years the list has grown

17. Assessment and Evaluation • Stakeholders needs and interests • Product evaluation and feedback • Close link with Extension

18. Outline • Who are we? • What do we do? • What makes us unusual? • Who are our partners? • Current challenges and future plans?

19. SECC Partners • State Cooperative Extension Services • Tampa Bay Water • USDA-ARS, Little River Lab • FL Water Institute • CPC / Climate Test Bed • CLIMAS / New Mexico State University • NIDIS • North Carolina State University ?

20. Outline • Who are we? • What do we do? • What makes us unusual? • Who are our partners? • Current challenges and future plans?

21. Challenges • For scientific challenges, come to our planning meeting • Loss of 2007 ear mark • Renewed efforts for competitive grants • Communications and collaborations • Video conferencing • SECC Technical Report Series • SECC web site

22. The Future • Three-state extension partnership • HydroClimate, H2Outlook, ? • CIMR – Climate Information for Managing Risks, Partnerships and Solutions for Agriculture and Natural Resources, June 2008 • Climate change