NOAA Vision and Mission Goals

1. NOAAVision and Mission Goals Pedro J. Restrepo, Ph.D., P.E. Senior Scientist, Office of Hydrologic Development NOAA/NWS First Q2 Workshop (Q2 - "Next Generation QPE")June 28, 2005 Source: 2005 AGU Town Hall presentation by Rick Rosen, Randy Dole and Pedro Restrepo

2. NOAA’s Strategic Plan 2005 – 2010 NOAA’s Vision: An informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions

3. 20-Year Research Vision: Societal Needs and NOAA in the 21st Century • Impacts from population growth, globalization, and associated trends: • Increasing pollution resulting from work, transportation, and recreation • Increasing releases of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases • Increasing potential for accidental or purposeful releases of biological, chemical, or radioactive toxins into the environment • Growing economic significance of longer-term climate predictions for agriculture, manufacturing

4. 20-Year Research Vision: Technology and NOAA in the 21st Century • Sensors - Rugged and low cost • Platforms - Mobile, unmanned aerial and autonomous undersea vehicles • Information technology - Higher computer processing speed ; better data management and analysis tools • Telecommunications - Global networks will link modeling centers with service providers and users These technologies will be exploited in developing an integrated Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) and holistic, high resolution Earth system models

5. NOAA Products and Services in 2025 Understanding of Physical, Chemical, Biological, Social Ecosystem Interactions Dramatic Improvements in Forecasting Extreme Events National Suite of Air Quality Services Highly Skillful Seasonal to Decadal Climate Predictions National Suite of Water Resources Services Ocean Exploration for Humankind

6. 5-Year Research Plan • Focuses primarily on short- and mid-term research needed to realize the 20-year Research Vision • Identifies research that will support the NOAA Strategic Plan and the outcomes and performance objectives for each of NOAA’s Mission Goals • Addresses analysis and testing needed to transition research to applications • Helps external stakeholders identify opportunities for participation and collaboration with NOAA

7. 5-Year Research Plan: Framing NOAA’s Research Vision A key direction for research in NOAA will be Earth System Modeling and the observational systems and networks needed to support it

8. 5-Year Research Plan: Engaging Our Research Partners • Mechanisms include: • Grants to individual scientists • Cooperative Institutes • National Sea Grant College Program • Prior to the start of each fiscal year, a notice of the availability of grant funds for the upcoming fiscal year is announced via a Federal Register notice and at http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/~amd/solindex.shtml

9. NOAA’s Mission Goals • Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management • Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond • Serve society’s needs for weather and water information • Support the nation’s commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation

10. Weather & Water Mission GoalResearch Activities and Themes • Improve and extend weather forecasts and warning accuracy • Provide information to air quality decision makers and establish and improve a national air quality forecast capability • Improve water resources forecasting capabilities • Improve NOAA’s understanding and forecast capability in coasts, estuaries, and oceans

11. Weather & Water Mission Goal Research Activities and Themes Improve Water Resources Forecasting Capabilities • 5-year Research Plan Activities • Describe water resource allocations and socio-economic impact • Improve radar estimates of precipitation; combine with satellite data and ground observations • Develop improved (distributed, physically-based) rainfall runoff models • Develop coupled weather, climate, and rainfall runoff models • Describe the effects of climate phenomena on the hydrologic cycle • Develop the Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS) • With partners, develop fresh-water quality forecasting models • Linkages to the 20-Year Research Vision • New soil moisture forecasting models for agricultural applications and debris-flow warnings

12. Precipitation • Soil Moisture • Evaporation • Groundwater • River Flow • Surface Storage • Runoff • Water Quality NOAA’s Water Research Objectives: Integrated* Products & Services High-resolution Gridded Water Resources Product Suite Applications Drought Mitigation Flood Potential Flood Management Water Allocation Transportation Emergency Management Agriculture Debris Flows Ecosystems Management Research Partners NOAA Federal Agencies Tribal Agencies State Agencies Local Agencies Academia Private Sector • Snowpack Properties *Seamless transition from inland to coast

13. Algorithm Services Control Services Data Services Security Services Display Services Community Hydrologic Prediction System Point Information (Stations, Grid Cells) Federal agencies State, regional, and local cooperators Universities Private sector International organizations Near-Surface Deep Soil Moisture Runoff Snow Water Equivalent Precipitation Evapotranspiration Vector Information (River Segments) River Stage & Flow Surface Water Storage Water Supply Availability Flood Potential Hydrology XML Consortium http://www.weather.gov/oh/hydroxc/index.html Water Quality

14. Models Role of Precipitation Elevation Data Land Use Soils Etc. • Snowpack Properties • Precipitation • Soil Moisture • Snowpack Properties • Evaporation • Soil Moisture • Groundwater • Evaporation • River Flow • Groundwater • Surface Storage • River Flow • Runoff • Surface Storage • Water Quality • Runoff • Debris Flows

15. Models Role of Precipitation Elevation Data Land Use Soils Etc. • Precipitation • Snowpack Properties • Soil Moisture • Snowpack Properties • Evaporation • Soil Moisture • Groundwater • Evaporation • River Flow • Groundwater • Surface Storage • River Flow • Runoff • Surface Storage • Water Quality • Runoff • Debris Flows