Meeting Transcript for CCS - Community Discussion of a National Climate Service
Basic Meeting Information:
Meeting Topic: CCS - Community Discussion of a National Climate Service
Host: Ed O'Lenic
Meeting number: 557 817 266
Start Time: Thursday, May 29, 2008 12:18:25 AM(GMT -4:00)
End Time: Thursday, May 29, 2008 03:03:36 PM(GMT -4:00)
Meeting URL: https://ametsoc.webex.com/ametsoc
Attendee List:
Ed O'Lenic, Paul Llanso, George Briggs, Wayne Higgins, ron isaacs, Bart Hagemeyer, mary pat matheson, mehri hashemi, Eileen Shea, Lisanne Lucas, Richard Koehler, George Smith, laurie hogan, Robert Webb, Art DeGaetano, Jennifer Rukavina, Hetal Jain, Nick Murarik, Laura Edwards, Ed Bensman, Chris Pagliccia, Richard Rosen, Kelly Redmond, Adrienne Antoine, Kathy Esserman, Steven Root, Bob Cohen, veronica, Ryan Boyles, Mike MacCracken, Jon Gottschalck, Shannan Poteran, Marc Teffeau, Mike Grogan, Chet Koblinsky, Paul Knight, Andrew Stern, Prakash Karamchandani, Chester Ropelewski, Dave Markham, Gary Rasmussen, marjorie, Brad Udall, Tanya Maslak, Maria Pirone, Sharon LeDuc, Anne Frigon, Krish Vijayaraghavan, Elliot Abrams, dennis lettenmaier, Fiona Horsfall, Wendy Thomas, Dan Cayan, David Legler, Linda Miller,
Agenda:
The Committee on Climate Services (CCS) of the American Meteorological Society is sponsoring a webinar from 1:00-3:00 PM. May 29, 2008. FOCUS ISSUE: Community* Discussion of a National Climate Service (*Private, government, and university sectors). The AMS is seeking feedback from the panel and audience about the roles and responsibilities of the sectors involved in producing and using climate information.
The format will be a Webex conference, with a panel of 5, including Chet Koblinsky, Director of the NOAA Climate Program Office; Paul G. Knight, President of the American Association of State Climatologists; Bradley Udall, Director of the Western Water Assessment; Steve Root, President, Commercial Weather Services Association (CWSA), and President and CEO of WeatherBank, Inc.; and Frank Nutter, President, Reinsurance Association of America.
Chet Koblinsky will have 20 minutes to talk about the formation of a National Climate Service. Each of the other panelist will have 10 minutes to make their points. The remaining time will go to a) panelists answering spontaneous questions from the audience, b) panelists answering questions submitted by the audience before the conference.
1.How would you rate your knowledge of plans for a National Climate Service?
a.None 8/49 ( 16%)
b.Some 24/49 ( 49%)
c.Considerable 13/49 ( 27%)
No Answer 4/49 ( 8%)
2.A National Climate Service will be:
a.Good for me and my organization 43/49 ( 88%)
b.Have no effect on me and my organization 2/49 ( 4%)
c.Be bad for me and my organization 0/49 ( 0%)
No Answer 4/49 ( 8%)
3.In the United States science is:
a.Highly regarded by the public 13/49 ( 27%)
b.Given average credence by the public 32/49 ( 65%)
c.Mistrusted and looked-down upon by the public 0/49 ( 0%)
No Answer 4/49 ( 8%)
4.The process for planning a National Climate Service needs to be:
a.Completely transparent 32/49 ( 65%)
b.Partly transparent 13/49 ( 27%)
c.Confidential 0/49 ( 0%)
No Answer 4/49 ( 8%)
5.I:
a.Strongly support forming a National Climate Service 35/49 ( 71%)
b.Am indifferent about forming a National Climate Service 10/49 ( 20%)
c.Am hostile toward forming a National Climate Service. 1/49 ( 2%)
No Answer 3/49 ( 6%)
6.I believe that weather and climate services should be:
a.Privatized completely 0/49 ( 0%)
b.A partnership among public, private and university sectors 44/49 ( 90%)
c.A government-only set of activities 2/49 ( 4%)
No Answer 3/49 ( 6%)
Q: How can we justify another expansion of the federal bureaucracy to establish a separate National Climate Service?
Q: Where does weather end and climate start in the atmosphere? In other words, how would we separate the pie if we have separate weather and climate services in this country?
Q: How will the prerogatives of the private sector be protected in the evolution of a National Climate Service? This is especially appropos, since many of the potential users of climate services are entrepreneurs seeking financial gain.
Q: Despite the efforts of the Global Earth Observations System of Systems, the number and density of climate observing stations continues its multi-decadal decline, both in the USA and elsewhere around the world. Please comment on how a National Climate Service can both quantify the effects of this decline in observing capacity and how the Service might support efforts to restore and expand climate observing capabilities.