NOAA seeks better ways to track drought impacts in US as climate change affects cycles - KCRA Sacramento

NOAA seeks to better track drought impacts in US amid climate change

NOAA seeks better ways to track drought impacts in US as climate change affects cycles

NOAA says that not factoring in regional climate trends could lead to underestimating or overestimating drought severity, either of which can prevent relief funding from reach communities most in need.

Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working with their partner agencies to reassess how droughts are monitored.

A new report released by NOAA aims to find ways to more accurately represent changes in regional climate patterns.

“We were hearing a lot of concerns from our partners that assess drought at local, state and national levels that changes in the climate were not being accounted for in the drought assessment,” said Britt Parker, the primary author of the report and program manager for NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System.

Long-term shifts in annual precipitation or temperature can impact the length and intensity of a drought. That can change how drought effects play out.

Parker said historical gaps in data related to measuring drought conditions can lead to under or overestimating a drought's severity.

According to NOAA, 17 of the past 20 years have had droughts that cost the U.S. at least $1 billion, totaling $170 billion in damages over the past two decades. Parker added that that dollar amount may be underestimated.

“We know that as humans, we make our decisions based on past experiences. But past droughts and conditions may not be the best indicator of what the future holds, and with this, we really wanted to explore that," Parker said.

In Northern California, climate change is leading to rising average temperatures year-round. That warming can make a historically "average" drought more intense in the future.

State Climatologist Michael Anderson said that being able to identify drought conditions over smaller special scales can help get drought relief resources to communities that need it most.

“You want to make sure that you’re getting the right resources for the right reason to the right place," Anderson said. "If they don’t have [drought] characterized right, that may hinder the eligibility of some of those folks to receive those aid resources.”

In the NOAA report, titled "Drought Assessment in a Changing Climate," 15 areas of priority actions are outlined. That includes new sources of information, like incorporating experiences and stories shared by indigenous communities.

Other actions include improving the understanding of physical processes like El Niño and how different atmospheric cycles can impact drought development.

"What this report is really meant to do is emphasize the questions that we do have, to hold them in one place, and use this as a rallying point to accelerate research," Parker said.