NIDIS Pledges $4 Million to Revolutionize Drought Prediction: Find Out How This Will Impact Your Community

Transforming Drought Assessment with $4 Million Investment

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is channeling up to $4 million into eight groundbreaking projects aimed at enhancing drought evaluation. These projects will unfold over two years, targeting the advancement of drought indicators to reflect non-stationarity in our evolving climate.

For the first year, around $2 million will be allocated, subject to budget approval. Each project will receive between $50,000 and $250,000 annually, culminating in a maximum of $500,000 over the two-year period. This funding seeks to bolster our response to escalating drought challenges.

Recent years have spotlighted growing concerns over the intensity, duration, and frequency of droughts. Current assessment methods fall short as they often overlook the broader context of climate change, leading to inadequate long-term resilience strategies.

Today’s climate dynamics introduce a statistical phenomenon known as non-stationarity, altering the likelihood of extreme events. This competition zeroes in on these trends, particularly those driven by human-induced climate change.

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Enhancing Drought Indicators Amid Climatic Shifts

Research reveals that drought indicators are acutely sensitive to climate alterations and non-stationarity. The reference period chosen for evaluating current conditions significantly impacts the efficacy of drought indices and models.

Key research questions include:

• How accurately do current indices depict regional drought conditions?
• What is the regional variability of drought indicators over time?
• How can indices be adapted for better predictability in a changing climate?

These questions aim to refine our understanding and enhance the predictive power of drought assessments, ensuring they are more reflective of climate realities.

The competition is inspired by the NOAA/NIDIS Drought Assessment in a Changing Climate Technical Memorandum, which consolidated insights from over 100 experts. This memorandum lays the groundwork for the Fiscal Year 2025 NIDIS Coping with Drought initiative.

Community Resilience Through Advanced Research

Veva Deheza, Executive Director of NIDIS, emphasizes the importance of this initiative. She notes, “The development of the Technical Memorandum was a significant effort by NIDIS and partners, aiming to build long-term drought resilience.”

The memorandum identifies key actions and research priorities across fifteen focus areas, with a central theme of improving drought indicator performance.

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This funding will support projects that address these action points, driving advancements in drought assessment techniques that are crucial for community preparedness and adaptation.

The ultimate goal is to provide communities with tools and knowledge to better withstand and respond to drought conditions, fostering a proactive approach to climate resilience.

Upcoming Deadlines and Informational Webinars

Important dates to remember include:

• Letters of Intent (LOI) due by Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Application submissions must be completed by Monday, December 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Late submissions will not be reviewed or considered.

NIDIS will host two informational webinars to guide applicants:

• Fiscal Year 2025 Coping with Drought Competition Informational Webinar on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET.
• Fiscal Year 2025 Coping with Drought Post-LOI Informational Webinar on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET.

Both webinars will be recorded and made available on the competition web page.

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