HR: 17:35h
AN: U34B-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Tools for Climate Services
AU: * Hartmann, H C
EM: hollyoregon@juno.com
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources University of Arizona, 1133 E. James E. Rogers Way, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
AB: Full realization of socio-economic benefits of from public investments in climate services remains incomplete because decision makers have difficulty: 1) interpreting individual products, 2) appropriately judging information credibility, and 3) linking different types of information, both conceptually and practically. Addressing these barriers is as important as improving the science leading to improved information. The challenge is creating flexible climate information products and tools that can accommodate unique user needs; the goal is a systemic change in the nature of information delivery and use. The underlying assumption is not that climate information is good and useful, and simply needs to be communicated effectively. Rather, a number of conditions must be met before decision makers can make informed choices about whether to use particular information in a specific situation. Several case studies, of varying success, illustrate user-centric strategies for developing decision support tools: a forecast evaluation tool, a climate information management system, and a hydrologic alert system. However, tools alone will not bridge the barriers in climate services, with training and other capacity- building activities remaining important activities.
DE: 0815 Informal education
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly