Southeast Climate Consortium News

July 2009: Workshop was held on 21-22 July.

The SECC was strongly represented at the second workshop for developing a National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) pilot project for the southeast USA. The workshop was hosted by the SE Regional Climate Center in Chapel Hill, NC. SECC participants included our four State Climatologists, David Zierden, David Stooksbury, John Christy, and Ryan Boyles as well as the SECC coordinator, Keith Ingram. Participants in the workshop agreed to develop NIDIS pilot activities for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin and the Yadkin-Catawba basin. More information is available at:
http://www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt/community/drought.gov/202/southeast_pilot_planning_meeting.

2009: Grants:

O'Brien, J., and V. Misra. Decision support system for reducing agricultural risks caused by climate variability .USDA-CSREES. 2009-2011. $2,334,384.
Hoogenboom, G., J.O.Paz, A.Garcia y Garcia, and T. Persson. Water use and water use efficiency of field corn as affected by weather and soil moisture conditions. Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Corn. 2009. $17,500.
Roncoli C., G. Hoogenboom, C. Furman, P. Knox, J. Paz, H. Gray, and R. Harris. A climate information system to enhance drought preparedness by underserved farmers in the southeastern US. NOAA-Sectoral Applications Program. 2009-2011. $331,676.

May 2009:  The SECC held its annual program review meeting in Griffin, GA on 5-7 May.

Sixty people attended including SECC researchers and administrators from the host, University of Georgia, along with SECC researchers from the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Miami, Auburn University, University of Alabama-Huntsville, North Carolina State University, and Clemson University, which is the newest member of the SECC.

28 July 2008:   Joint WMO-USDA-SECC Workshop planned for November 2008

An international panel of experts from the Implementation/Coordination Team on Climate Change/Variability and Natural Disasters in Agriculture will meet with the SECC in Orlando, FL beginning 18 November 2008.  At a meeting of the organizing committee today, the title of the meeting was decided to be "Climate Change Ímpacts and Adaptations for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries at the National and Regional Levels." Up to 80 participants are expected.

13 June 2008:  Viki Keener and Marie Boisserie are Student Poster Contest Winners

Congratulations to Viki Keener, Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, UF, who won first prize in the CIMR student poster competition for her poster on Categorical ENSO effects on simulated phosphorous loading in South Florida.  Marie Boisserie from the Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies, FSU, took second for her poster on Impact of precipitation assimilation on soil moisture in the coupled land-atmosphere FSU/COAPS model

Viki Keener, first place Student poster award winner at CIMR Symposium

10-13 June 2008:  CIMR Symposium a Great Success

With UF, The SECC co-hosted an International Symposium on Climate Information for Managing Risks - Partnerships and Solutions for Agriculture and Natural Resources in St. Pete Beach, FL.  Of the 122 people who participated in the CIMR Symposium.  About half were university researchers, 15 were students, 13 were from federal agencies, 10 were university administrators, 8 were extension agents, and 10 were from private ector organizations and non-governmental organizations.  Participants came from 12 countries and from 19 states of the USA plus Washington DC. 

Dr. Gale Buchanan, Undersecretary of Agriculture, gave the keynote address.  The remainder of the program had three principal components:  1) Plenary Sessions; 2) Poster Sessions; and 3) Facilitated Break-out Discussions.  Go to the CIMR web site for full details on the CIMR Symposium, including slides from plenary presentations, more photographs, and the final report. 

 

Professor James J. O'Brien (left) and Undersecretary of Agriculture Gale Buchannan (right).