Researchers will build an international network of networks, S2S-AccelNet, to strengthen forecast applications and services

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), Texas A&M University (TAMU) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have received National Science Foundation (NSF) funding to build an international network of networks (NON) to bolster forecasting that helps protect infrastructure and natural resources in a rapidly changing world.

Sankar Arumugam, professor and University Faculty Scholar, in NC State’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), is the principal investigator (PI) on a grant proposal that will receive $1.5 million from NSF’s Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) Program.  

The researchers plan to build a NON across the United States, Africa, Brazil and India that will help increase the use of hydroclimate forecast applications and services (FAS) that are intended to forecast climate conditions over the next 15 days to 12 weeks, with outlooks up to 12 months. These forecasts, referred to as “sub-seasonal to seasonal” or “S2S” forecasts, are important to reduce societal vulnerability to climate, environmental hazards and health risks. Several pilot studies have shown the value of these forecasts and their positive impact on reducing infrastructure vulnerability.

As Arumugam says, “With climate change and increasing population growth, the question is how best we can use the aging infrastructure and S2S FAS can certainly better prepare the society against climate-related hazards”.

While seasonal climate forecasts have been issued for more than 20 years, S2S forecasts are a more recent addition. These shorter-term forecasts are an important tool as climate change, continued economic development, increasing population, lifestyle changes and policy changes impact the natural environment and aging infrastructure such as reservoirs and power systems on a shorter time scale.

While S2S forecasts are being issued by global and national agencies, including the World Meteorological Organization, uptake has been slow as these forecasts focus only on climate data to the exclusion of information on the potential impacts on natural resources, health and infrastructure risks. The NC State researchers’ project – S2S-AccelNet – will build a NON of partnering agencies and provide a common platform to host online workshops for capacity building and training the next generation of students and early-career scientists for convergent research focusing on FAS.

Anderson de Queiroz, an associate professor in CCEE, and Meagan Kittle Autry, the department’s director of graduate professional development and an associate teaching professor, are co-PIs on the grant, as are faculty members at Columbia, CUNY, TAMU and IFPRI.

This article was first published in College of Engineering News.

 Author: Brent Lancaster