NOAA Hydrology Program

1. NOAA Hydrology Program Geoff Bonnin Office of Hydrologic DevelopmentNOAA National Weather Service 301-713-0640 x103 Geoffrey.Bonnin@noaa.gov

2. Topics • NOAA Hydrology Program Strategy • Hydrology Science Plan • Data Issues

3. Hydrology Program Internal Strategy • Integrate activities across NOAA organizational structures • Integrated Water Forecasting • Focus on user’s information needs • Coastal Estuary River Information Services • Summit to the sea • Address diverse customer needs through • Integrated modeling • Leveraging many data sources • Derived products and services targeted at different user groups

4. Hydrology Program External Strategy • Collaborative activities among Federal water agencies • Focus on improved synergy and effectiveness • Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS)

5. IWRSS Focus Areas • Integrated Water Resources Services • Substantial Stakeholder Engagement, Enhanced Communications • Integrated Data/Service/Product Delivery – Unified National Portal • Training and Outreach, Improved Risk Information and Communication • System Interoperability, Collaborative Tools and Workflow • CHPS/CWMS Interoperability, Data Synchronization, Incorporation of Models, Toolkits for access/analysis and collaborative operational workflow • Common Operating Picture • Geo-intelligence, Enterprise GIS for Water Resources and Hydrologic Prediction • Integrated, Sustainable Water Resources Modeling/Forecasts • Implementation of National Integrated Gridded Water Resources Forecast System • Basic short-term ensemble water budget forecasts at ~1 km2 resolution for U.S. • Advanced modeling for demonstration areas; transition best to national • Advanced river and flood forecasting models, including linkage to coastal/estuary, groundwater, and water temperature and quality

6. IWRSS Integration Focal Points • Other major integration focal points will be incorporated as IWRSS evolves • e.g. Other NOAA Assets, Bureau of Reclamation, USDA, EPA, FEMA, NASA, International

7. Office of Hydrology Science Plan • Sets strategic research goals for: • Watershed Processes • Surface • Infiltration and surface runoff • Soil moisture and temperature • Groundwater storage and base flow • Snow accumulation, sublimation and melt • Evapotranspiration • Hydraulics (Future) • Water Quality (Future) • Forcings • Observed and forecast precipitation • Observed and forecast air temperature and humidity • Winds • Short/long-wave radiation and skin temperature • Anthropogenic and natural perturbation to the hydrologic cycle • Ensemble forecasting • Data Assimilation • Verification

8. Science Plan (cont’d) • Each section contains the following topics: • Where we are • What are our partners are doing • Where we want to be • Challenges to getting there • A road map to getting there • Available at: • http://www.weather.gov/oh/src/docs/Strategic_Science_Plan_2007-Final.pdf

9. Constrained by Lack of Data • Networks designed for synoptic meteorology • Not hydrology • Co-operative Observing Program based on manual systems • Data arrives too late for use in real-time operations • Desperate shortage of observed: • Precipitation • Stream flow and stage (USGS) • Soil moisture • Solar radiation • Etc • Radar and satellite based precipitation estimates in mountainous terrain (the west) are poor

10. Questions