Overview of the SECC mission, strategy, and programs

Keith IngramCoordinator, Southeast Climate Consortium

SECC History

• Three universities, U. Miami, Florida State U., and U. Florida established the Florida consortium in 1997 with funding from NOAA Climate Program Office as a Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Center

• SECC – RMA partnership established in 2002. We are now in our second continuation

• Federal Grant through CSREES began in 2003. We are now in our 5th CSREES grant.

MissionThe mission of the Southeast Climate Consortium is to

use advances in climate sciences, including improved capabilities to forecast seasonal climate, to provide scientifically sound information and decision support tools for agriculture, forestry, and water resources management in the Southeastern USA.

As a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team, the SECC conducts participatory research and outreach to a broad community of potential users and forms partnerships with extension and education organizations to ensure that SECC products are relevant and reliable.

SECC MembersUniversity of FloridaUniversity of Florida Crop modeling, extension, hydrology, Crop modeling, extension, hydrology,

decision systems, linking crop and climate decision systems, linking crop and climate models, down-scalingmodels, down-scaling

Florida State UniversityFlorida State University Climate sciences, state climatologist, down-Climate sciences, state climatologist, down-scalingscaling

University of MiamiUniversity of Miami Decision analysis, evaluationDecision analysis, evaluation

University of Georgia University of Georgia (since 2002)(since 2002)

Crop modeling, evaluation, hydrology, Crop modeling, evaluation, hydrology, extension, state climatologistextension, state climatologist

University of Alabama – University of Alabama – Huntsville (since 2003)Huntsville (since 2003)

Climate sciences, state climatologistClimate sciences, state climatologist

Auburn University Auburn University (since 2003)(since 2003)

Agricultural and resource economics, Agricultural and resource economics, hydrologyhydrology

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (since 2007)University (since 2007)

Crop pest modeling, state climatologistCrop pest modeling, state climatologist

SECC Strategic Themes

ClimateAgricultural ResearchWater Resources ManagementDecision Analysis / AssessmentAgricultural Extension

AgClimateAgroClimate

Climate Information Development and Delivery System

Research FacultyClimate Agriculture

Water Resources Decision Analysis

Extension FacultyClimate Extension Specialists

Prototype AgClimatePrototype CoastalClimatePrototype SEWaterClimate

Agricultural & Forest Commodity Specialists

Information DeliveryState Climatologists

Cooperative Extension ServicesAgroClimate Extension Agents

Decision MakersAgricultural producers, Green industry managers, Forest managers, Water resource managers, Policy makers

Important Issues

• Strategy for continued federal fundingEar markCompetitive grantsCompetition for RISARMA continuation

• Regional issuesDrought, NIDIS, and other efforts regarding water

resourcesClimate change – new, broader clienteleExpanded coverage for AgroClimate and SECC