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Climate Services for Coping with Climate Change, Drought, and
Extreme Heat in the México-U.S. Border Region
has prompted broader recognition of the need and value of climate
services and countries have initiated or enhanced investments in
these services.
Regional-scale climate services in the U.S. were pioneered by state
climatologists, regional climate centers, individual university-based
applied climatologists, national hydrometeorological services,
drought monitoring and preparedness entities, and private sector
consultants. Historically, these entities provided data, consulting
services, applied research, and information products; in the digital
era, climate services providers have expanded activities to include
an array of online products and services (e.g., Carbone
et al.,
,
2008), to help parse and deliver place-based customized data, and
to aid in decision-making. In the U.S., regional climate centers
developed out of the state climatologist program, through the
1978 Climate Program Act (DeGaetano
et al.,
, 2010).
In the México-U.S. border region, climate services have historically
been provided through informal arrangements between national
weather services, emergency management consortia, academic
consortia, and other federal agencies concerned with resource
management or pollution regulations (GNEB, 2016). Examples
include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA)
collaborations with Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN)
(Garfin
et al.,
2006; Garfin
et al.,
, 2011), initiatives focused on
water and environmental impact applications (Ray
et al.,
, 2007a;
2007b; Varady
et al.,
, 2013, Scott
et al.,
, 2013, Wilder
et al.,
, 2010),
and multiple experiments in co-developing and delivering a
seasonal climate outlook bulletin for the Arizona-Sonora border
region (Wilder
et al.,
2010; Varady
et al.,
, 2013). Gradually, these
and other initiatives, along with the emergence of the strongest
regional drought episodes since the 1950s (Méndez and Magaña,
2010; Seager
et al.,
, 2009; Stahle
et al.,
, 2009) have shifted regional
