Methods

Using in-depth interviews with key individuals in each municipality and a research model that examines the coproduction of science and policy in an interactive context, this project will assess how Denver, Seattle, and Tucson have incorporated climate data and information into water resource management, with the goal of distilling this information for use in improving ongoing and future science-policy interactions. We have chosen these municipalities because they have all engaged with NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) programs, and they represent a range of geographical and institutional contexts of water management in the western US. To ensure that the project meets the needs of both the providers and users of climate information, the research team will assemble a small advisory board made up of a representative from each water utility and a climate researcher from each of three regional RISAs. Engagement with producers and users of climate knowledge throughout this project will provide a context for water managers and scientists to collectively examine existing partnerships and direct future work. Towards the end of the project, a workshop will be convened to report the results and facilitate discussion among those programs and institutions that are key players in climate knowledge transfer. Emphasis on the creation of a knowledge base, enhancement of effective outreach efforts, and strengthening of research partnerships is central to this project.