We are pleased to announce the NOAA's Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Analysis, Prediction, and Services virtual seminar series that will showcase speakers from the postponed 2025 Joint Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop (CDPW) and Climate Predictions Applications Science Workshop (CPASW).  The webinars will include both prediction and services-related topics, including flash drought monitoring and prediction, heat wave prediction and attribution, precipitation prediction, and the use of AI for hydroclimate monitoring and predictability. We will not be able to record the webinars but will post the presentations online with author permission. Please fill out this Google Form to receive information on registration for the webinar series. See presenter bios below.

Presenter Bios:

Marybeth Arcodia is an Assistant Professor joint between the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences Department of Atmospheric Sciences and the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing at the University of Miami. She is a member of the US CLIVAR Predictability, Predictions, and Applications Interface Panel and the Working Group on Climate Data and Predictions for Coastal Solutions.

Dr. Ehsan Bhuiyan received his PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Connecticut. He is currently working as a hydrologist at NOAA, Climate Prediction Center (CPC), ERT. His research focuses on the application of Artificial intelligence in remote sensing, weather forecasting, climate-change prediction, and the modeling of hydro-meteorological processes. A significant portion of his work is dedicated to AI-based flood modeling across multiple regions, including the northeastern United States, as well as broader areas such as Central America, Central Asia, and Africa. Throughout his career, he has led and contributed to research projects sponsored by NASA, NOAA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), among others. He has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles on his research.

Brian Fuchs is a faculty member and climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and he oversees the Monitoring Program Area within the center.  The NDMC is housed within the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  Brian came to the School of Natural Resources in May of 2000, working as a Climatologist for the High Plains Regional Climate Center.  He started working with the National Drought Mitigation Center in December 2005.  As a Climatologist, Brian works on applied research projects for the NDMC as well as authoring the United States Drought Monitor and the North American Drought Monitor along with several others. The drought research concentrates on mitigation, risk assessment, monitoring, impact, and reporting of drought.  The applied research helps others to better understand the impacts related to drought across a diverse group of industries from agriculture, energy, tourism, transportation as well as social and environmental concerns.  Brian was promoted to full faculty status in 2022.

Mark Svoboda: As director of the National Drought Mitigation Center’s (NDMC) and a professor within the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Svoboda administers and oversees the center’s staff and mission. Mark is a climatologist by training, and he works closely with federal, tribal, state, basin, local and international officials and governments on drought monitoring early warning information systems, science to policy applications, drought indicators and triggers, drought impacts, drought risk management planning and collaborative research. Dr. Svoboda is the co-founder (having served for 17 years as one of the principal authors) of the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor.

His work with the Core Team of the Western Governors’ Association led to the development of a report and recommendations on creating a National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) for the United States. Svoboda is currently a sitting member of the National Integrated Drought Information System’s (NIDIS) Executive Council. He is also currently a member of the World Meteorological Organization and Global Water Partnerships’ Integrated Drought Management Programme’s Advisory Panel.

Mark has served as a member of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s (UNCCD) Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG I) and Science Policy Interface (SPI) teams where he was a co-chair for their drought working groups over two terms. He was also appointed by the U.S. Department of State to serve as a delegate on the UNCCD’s follow-on IWG II drought team. Dr. Svoboda continues to serve as the drought preparedness working group co-leader for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG).

Dr. Svoboda is credited with coining the term “flash drought”, internationally known for his drought monitoring/early warning and risk management work and has been a keynote speaker, principal investigator, consultant, advisory board member, or an invited expert for activities with over 75 countries/regions/organizations to date. His work and research in these areas have led to 86 peer-reviewed journal papers and an additional 39 works including book chapters, reports and guidance documents. Mark’s bachelors (Geography: meteorology minor and climate specialization), masters (Geography: Remote Sensing and GIS specialization) and doctoral (Natural Resources: Human Dimensions) degrees were all obtained at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Jason Otkin is an Associate Research Professor at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has used various observational and modeling datasets to enhance our understanding of flash drought characteristics and to improve our ability to provide early warning of their development. He has also held focus group meetings with farmers and ranchers across the central U.S. to better understand their drought vulnerabilities and how they could use drought early warning information when making their management decisions. Jason will be presenting “A Multivariate Flash Drought Climatology for the Contiguous United States based on the Flash Drought Intensity Index”

Jordan Christian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of North Dakota. His work explores subseasonal-to-seasonal weather and climate extremes, with a particular emphasis on flash drought. He examines the frequency, evolution, drivers, and impacts of these events on local to global scales, using a combination of reanalysis data, satellite observations, and climate models. Jordan will be presenting on “Near Real-Time Flash Drought Monitoring”.