[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59983-59985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20982]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) United
States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).
ACTION: Request for public nominations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Context: The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is
mandated under the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990 to conduct
a quadrennial National Climate Assessment (NCA). Under its current
decadal strategic plan (http://go.usa.gov/3qGU4) USGCRP is building
sustained assessment capacity. The sustained assessment supports the
Nation's ability to understand, anticipates, and responds to risks and
[[Page 59984]]
potential impacts brought about by global environmental change, namely
the human-caused buildup of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that is
causing climate change.
The last NCA from 2014 (NCA3: http://nca2014.globalchange.gov) and
the process to develop it provided a foundation for subsequent
activities and reports.
Comments have been received through a request for information on
the draft, annotated outline for the Fourth National Climate Assessment
(NCA4) https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/07/05/2016-15807/public-comment-on-an-annotated-outline-for-the-fourth-national-climate-assessment. Informed by these comments, a revised outline, including a
chapter list, is provided below and available online https://www.globalchange.gov/notices. Sectoral and response chapters will be
coordinated and led by federal agencies. Regional chapters will be
coordinated and led by non-federal regional chapter leads, who in turn
will collaborate with federal coordinating lead authors.
For each regional chapter, a non-federal regional chapter lead must
be nominated through this call for nominations and then selected by the
Federal NCA4 Steering Committee. This non-federal regional chapter lead
will then, with input and guidance from the Federal NCA4 Steering
Committee, select federal and non-federal chapter authors and technical
contributors to establish regional author teams. A federal coordinating
lead author will also work with each regional chapter lead as a liaison
between the regional chapter lead and federal agencies. Federal
coordinating lead authors will provide technical editorial oversight of
report content.
The regions that NCA4 will cover are the Northeast, Southeast and
the Caribbean, Midwest, Northern Plains, Southern Plains, Southwest,
Northwest, Alaska, and Hawai'i and Pacific Islands. See below in the
appendix for the sectors, responses, and cross-cutting topics that will
be covered.
In addition, this request presents an opportunity to submit
scientific/technical information to inform the assessment. These
technical inputs on sectoral, regional, and response information and
cross-cutting topics will serve as part of the foundation for NCA4.
SUMMARY: NOAA, on behalf of USGCRP, is soliciting nominations for
regional chapter leads, chapter authors, technical contributors and
technical/scientific information for the Fourth National Climate
Assessment (NCA4). Refer to the NCA4 Annotated Outline (accessible
below in the Appendix and via www.globalchange.gov/notices) for further
information on the scope, topics, and overarching themes for the
report, as well as roles and responsibilities for nominated leads,
authors, and contributors.
The report will adhere to the Information Quality Act requirements
(http://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/info_quality.html) for
quality, transparency, and accessibility as appropriate for a Highly
Influential Scientific Assessment (HISA).
DATES: Nominations should be submitted via the web address specified
below (See ADDRESSES) and must be received within 30 days of
publication of this Notice.
ADDRESSES: Nominations for regional chapter leads, chapter authors, and
technical contributors must be submitted electronically via a web form
accessible via https://www.globalchange.gov/notices. Nominees will
identify their areas of expertise based on NCA4's sectoral and response
topics. A short CV/resume of no more than 4 pages must be included.
Technical inputs should also be submitted electronically via web form
accessible from https://www.globalchange.gov/notices.
Instructions: Response to this notice is voluntary. Responses to
this notice may be used by the government for program planning on a
non-attribution basis. NOAA therefore requests that no business
proprietary information or copyrighted information be submitted in
response to this notice. Please note that the U.S. Government will not
pay for response preparation, or for the use of any information
contained in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Therese Cloyd, (202) 223-6262,
[email protected], U.S. Global Change Research Program.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background information, additional details,
and instructions for submitting nominations and technical inputs can be
found at www.globalchange.gov/notices. For the responsibilities and
expectations of different kinds of authors and contributors, please
see: www.globalchange.gov/notices. For more information about the NCA
and access to previous NCA reports and activities, please see http://assessment.globalchange.gov.
Call for Nominations for Regional Chapter Leads, Chapter Authors
and Technical Contributors, this notice seeks nominations for regional
chapter leads, chapter authors, and technical contributors to NCA4 with
pertinent subject matter expertise and scientific background. Potential
nominees should be accomplished scholarly writers and have demonstrated
scientific and technical expertise and academic proficiency in at least
one of the regions, sectors, response, or climate science topics
outlined in the NCA4 Annotated Outline, (described below in the
Appendix and accessible via https://www.globalchange.gov/notices).
Submissions must show that nominees have demonstrated technical
backgrounds such that they could contribute to the development of a
robust scientific, technical assessment as subject matter experts in
one or more of the topics listed in the outline.
Responses to this request for nominations for regional chapter
leads, chapter authors, and technical contributors must be submitted
within 30 days of the publication of this notice. Users can access the
nominations form via www.globalchange.gov/notices. Interested persons
may nominate themselves or third parties, and may nominate more than
one person. Each nomination must include: (1) The nominee's full name,
title, institutional affiliation, and contact information; (2) the
nominee's area(s) of expertise; (3) a short description of his/her
qualifications relative to contributing to the report; and (4) a
current resume/CV [maximum length four (4) pages].
Nominations will be reviewed and selected by the Federal NCA4
Steering Committee. Non-federal nominees may be selected and requested
to serve as regional chapter leads, and other federal and non-federal
nominees may be invited to participate as chapter authors or technical
contributors to NCA4. Those selected as regional chapter leads will be
informed no later than six weeks after the close of the nominations
window. Those not selected as non-federal chapter leads may have their
information passed on to Federal agencies or non-federal chapter leads
for further consideration as chapter authors or technical contributors.
Call for Relevant Scientific Information to Inform NCA4
Interested parties are invited to assist in contributing,
collecting, and refining the scientific information base for NCA4. To
do so, parties are asked to submit recent, relevant scientific and/or
technical research studies including observed, modeled and/or projected
climate science information that have been peer reviewed and published
or accepted for publication in scientific journals and/or government
reports. For some elements of NCA4 (such as adaptation issues),
relevant literature
[[Page 59985]]
may not always be in the scientific peer-reviewed literature. These
other types of literature (e.g., reports that are produced by the non-
profit and business communities) may still be submitted as input. All
information used in the report is expected to comply with NOAA
Information Quality Act standards.
Please refer to the outline (See Appendix below for topics covered
in NCA4) to target your submissions. We especially encourage
submissions of regional information and information for such topics as
case studies, economic valuation, and cross-cutting sectoral research.
All scientific literature submitted in response to this call for
information must be received by January 15, 2017. For best
consideration, please submit by November 1, 2016.
Submissions must be uploaded electronically via the link provided
on http://www.globalchange.gov/notices.
Appendix: NCA4 Updated Outline
I: Overview
II: Our Changing Climate
III: National Analyses/Sectoral Chapters
Water
Energy
Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity
Oceans and Marine Resources
Coastal Effects
Agriculture and Food Production
Forests
Land Cover and Land Use Change
Transportation
Built Environment, Urban Systems, and Cities
Human Health
Air Quality
Energy, Water, Land Nexus
Tribal and Indigenous Communities
North American and Other International Effects
IV: Regional Analyses
Northeast
Southeast and Caribbean
Midwest
Northern Plains
Southern Plains
Northwest
Southwest
Alaska
Hawai'i and Pacific Islands
V: Response
Near-Term Adaptation Needs and Increased Resiliency
Mitigation: Avoiding and Reducing Long-Term Risks
Dated: Thursday, August 18, 2016.
Dan Barrie, Program Manager, Assessments Program, NOAA Climate
Program Office
Published on TBD.
Dated: August 25, 2016.
Jason Donaldson,
Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-20982 Filed 8-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P