Overview

The sixth official meeting of the U.S. National Assessment Synthesis Team (NAST) took place July 7-9 at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. The meeting was chaired by Tony Janetos, Tom Karl and Jerry Melillo, the co-chairs of the Synthesis Team.

In total, fourteen members of the Synthesis Team participated in all or part of the meeting. There were also twenty-three additional participants, including representatives of sector teams, and leaders representing the Interregional Forum, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Assessment Working Group and the National Assessment Coordination Office.

Attendance

The following members of the Synthesis Team participated in the meeting:

• Eric Barron, Pennsylvania State University
• Virginia Burkett, U.S. Geological Survey
• Thomas Cecich, Glaxo-Wellcome, Inc.
• John H. Gibbons, former Office of Science and Technology Policy (ex-officio)
• Katharine Jacobs, Arizona Department of Water Resources
• Tony Janetos, World Resources Institute (Co-Chair)
• Linda Joyce, USDA Forest Service
• Tom Karl, NOAA Climatic Data Center (Co-Chair)
• Jerry Melillo, Woods Hole MBL (Co-Chair)
• Barbara Miller, Rankin International/World Bank
• M. Granger Morgan, Carnegie Mellon University
• Edward Parson, Harvard/Kennedy School of Government
• Richard Richels, Electric Power Research Institute
• David Schimel, National Center for Atmospheric Research

In addition, approximately 20 representatives of federal agencies and members of the conference support staff participated in the meeting. One journalist attended the meeting.

Welcome and Objectives

The Co-Chairs of the Synthesis Team outlined the objective for the meeting: to review another version of the documents, and make strategic decisions about next steps. Because the drafts were in a more advanced stages, participants were able to begin discussion integration and consistency across the different sections.

Action Items

The following were the action items from the meeting:

• Please send your comments on the Overview Document to Melissa Taylor (mtaylor@usgcrp.gov) by Thursday, July 15th; she will redistribute to the Liaisons responsible for specific sections.
• Please send the suggested revisions on your own Overview Document sections to Susan Hassol (shassol@agci.org) the following week.
• The 4 edited Foundation Document chapters (NE, SE, Water, Native) will be sent with line numbers at the beginning of next week (by Monday, July 12th). Please send your comments by the end of the week or early the next week (to mtaylor@usgcrp.gov who will collate and redistribute).
• Please send any comments on the "Umbrella Messages" (and Parson Synthesis Points), as well as on the "Regional Centerfold" (to mtaylor@usgcrp.gov; fax: 202-488-8681).
• Send graphics ideas/files to Paul Grabhorn (grabhorn@trail.com).
• Please continue to iterate your sections with your respective regional and sectoral teams. They will not receive full drafts of the documents for review until after Woods Hole and so it is important that they continue to be involved on the individual sections.

Foundation Document: Regional Templates

The group agreed upon the following, slightly revised regional template.

1. First two pages: map of the region with flagged issues
   • Follows the format we developed for the centerfold, with a topic followed by a bullet describing the issue and a bullet describing the adaptation strategy
   • Aim for no more than 12 topics, corresponding with the issues discussed in the chapter.
   • Everything contained here should be discussed in the chapter.

2. Next two pages: physical setting and unique attributes
   • With socioeconomic issues and trends and current stresses

3. Climate Variability and Change: one page

4. Ecology: one page

5. Key Issues
   • Starts with a callout listing issues - see model NE chapter
   • Boxes throughout
   • Coping Embedded

6. Additional Issues
   • Brief summary
   • See model SE chapter

7. Coping Strategies: Integration
   • This both integrates the coping strategies mentioned throughout, and identifies those that might help with multiple stresses, which are less applicable to any single issue.

8. Crucial Unknowns

9. Literature Cited
   • AGU format
   • Collect URLs if used

Foundation Document: Sector Template

The group agreed upon the following, slightly revised sector template.

1. Section summary
   • Centerfold format - map or figures
   • Adaptation might be summarized in a box ("band") at the bottom

2. Context
   • what it is, how it matters, socieconomic and non-market values; regional heterogeneity

3. Climate and [Name of Sector Here]
   • only talk about issues relevant to the sector; cross-regional gradients, etc., water focusing on run-off for example

4. Key Issues
   • Start with summary, like regions
   • Coping embedded

5. Additional Issues

6. Coping Strategies - Integration

7. Crucial Unknowns

8. Literature Cited
   • AGU format
   • Collect URLs if used

Regional Centerfold - for additional comment

The following were proposed as the topical areas for a summary graphic:

• Urban Areas
• Low-lying Coastal Ecosystems
• Row-Crop Agriculture
• Streams and Rivers
• Forest Ecosystems
• Managed Forests
• Islands
• Permafrost Areas
• Water Supply
• Biodiversity
• Coastal Communities and Infrastructure
• Extreme Events
• Native Peoples/Native Homelands
• Coral Reefs

Certification

I certify that these Minutes accurately reflect discussions at this Meeting:

______________________________________________
Melissa J. Taylor, Rapporteur