Ryan Emanuel, SE CSC Faculty Affiliate, Gives Congressional Brief on Water Forecasting Resources

Ryan Emanuel, associate professor of hydrology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources participated in a congressional briefing on September 13, 2016. He was invited to participate by the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR). UCAR manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on behalf of the National Science Foundation. Emanuel was there to provide his perspective on the new National Water Model, a comprehensive system for forecasting water resources from coast to coast. The technology underpinning the model, launched last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was developed by NCAR and its collaborators at universities, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies, and the private sector. He also discussed the need for better water intelligence among diverse communities across the country and noted that indigenous tribes across the nation are particularly vulnerable to drought and flooding for a range of cultural, historical, and economic reasons.
“Indigenous peoples across the United States are diverse, but one common theme is that water is sacred,” said Emanuel, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. “It’s not only critical for life, but it is life itself. Beyond the tools, the models, and the management lies the knowledge of the original inhabitants of this nation that water binds us all to a common fate.”
Read the press release.