Dr. Joe Casola, a new member of the NW CASC’s Advisory Committee, serves as the Western Regional Climate Service Director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). In his position, Dr. Casola seeks to understand how decision makers in the region are using climate information and how NOAA can best address the ever-growing needs for climate data and services.
Joe’s past work includes serving as Deputy Director of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (CIG) and Director of Science and Impacts at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions in Arlington, Virginia. He has also worked at the National Academy of Sciences and in the private sector at ICF, a consulting firm. He holds a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington.
What led you to work in the field of climate adaptation?
As a graduate student, I had the privilege to take courses from Climate Impacts Group luminaries Ed Miles, Amy Snover and Nate Mantua. From these courses, I was able to work directly with CIG on its 2005 assessment of impacts for Washington State. What I learned during those courses and the assessment project became important components of my dissertation work and inspired me to pursue job opportunities that aimed to advance climate-informed decision making.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
Like everyone right now, I spend a LOT of time on Zoom. Most days, I am speaking with people all across the West, trying to understand what current observations, seasonal forecasts and future climate projections tell us about climate risks. As you can imagine, these discussions tend to focus on flooding, drought, fire and extreme heat. From these conversations, I try to identify ways that NOAA can improve its communication about climate risks both internally and externally; opportunities where applied research could answer questions that decision makers have; and ways to support communities and businesses trying to prepare for climate hazards.
How does your organization support climate resilience in the Northwest?
The part of NOAA where I work — the National Centers for Environmental Information — acts as a data steward for many observations of historical climate (e.g., temperature, precipitation) that are foundational to research and communications that support climate adaptation. We are also heavily involved in drought monitoring and work closely with our partners at the National Integrated Drought Information System, state agencies and other federal agencies. NCEI also supports the state climate offices, as well as the Western Regional Climate Center, which are all important resources for climate data and services.
What is your favorite thing about your work?
I greatly appreciate the network of brilliant people that are working on climate adaptation. There is a ton of expertise, passion and dedication among the groups doing adaptation. The individuals I get to interact with are truly inspiring, and I learn something new every day!