(Aug. 30, 2012) - Climate experts from the United States, Mexico and Canada have launched a collaborative effort to deal with drought-related concerns along the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin (RGB). The effort is one of a number of pilot projects that are getting underway as part of a new North American Climate Services Partnership.

The group convened its first RGB drought workshop August 15-16 in El Paso, Texas to identify areas of mutual interest and plan for collaboration involving drought-related data, products and services.

Participants included representatives from NOAA, the National Weather Service, the International Boundary and Water Commission, Mexico's National Water Commission, New Mexico State University, the Mexican Institute of Hydrologic Technology and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"Working bilaterally in the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin makes sense when it comes to drought," said Dr. David Brown, NOAA Director of Southern Region Climate Services. "Opportunities to partner with Mexico exist in many areas, including improving monitoring of atmospheric and hydrologic conditions, prototyping seasonal forecasts for the basin and improving reporting of drought impacts."

Other specific workshop objectives include:

• Highlighting current areas of bilateral climate services collaboration
• Exploring ways the regional drought impact assessment can be used to enhance the multi-agency North American Drought Monitor
• Identifying potential enhancements of seasonal and long-lead climate outlooks
• Planning near and long-term activities to further collaboration within the basin
• Seeking additional federal, state and academic partners to participate in the pilot projects

"This workshop also enabled us at the field office level to more completely understand the challenges associated with the cross-border exchange of critical, mission-related, climate and drought information," said Jesse Haro, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service forecast office in El Paso.

"There is a very meaningful role for the field offices that serve the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin to play in this pilot project. Many of us already have considerable experience with cross-border information dissemination during life-threatening impact weather events."

Brown and Haro noted the El Paso gathering was just the first of a number of planned workshops as the pilot project evolves.

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