Two representatives from NASA have joined the team of U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) authors. This is the first time NASA has contributed authors to the USDM development process. To mark NASA’s new level of involvement, the NASA logo now appears on the lower-right corner of the USDM map.By Emily Case-Buskirk, NDMC communications specialist
Two representatives from NASA have joined the team of U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) authors.
The USDM is hosted by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and produced through a partnership between the NDMC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and now NASA.
The new USDM authors are Ben Cook, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University, and Jonathan Case, NASA Marshall/University of Alabama-Huntsville.
“Since the inception of the U.S. Drought Monitor in 1999, it has been a uniquely collaborative product,” said Mark Svoboda, NDMC director. “We are very excited about this partnership, which marks a new step in joint efforts between NASA and the USDM authoring team.”
This is the first time NASA has contributed authors to the USDM development process. To mark NASA’s involvement, the NASA logo now appears on the lower-right corner of the USDM map.
Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, said NASA Earth science has been proud to contribute unique data and expertise to the USDM effort for years.
“This agreement formalizes our partnership and incorporates NASA scientists as key members of the expert team that produces the weekly maps that are the gold standard for observing and forecasting drought,” she said. “This is one of many ways that NASA’s Earth science and data power the operational services that U.S. farmers, ranchers, and resource managers rely on.”
The USDM is a weekly map showing the location and severity of drought across the U.S. and territories, using six classifications to designate the extent of abnormal dryness or drought.
USDM authors are from the partner organizations, and the two new NASA authors will bring their number to 11. Each week, one of the authors uses dozens of indicators from multiple data sources, including NASA, to update drought levels across the U.S. and territories. A network of drought experts from each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico also provide input on local conditions.
Cook and Case have been added into the USDM author rotation and will each complete their first two-week shift later this year.
Learn more at droughtmonitor.unl.edu.