Nearly 100 participants joined a recent webinar on Water, Climate and COVID-19 hosted by the Florida Water & Climate Alliance (FloridaWCA) and the UF Water Institute. Participants included representatives from water utilities, Water Management Districts, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and consulting firms.
The webinar featured recent research on the impacts of COVID-19 on municipal water demand in Florida and nationwide as well as a preliminary look at synergies between COVID-19 and climate change. The FloridaWCA also provided the latest updates on social science research and high-resolution seasonal forecasts being developed as part of a NASA-funded research project.
Right: Slide from Dr. Misra’s presentation on synergies between the variability and uncertainty of climate change models and epidemiological models predicting COVID-19.
Presentations and speakers included:
- Seasonal Forecasts Tailored for FloridaWCA Stakeholders – Vasu Misra, Professor of Meteorology, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University
- NASA ROSES Social Research in a Time of Catalytic Events – Tracy Irani, Professor and Department Chair, Family Youth and Community Science, University of Florida/IFAS
- COVID-19 and Municipal Water Use: A Preliminary Assessment of State and Nationwide Impacts – Tirusew Asefa, Manager, Planning & System Decision Support, Tampa Bay Water
- COVID-19 and CLIMATE: Tales of Two Variations – Vasu Misra, Professor of Meteorology, Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University
A recording of the webinar is available here.
Founded in 2010 and coordinated by the UF Water Institute, the FloridaWCA is a stakeholder-scientist partnership that co-develops locally relevant and actionable climate science to support informed decision-making in Florida’s water sector.