On November 30 and December 1, the NCA and the Ecosystems Interagency Working Group of the USGCRP—with sponsorship from the Environmental Protection Agency—co-hosted a workshop on Ecosystem Indicators in Relation to Changes in Climate, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C.  The approximately 60 workshop participants were invited based on their expertise and experience with climate indicators, observing networks, and related activities. The participants included federal agency personnel intimately involved in ecological monitoring and indicators and NGO and academic scientists involved in the issue. Through invited presentations, breakout sessions, and plenary discussions, participants provided individual input that will be summarized for the Interagency NCA Task Force and the soon-to-be-established Federal Advisory Committee.

Participants provided inputs on the definition of an indicator, the necessary measurements to assess climate change impacts and ecosystem responses, and examples of successful long-term trend analyses. One of the most important outcomes of the workshop was a comprehensive list of observing networks that include information on the network goal, its metadata policy, and the current contact information.  The report from the workshop will provide guidance for selecting indicators for 2013 NCA report and in future NCA activities.  Another suggestion from participants was to establish a standing committee of experts that will work with the Federal Advisory Committee on the appropriate selection criteria for candidate indicators.