Submit Abstracts for Drought Sessions at the 107th AMS Annual Meeting
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is hosting its 107th annual meeting on January 10–14, 2027, in Denver, Colorado. This year, the meeting will focus on the theme, “PEOPLE: People Educated On Planet Live Empowered.”
NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and partners are proud to be involved in the 2027 AMS Annual Meeting. The call for abstracts is now open! The abstract submission deadline for most sessions is Wednesday, August 11, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET and is not expected to be extended.
AMS seeks to share your science with the rest of the weather, water, and climate community. Abstract authors have the opportunity to showcase their work via oral or poster presentations. Additionally, recorded oral presentations will be posted to the online program, and exclusively available to conference attendees for three months before being made free to the wider community.
Below, explore a selection of drought-related sessions accepting abstracts for next year’s meeting:
Advancements in Drought Prediction and Analysis
40th Conference on Climate Variability and Change
Effective drought early warnings that enable proactive responses are made possible in part by accurate and reliable drought predictions and physical process understanding. This session seeks submissions that advance our ability to predict and understand the complex interactions between terrestrial, atmospheric, and oceanic processes that can be used to anticipate drought and its effects.
Specific topics addressed by presenters could include, but are not limited to: introduction of drought forecast frameworks; prediction skill assessments of drought forecasts; physical process assessments of drought and their predictability; transitions of drought forecasts to operations; communication of drought forecasts to the public. Organizers also invite work that aims to improve our understanding of the role of feedback processes in initiating, sustaining, or ending drought, and links to the physical impacts of drought including snowpack, water availability, heatwaves, and wildland fire.
Innovations in Drought: Integrating Data, Surface Processes, and Impacts for Improved Monitoring and Prediction
Drought challenges our current monitoring and prediction capabilities, and its environmental and economic consequences are among the most serious of all natural disasters. Drought is expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity at both regional and global scales, resulting in increased environmental security risk. Improving drought monitoring and prediction requires data fusion and integration of drought indicators from multiple sources, including in situ, remote-sensing, surface observations, and modeled data.
This session will explore topics such as advances in the characteristics and feedbacks of drought evolution (including flash drought); land-atmosphere interactions; vegetation dynamics; interactions of drought and wildfire; and case studies illustrating advances in monitoring and predicting drought and drought impacts. The session chairs also invite work identifying or addressing gaps in current methods for monitoring and predicting droughts.
From Data to Decisions: Innovations in User-Driven Drought Monitoring and Communication for Decision-Making
31st Conference on Applied Climatology
Drought monitoring integrates data and observed impacts to assess drought severity, location, and duration. Accurate monitoring is essential to understand, anticipate, and mitigate drought’s wide-ranging effects on agriculture, water resources, ecosystems, and human health. Effective communication of drought conditions and impacts supports informed decision-making and can prompt timely actions at the state, local, and individual levels to reduce potential damages. However, conveying drought and its complexities to the public remains a persistent challenge—particularly as rapid shifts between too much and too little water happen more frequently.
The session chairs welcome submissions on topics including: advancements in drought monitoring and data fusion to refine characterization; frameworks and case studies where assessments inform planning and trigger mitigation; and examples of drought tools co-produced with partners such as agricultural producers and tribal leaders. Organizers also invite work on innovative impact reporting; strategies for communicating complex drought data to build public trust; and the power of storytelling and visualization to spark action. Furthermore, organizers encourage presentations on enhancing the usability of information for cross-sector decision-makers, as well as retrospective analyses of recent events to evaluate current approaches and identify opportunities for system improvement.
Two Decades of Science for Society: Transforming Drought Information through the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
22nd Symposium on Societal Applications: Policy, Research, and Practice
Drought is one of the most complex climate hazards to understand and manage. Since its inception in 2006, NIDIS has helped advance a shift in the nation’s approach to drought from reactive disaster response toward more proactive risk mitigation. NIDIS stands as the flagship Integrated Information System, a proven, whole-of-government organizational model for enabling and strengthening capabilities to understand, manage, and mitigate societal risks arising from complex environmental hazards, including heat, drought, and floods. The 20th anniversary of NIDIS offers a unique opportunity to showcase how scientific advancements were successfully applied in the service of society, detailing innovative and collaborative approaches supporting drought early warning, response, and preparedness across the nation. Speakers will highlight key science and decision-support milestones achieved under the NIDIS framework, and will also provide tangible, on-the-ground examples from local, state and federal partners that demonstrate the value of integrating and applying drought information to address specific societal challenges, ranging from water resource management to agricultural practices.
Abstracts for this session are accepted via direct invitation.
While NIDIS is not directly involved in planning these sessions, we also suggest you consider submitting abstracts to the following:
- 22nd Symposium on Societal Applications: Policy, Research, and Practice
- Session: Co-developing Federal Data Tools with End Users
- Session: Communicating Drought to PEOPLE: Media Practices, Challenges, and the U.S. Drought Monitor
- Session: Let's Talk Drought: Interpreting and Communicating the U.S. Drought Monitor
- 41st Conference on Hydrology
- Session: From Snowpack to Society: Advancing Snow Hydrology Science and Applications to Empower Communities
- Session: Building Urban and Community Resilience to Increasing Hydrometeorological Extremes
For more information, please contact Meredith Muth (meredith.f.muth@noaa.gov).
