The Working Group Science Syntheses (WGSS) are part of the core North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) Consortium science activities aimed at addressing climate adaptation science needs in our seven-state region: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska. WGSS are a mechanism for comprehensive science syntheses for management applications to facilitate in-depth exploration of priority topics or questions identified through our Climate Adaptation Science and Support (CASS) and Rapid Climate Assessment Program (RCAP) efforts. 

Co-led by Consortium scientists and involving relevant subject matter experts and practitioners, we will conduct two such working group efforts between 2024-2029, roughly on a two-year cycle, involving regular virtual engagements and an in-person Climate Adaptation Science Workshop with a cohort of interested regional stakeholders and rights-holders, Consortium Partners, and our USGS colleagues. The in-person workshops will help us dive deeply into these topics and build consensus around the framing and direction of the synthesis efforts, and the working group process will involve engagement with a broader community to seek additional input. We anticipate that priority topical emphases for each synthesis will naturally emerge from our ongoing engagements with our partners, and the working group will identify specific questions to address. These efforts will generate various synthesis products (e.g., reports, manuscripts, fact sheets), as well as webinars and training sessions to communicate key findings.