The United States spends billions of dollars developing weather forecasts and climate information to help communities prepare for droughts, floods, and changing conditions. Yet despite all this investment, most water managers still don't regularly use this information. This puzzling gap between what's available and what gets used reveals a complex web of challenges that go far beyond simply making better forecasts.

Our research shows that whether a water manager uses climate information depends on much more than the quality of the data itself. The characteristics and attitudes of individuals, the capacity of individuals and organizations to absorb and use information, and their readiness to act, as well as the institutional context affect use. All these levels—individual, organizational, and institutional—need to work together to enable climate information use. A single barrier at any level can stop the entire process. This means that simply producing better forecasts or holding more meetings between scientists and water managers isn't enough. Real progress requires understanding and addressing the full context in which water management decisions are made, from the psychology of individual decision-makers to the politics of local and state government to the readiness of organizations to take in new knowledge and act.