NOAA Magazine Online (Story 66)

NOAA Magazine || NOAA Home Page

Commerce Dept.

NOAA’s CLIMATE ACTIVITIES

Photograph of the Earth from space with the NOAA logo in the middle of it. December 13, 2002 — Under the leadership of James R. Mahoney, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, NOAA and several other agencies hosted the first major workshop of the newly formed U.S. Climate Change Science Program, from Dec. 3 - 5, 2002, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. CCSP — which incorporates both the U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program and the Climate Change Research Initiative — involves 13 U.S. government agencies. The workshop responds to the President’s initiative to make the U.S. global change and climate change science programs more objective, sensitive to uncertainties and well documented (open) for public debate. Thus, the workshop focused on reviewing the CCSP’s draft strategic plan for climate change and global change studies, with an emphasis on developing short-term (two- to four-year) products to support climate change policy and resource management decision-making.

The draft strategic plan is available for comment at the CCSP Web site. Interested members of the international climate and global change research community, managers of climate sensitive natural and infrastructure resources, and all persons interested in climate change policy development were encouraged to participate in the workshop (and/or submit comments, questions and suggestions for the record up until January 13, 2003). The National Academy of Sciences will also review the strategic plan. Once completed, the CCSP Strategic Plan will provide the principal guidance for an integrated, multi-agency U.S. global change and climate change research program over the next several years. The FY 2003 budget for the CCSP is approximately $1.75 billion.

Workshop Topics
The workshop included a daily plenary session, as well as breakout sessions on the following topics: atmospheric composition, carbon cycle, climate - land use/land cover interactions; climate - ecosystem interactions; climate modeling; climate quality data management systems; climate variability and change; resource management decision support; emerging climate science issues; grand challenges in observations, modeling, and information systems; human contributions and responses to climate change; international collaboration; observations and monitoring systems; reporting and outreach plans; resolution of disparities in tropospheric temperature records; scenario development to support national scope decisions; stabilizing greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere: opportunities for technology and innovations; and water cycle.

NOAA Climate Change and Variability Activities
NOAA has a proven track record in addressing climate change and variability issues that form the scientific basis for effective climate change decision-making. Furthermore, both Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (vice admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.), under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator) and James R. Mahoney, Ph.D. (assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA deputy administrator) addressed climate change issues at the international level, having contacted officials in Japan, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. NOAA’s unique capabilities, constructive mix of research and service entities, and management and scientific advice make it uniquely qualified to develop long-term systematic climate observations, products and services that will assist CCSP in accomplishing its mission.

NOAA’s Climate Services Program
The nation needs accurate, comprehensive and timely information about climate variability and trends, climate change and climate uncertainties. NOAA’s Climate Services Program is an integrated endeavor designed to develop and deliver climate information, thereby providing an improved basis for climate-related decision-making.

NOAA’s Climate Services Program will be managed in a new way within the organization. NOAA has instituted a new Climate Office. The new NOAA Climate Office will consist of representatives from each of the NOAA Line Offices (NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA National Ocean Service, NOAA National Weather Service and NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) and will focus on all NOAA climate programs (This is in contrast with the current NOAA Climate Observations and Services Program office, which primarily focuses on new climate funding and only has representatives from OAR, NWS and NESDIS.) The new NOAA Climate Office will work on NOAA’s climate programs, as well as supporting NOAA’s efforts in the interagency Climate Change Science Program. It will be established in accordance with the matrix management principles outlined in the Program Review Report (while the existing Climate Observations and Services Program office will form the basis of the new NOAA Climate Change and Variability Office and will continue to be hosted by OAR).

The importance of climate issues to NOAA is clearly demonstrated by the fact that approximately $347 million in its FY03 budget has been set aside for climate activities. One of NOAA’s top strategic goals is to understand and enhance society’s adaptation to climate variability and change. NOAA has initiated a new Climate Services Program in an effort to coordinate climate activities across all NOAA line offices.

NOAA’s Climate Observations
The foundation of NOAA’s Climate Services Program are observations. Both in situ, airborne and satellite observations are necessary to address climate needs. Data must be collected from the important elements of the full Earth system for a comprehensive view to allow optimal monitoring, evaluation, prediction and services. Likewise, access to and archiving of the data is critical, since many of the important uses of the data will continue for many years into the future (See Table 1 below).

NOAA Climate Change and Variability Research and Modeling
Research — including diagnostics, analysis and computer modeling — provides the means to reveal connections between the oceans, land and atmosphere. The physical and biological dimensions of such connections help answer critical questions relevant to society about climate variability and climate change along with their consequences.

A majority of NOAA’s climate research addresses the following issues:

Climate Variability: Seeking to describe large-scale patterns of variability that interact to influence climate on regional, national and global scales, such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation.
Water Cycle: Gaining a better understanding of the global water cycle — one of the most significant aspects of climate research and services because water is a critical driver for most climate processes, and its availability underlies effective natural resource management.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosols: Conducting research to understand the chemical and radiative processes associated with trace chemicals and aerosols in the atmosphere.
Carbon Cycle: Improving the ability to predict the fate of anthropogenic CO₂ and future atmospheric CO₂ concentrations using a combination of atmospheric and global oceanic observations, process-oriented field studies and modeling.
Regional Integrated Assessments: Identifying climate-related critical issues/problems within a region; characterizing the current and evolving state of knowledge of relevant climate, ecological and hydrologic variability; and assessing social, economic, and ecological impacts and sensitivity to climate on multiple time-scales. At present, there are five regional assessments activities focused on the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, California, Inter-Mountain West and the Southeast regions of the United States.
Health and Human Dimensions: Supporting field and model-based research focused on human adjustment to climate variability and change with an emphasis on the use of forecast information in decision-making.

NOAA analyzes the climate information it has collected using a number of different types of computer models. Specifically, NOAA’s weather forecasting models are used to predict future weather patterns out to a week or more. Longer-range forecasts models, on the other hand, are used to predict seasonal-to-interannual climate variability, as well as to simulate climate change over decades to centuries.

NOAA Climate Products and Services
NOAA collects and provides to users hourly, daily, and monthly data, time series and maps for various climate parameters (e.g., precipitation, temperature, wind, humidity and snow fall) for the United States and other parts of the world. NOAA also compiles data on atmospheric and oceanic conditions, including El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO); other climate patterns, such as the North Atlantic and Pacific Decadal Oscillations; and stratospheric ozone and temperature. Likewise, NOAA provides the official climate normals and climate information that are critical for efforts to reduce the impact of extreme weather and climate events. Thus, NOAA’s Climate Services Program will provide a full suite of climate products and services — including observations, forecasts, assessments, state-of-the-atmosphere reports, climate change scenarios, climate monitoring results, enhanced research and applications. For example, the Pacific Northwest Assessment, now in its fifth year, and centered at the University of Washington, exemplifies NOAA’s focus on understanding climate and weather-related linkages to natural and human systems. Researchers in the Northwest Climate Impacts Group interact with stakeholders to develop and test products based on stakeholder’s needs — linking climate and weather information to marine ecosystems (chiefly Pacific salmon); hydrology and water resources (including hydropower, forest resources, coastal resources; and health).

NOAA’s success in providing integrated climate services to the nation can be attributed to NOAA’s unified strategy for transitioning research into systematic and sustained outreach. Specifically, NOAA’s Climate Services Program will benefit from the participation of several NOAA line offices:

NOAA National Weather Service: conducts in situ and airborne observations; provides the official hourly, daily, weekly, seasonal and annual forecasts and predictions; issues watches and warnings; and operates the NOAA severe weather alert system as well as real-time monitoring
NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service: provides in situ and space-based observations, climate monitoring and status reports, data archiving and data access, and operates the three NOAA National Data Centers
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research: contributes research, monitoring, modeling and assessment that builds a science-based knowledge of the climate system
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service: uses climate information in interpreting changes in fisheries stocks and habitats
NOAA National Ocean Service: monitors sea level for the Unites States and uses climate information in assessing changes to the coastal, coastal ocean and open ocean areas

While the NWS, NESDIS, and OAR are the primary producers of climate information within NOAA, it is also important to acknowledge the role of the NOAA Officer Corps. The NOAA Corps operates a fleet of research vessels and aircraft that directly contribute to and support these line offices with implementing their climate research and service activities.

NOAA Climate Partnerships, Education, and Outreach Efforts
NOAA maintains partnerships with universities, private industry, other U.S. agencies, nations and international bodies to observe and monitor the climate, further scientific knowledge, and make climate assessments/predictions. NOAA also works closely with private sector partners to develop products to meet stakeholders’ needs and to ensure that the data and information delivered are readily understood and can be used to develop value-added tailored products and services for business, industry and the public.

Climate is a key issue for NOAA and its strategic goals for the future. From observations to research to operational product delivery, NOAA maintains significant involvement in helping the nation and the world respond to the impacts of climate variability and change.

Relevant Web Sites
James R. Mahoney (assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA deputy administrator)

U.S. Climate Change Science Program

U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program

Climate Change Research Initiative

President Announces Clear Skies & Global Climate Change Initiative

CCSP’s draft strategic plan

Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (vice admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.), under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator)

NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA’s National Ocean Service

NOAA’s National Weather Service

NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research