Outcome 2.1: Earth system science

Advance Earth system science to meet the challenges of climate and environmental change.

Other Information:

NASA's pioneering work in Earth system science -- the interdisciplinary view of Earth that explores the interaction among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself -- has enabled scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by governments, organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. We make the data collected and results generated by our missions accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster management, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. In addition to the missions in formulation at the time of the 2007 Earth science decadal survey release, we are now developing the first tier of missions the survey recommended, and we are conducting engineering studies and technology development for the second tier. Furthermore, we are planning implementation of a set of climate continuity missions to assure availability of key data sets needed for climate science and policy needs. These include a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, planned for launch in 2013. We continue to play a major role in the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the U.S. Global Earth Observation working group, and their international affiliates to assure the mutual leveraging of interagency and international capabilities to meet our common goals.

Stakeholder(s):

• U.S. Global Change Research Program


• U.S. Global Earth Observation Working Group

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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