1.2: Assessments
Assessments of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, service,
and stewardship decisions
Other Information:
Stakeholders and the general public need a clear understanding of the best available science that describes the state of the
climate and the likely impacts of climate change. Scientific assessments at the global, national, regional, and local levels
integrate knowledge from many disciplines to provide decision makers with authoritative information on climate impacts, identify
gaps in understanding, and help prioritize future research and service development efforts to fill those gaps. When pursued
on a sustained basis, assessments build relationships between researchers and users and provide context for climate services
that are developed and delivered by NOAA and others. To achieve this objective, NOAA will play a lead role in international
and national assessments that survey and summarize current scientific understanding about the causes and consequences of climate
change and its impacts. NOAA will work closely with partner agencies and the external research community to ensure that these
assessments are of the highest scientific quality. Internationally, this objective entails sustained contributions and leadership
of scientific assessments, such as those of the IPCC and the international assessments of ozone layer depletion. Special attention
will be given to generating state-of-the-art simulations of future climate conditions and ensuring model simulations and analyses
are directed to inform assessments of impacts, mitigation and adaptation strategies, and vulnerability. This objective requires
NOAA's continued work to assess potential climate impacts in the United States. NOAA will develop high-resolution climate
information to identify key vulnerabilities and inform the development of climate services that meet the needs of targeted
audiences and better define and implement adaptive and mitigating management strategies. To supplement its own work, NOAA
will rely on and support efforts undertaken by partners at other Agencies and research institutions around the world to understand
economic, environmental, and social risks, and to communicate these findings. Through its stewardship responsibilities and
expertise, NOAA will play a lead role with respect to assessing economic and environmental risks to ocean and coastal ecosystems,
living marine resources, and air and water resources. Over the next five years, evidence of progress toward this objective
will include: * Potential climate impacts and key international, national, and regional vulnerabilities are identified and
inform the development of useful climate services; * Model simulations and analyses inform IPCC assessments of climate impacts,
adaptation, and vulnerabilities; and * National and regional assessments address particular needs of NOAA's unique stewardship
responsibilities for ocean and coastal ecosystems, living marine resources, and water resources.
Indicator(s):
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