U.S. Climate Change
Science Program
Coordination Office (CCSPO)

Address & travel directions

CCSP Coordination Office Staff

The agencies participating in the CCSP fund and supervise an interagency office, the Climate Change Science Program Office (CCSPO), which fosters program development and coordination by supporting:

Research Coordination and Integration

CCSPO staff supports interagency working groups responsible for coordinating major CCSP program elements. Specific responsibilities include

1. helping to develop scientific strategies and implementation plans;
2. assisting in the coordination of element-specific planning and implementation;
3. assisting in supporting and managing interactions with scientific advisory groups;
4. assisting in development of program milestones / deliverables and approaches for monitoring progress toward objectives; and
5. providing general support including coordinating meetings, acting as a central point of contact, and responding to queries.

In addition, CCSPO staff takes responsibility for helping to achieve better integration across the major research elements. Strides have been made in science coordination and integration in recent years in several areas of the CCSP/USGCRP, including climate variability and change, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle.

Development, coordination, and integration of decision support resources

CCSPO staff support the CCSP agencies/departments and interagency groups responsible for oversight and implementation of CCSP decision-support activities. This fosters evaluation of differing approaches to decision support analyses. CCSP focuses on solutions that integrate climate change research results into decision support resources based on national and international priorities. CCSP coordinates agency activities employing peer review solicitations to identify best-in-class decision support solutions. Interagency working groups benchmark the performance of decision support solutions associated with specific local, regional, national, and international areas of emphasis. CCSPO staff also supports interagency oversight and review processes, ensuring a feedback link between decision-support and research planning.

Integration of Agency Activities in the Areas of Observing, Monitoring, and Data Management

The CCSPO coordinates and facilitates the work of the interagency CCSP Observations and Monitoring and Data Management working groups. CCSPO staff for observing and monitoring and data management work with the agencies to:

(1) develop a strategy for the U.S. contributions to a global climate observation and monitoring system;

(2) coordinate an interagency design of U.S. contributions to the global system;

(3) coordinate and assure interagency implementation of the system (i.e., moving from design to operations); and

(4) help evaluate the development and performance of the system in meeting the needs of the science and decision support communities.

Development and Implementation of an Interagency Communications Plan

The CCSPO facilitates program reporting and communications. CCSPO staff coordinates preparation of the annual Our Changing Planet report to Congress and other stakeholders, as well as other reports as requested. They are responsible for designing and maintaining the program's websites (including the USGCRP and CCSP websites, and the web presence of related programs in areas such as the carbon cycle). The CCSPO also takes responsibility for maintaining an inventory of agency communications efforts, and working with agency CCSP representatives to develop an interagency communications plan.

The CCSPO also supports the Working Group on International Research and Cooperation.

Secretariat support for the CCSP Director, the interagency governing body of the CCSP, and related bodies

Activities include: