| |
Also available: PDF Version of entire document (6.7 Mb)
For details see the
Water Cycle
chapter of the Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program
(2003)
|
 |
CCSP Research Element:
Global Water Cycle
Water is crucial to life on Earth. Water
changes from solid to liquid to gas through a natural cycle that also transports
and converts energy. Changes in water vapor, clouds, high-latitude ice and snow
conditions, and land surfaces are important climate feedbacks. Humans depend on
predictions of precipitation, evaporation, flow, storage, and extremes (such as
floods and droughts) to plan their access to and use of water.
CCSP-supported research on the global water cycle focuses on how natural
processes and human activities influence the distribution and quality of water,
on whether changes in the water cycle are predictable, and on how variability
and change in the water cycle affect society. Specific areas include:
identifying fluctuations of the water cycle and determining the causes of these
changes; predicting precipitation and evaporation on time scales of months to
years and longer; and modeling various physical, biological, and socioeconomic
processes to facilitate efficient water resources management.
Benefits from these research efforts include:
Measurably improved forecasts of precipitation and other water cycle
variables for water managers
Enhanced ability to incorporate cloud feedbacks and precipitation
processes in climate models
Long-term global and regional data sets of critical water-cycle variables
from satellite and surface-based observations, helping to monitor climate
trends and promptly detect climate change
Increases in the efficiency of water use through better water models for
policy and planning.
The Aqua Satellite. Launched into space in May 2002, NASA's Earth
Observing System (EOS) satellite Aqua generates data on the water cycle and
other aspects of the environment. Source: NASA. |
For details see the
Water Cycle
chapter of the Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program
(2003) |
|
Library 
