USGCRP-Affiliated US Agencies Agency for International Development Dept. of Commerce, Natl. Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin. Dept. of Health and Human Services Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics & Space Administration
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Global Carbon Cycle Ecosystems |
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In FY 2006, NASA will make significant progress in three high-priority CCSP research areas: aerosols, carbon, and polar regions. NASA will begin routine acquisition and analysis of data on the three-dimensional structure of clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere from the Cloudsat and Calipso satellites. NASA will continue to be a leader in the North American Carbon Program (NACP), contributing to the observations, field campaigns and experiments, and model development needed to reduce scientific uncertainties of carbon sources and sinks in North America. NASA will continue development and scientific preparations for space-based measurements of global atmospheric carbon to detect global carbon dioxide sources and sinks worldwide. NASA will continue to develop new ways to measure sea-ice thickness using ICEsat data and new innovative instrumentation currently under development. NASA will develop new observations and models of other critical polar processes to better understand their behavior and interactions with global climate.
NASA will implement a recently restructured computational Earth system modeling program through an open, competitive process to focus its efforts on the key science challenges of the decade ahead. NASA will also implement computational modeling efforts, selected through similar competitive processes, to exploit its new Project Columbia—the second largest supercomputing cluster in the world (behind IBM’s Blue Gene).
In FY 2006, NASA will make further strides in enhancing Earth observation and monitoring. NASA and the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office will complete development of the NPOESS Preparatory Project Mission for launch in early FY 2007. This satellite mission will extend key measurements from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites as well as demonstrate new remote-sensing instruments for NPOESS. Following the path of Cloudsat and Calipso, three new satellites will be under development to observe atmospheric carbon dioxide, global ocean surface salinity, and global soil moisture. NASA will continue its work through the Interagency Working Group on Earth Observations to transition responsibilities for mature measurements to operational systems to assure long-term data continuity.
NASA’s other science focus areas (Weather, Earth Surface and Interior, and Sun-Earth Connection) seek to understand and predict Earth system change. The NASA-sponsored Socio-Economic Data Center (SEDAC) archives and distributes data used in CCSP’s Human Dimensions research area. NASA also manages an Earth Science Applications program in partnership with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, academia, and industry to test new uses of remote-sensing data to solve practical societal problems in twelve applications of national priority:
Renewable Energy |
DOE, EPA |
Agricultural Efficiency |
USDA, EPA |
Carbon Management |
USDA, EPA, DOE, USGS, USAID |
Aviation |
DOT/Federal Aviation Administration |
Homeland Security |
Department of Homeland Security, National Governors Association, USDA, USGS, NOAA, DOD |
Ecological Forecasting |
USGS, USDA, USAID |
Disaster Preparedness |
Federal Emergency Management Agency, USGS, NOAA, USDA |
Public Health |
Centers for Disease Control, DOD, NIH, EPA, USGS, NOAA |
Coastal Management |
NOAA, EPA |
Invasive Species |
USGS, USDA |
Water Management |
Bureau of Reclamation, USGS, EPA, USDA |
Air Quality |
EPA, NOAA, USDA, DOT/Federal Aviation Administration |
NASA Fiscal Years 2004-2006 budget table
NASA Fact SheetsProduced in an effort to educate the general public on the major issues and natural phenomena that scientists will be studying using data provided by the Earth Observing System.
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NASA's
Earth Science Enterprise, Find out more about NASA's Earth Science Enterprise; these multimedia presentations highlight our historical and recent accomplishments |
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