About GISS
The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) is a laboratory in the Earth Sciences Division of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center The ESD is part of GSFC's Sciences and Exploration Directorate.
Following approval by NASA Administrator T. Keith Glennan in December 1960, the institute was established by Dr. Robert Jastrow in May 1961 as the New York City office of GSFC's Theoretical Division to do basic research in space sciences in support of GSFC programs. The institute was sited in New York on the premise that conducting theoretical research in the space sciences would be greatly facilitated by being close to the leading universities in the metropolitan area.
Much of the institute's early work involved study of planetary atmospheres using data collected by telescopes and space probes, and in time that led to GISS becoming a leading center of atmospheric modeling and of climate change. Current research at GISS, under the direction of Dr. James E. Hansen, emphasizes a broad study of global change, which is an interdisciplinary initiative addressing natural and man-made changes in our environment that occur on various time scales — from one-time forcings such as volcanic explosions, to seasonal/annual effects such as El Niño, and on up to the millennia of ice ages — and that affect the habitability of our planet.
A key objective of GISS research is prediction of atmospheric and climate changes in the 21st century. The research combines analysis of comprehensive global datasets with global models of atmospheric, land surface, and oceanic processes. Study of past climate change on Earth and of other planetary atmospheres serves as a useful tool in assessing our general understanding of the atmosphere and its evolution.
Program areas at GISS may be roughly divided into the categories of climate forcings, model development, Earth observations, radiation, atmospheric chemistry, climate impacts, paleoclimate, planetary atmospheres, and other disciplines. Due to their interconnections, most GISS personnel are engaged in research in several of these areas.
The perspective provided by space observations is crucial for monitoring global change and for providing data needed to develop an understanding of the Earth system. As the principal NASA center for Earth observations, Goddard Space Flight Center plays a leading role in global change research. Global change studies at GISS are coordinated with research at other offices and laboratories within the Earth Sciences Division.
GISS works cooperatively with area universities and research organizations, most notably with Columbia University. Many of our personnel are members of Columbia's Earth Institute, Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and/or Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics. We also collaborate with researchers and educators at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the City College of New York, the American Museum of Natural History and elsewhere.
GISS has been located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City since its founding. The institute moved into its present offices at the corner of Broadway and West 112th St., close to the main campus of Columbia University, in the late 1960s. The building, officially known as Columbia University's Armstrong Hall, is shown in the photos at right. If you have watched the TV program Seinfeld, you will recognize the corner from the exterior shots of the diner where Jerry and friends hang out. The restaurant is Tom's Restaurant, and GISS occupies most of the upper floors. Four blocks up Broadway is the main entrance to the Columbia campus. A block east along 112th St. is the West Front of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, while a block west is Riverside Park.
Systems and programming support for GISS is provided by Trinnovim LLC, a joint venture of INNOVIM LLC and Trident Internet Systems, Inc.
Contact
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
2880 Broadway
New York, NY 10025 USA
General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies may be directed to the Goddard Space Flight Center Public Affairs office at 1-301-286-8955.
