Global change research and NASA's earth observing system. Background paper

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:5036215

The United States is spending billions of dollars in a multiyear Global Change Research Program (the USGCRP) to monitor, understand, and ultimately predict the nature of global changes and the mechanisms that cause them. The background report examines the direction and scope of USGCRP and its most expensive component, NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) of satellites. In particular, it examines how well USGCRP and EOS are fulfilling their scientific objectives, whether some program elements are missing or need to be strengthened, and whether the program is meeting the needs of policymakers. The background paper describes the number of suggestions to improve the value of the USGCRP to both scientists and policymakers. The background paper also explicates the continuing debate over whether the sensors and satellites planned by USGCRP: (1) will be able to acquire data in sufficient detail to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for global change; and (2) are appropriate for long-term monitoring of key indices of global change.

• Research Organization: Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress), Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5036215
• Report Number(s): PB-94-126992/XAB; OTA-BP-ISC--122
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CLIMATIC CHANGE
NASA
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
REMOTE SENSING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
US ORGANIZATIONS