National Academy Decadal Study: Earth Science and Applications from Space

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National Academy Decadal StudyEarth Science and
Applications from Space

• Charge
• Review the status of the field
• Develop a consensus of the top-level scientific
  questions that should provide the focus for Earth
  and environmental observations in the period
  2005-2015.
• Take into account the principal users of these
  observations, including a range of applications
  with direct links to societal objectives, and
  identify opportunities and challenges to the
  exploitation of the data generated by Earth
  observations from space.
• Recommend a prioritized list of measurements and
  identify potential new space-based capabilities
  and supporting activities within NASA, NOAA and
  USGS to support national needs for research and
  monitoring of the dynamic Earth system during the
  decade 2005-2015.
• Identify important directions that should
  influence planning for the decade beyond 2015.
• http//qp.nas.edu/decadalsurvey

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NAS Decadal Study Panels

• Seven Panels
• Earth Science Applications and Societal Needs
• Land-Use Change, Ecosystem Dynamics and
  Biodiversity
• Weather (including space weather and chemical
  weather)
• Climate Variability and Change
• Water Resources and the Global Hydrologic Cycle
• Human Health and Security
• Solid-Earth Dynamics, Natural Hazards, and
  Resources
• Weather Panel Focus (co-chairs Susan Avery and
  Tom von der Haar)
• Observations that improve prediction of weather,
  including weather hazards such as flooding,
  severe local storms, tropical cyclones and fires
• Observations that improve predictions and
  understanding of space weather
• Observations that improve prediction and
  understanding of air quality (i.e., chemical
  weather)
• The role of assimilation of satellite products
  in addressing the problems of prediction
• New and improved forecast products for a variety
  of users, including aviation, surface
  transportation, homeland security, agriculture,
  energy, water , etc.

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Weather Panel Membership

• University of Colorado
• Colorado State University
• NASA Langley
• Air Force Weather Agency
• NOAA/NWS
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan
• Raytheon Corp.
• Weathernews Americas Inc
• University of Wisconsin
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

• Susan K. Avery
• Tom Vonder Haar
• Edward Browell
• William Cade
• Brad Colman
• Eugenia Kalnay
• Christopher Ruf
• Carl Schueler
• Jeremy Usher
• Christopher Velden
• Robert Weller

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Decadal study recent events

• RFI Issued in January 2005
• More than 100 responses, including at least 3
  white papers focused on winds
• Panels met at NAS workshop in August
• Winds presentation invited by weather panel
• One-hour talk presented
• Background
• Techniques
• Benefits
• Mission Scenarios
• Some recommendations on how to proceed

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Weather Panel Presentation at 2005 AGU Annual
Meeting

• Weather
• Chemical Weather
• Space Weather

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Key Issues Presented by Weather Panel at AGU

• Weather, Chemical Weather, Space Weather (Vision
  and Roadmap)
• Existing missions Capacity/future of NPOESS
• Societal Application and Impact
• Mitigation of natural and human-induced hazards
• Economic decision-making
• Decision-support tools
• Reviews of RFI responses/presentations
• Breakthrough science
• Societal impact
• Forecasting improvements and applications
• Risk (technical, cost, readiness)
• Other attributes (international strategic
  directions potential cross-panel interest
  supporting activities)
• Overlap with other panels (climate, water,
  health, applications)

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Weather Conceptual Missions (from AGU)

• Weather
• Tropospheric winds
• High time resolution all-weather
• Radio-occultation follow-on
• Clouds and aerosols
• Chemical Weather
• GEO air pollution
• Global tropospheric aerosols
• Global ozone
• UAV tropospheric measurements
• Space Weather
• Solar monitor
• Ionospheric mapper
• Space weather buoys
• Radio-occultation follow-on

Decadal study report scheduled for release late
2006
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