The Earth Science Vision for 2025:

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The Earth Science Vision for 2025 A NASA
Perspective Peter Hildebrand, Mark Schoeberl,
Warren Wiscombe, Mariann Albjerg, NASA / Goddard
Space Flight Center Martin Mlynczak, NASA /
Langley Research Center, Langley Carol Raymond,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory David Petersen, NASA /
Ames Research Center Rick Miller, NASA / Stennis
Research Center Timothy Miller, NASA / Marshall
Space Flight Center Jack Kaye, Granville Paules,
NASA / Headquarters
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NASA Vision and Mission

• NASA Vision
• To improve life here,
• To extend life to there,
• To find life beyond
• NASA Mission
• To understand and protect our home planet
• To explore the universe and search for
  life
• To inspire the next generation of
  explorers

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ESV Research Focus Areas

• Long-term climate
• decades to centuries
• Medium-term climate
• seasons to years
• Severe weather
• hurricane landfall, floods, draught,
• Biosphere, ecosystems, human interactions
• ecological forecasting, sustainability,
• Solid earth, ice sheets and sea level
• volcanism, sea level rise,

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EARTH SCIENCE VISION 2025 WORKING GROUPS
NASA HQ EARTH SCIENCE VISION Mary Cleave Mariann
Albjerg, Ron Birk, Aprille Ericsson, Shahid
Habib, Peter Hildebrand, Jack Kaye, George
Komar, Gran Paules, Edwin Sheffner, Greg Stover,
Azita Valinia, Greg Williams
LONG TERM CLIMATE David Rind, Richard
Somerville Peter H. Gleick, Chris Kummerow
Daniel Hillel, Cynthia Rosenzweig Waleed
Abdalati
SOLID EARTH Ben Chao, Tom Farr Bruce Douglas,
Eric Rignot C.K. Shum, John Wahr Robert,
Bindschadler John LaBrecque
VISION STEERING GROUP Warren Wiscombe, Peter
Hildebrand Mark Schoeberl, Marty Mlynczak Carol
Raymond, David Peterson Tim Miller, Rick
Miller Mariann Albjerg
MEDIUM-TERM CLIMATE Michele Rienecker, Daniel
Jacob Jack Fishman, Dennis Lettenmaier Siegfried
Schubert, Steve Schwartz Roger Bales, Tsengdar
Lee
EXTREME WEATHER Scott Braun, Steve Goodman Rick
Anthes, Chris Kummerow Chris Velden, Craig
Bishop Kerry Emanuel, Ralph Petersen Jim Dodge
BIOSPHERE ECOSYSTEM -- HUMAN
INTERACTIONS John. Schnase, Sara Graves James
Clark, Thomas Stohlgren James Smith, Jim
Quinn Joseph Coughlan, Chuck Trees
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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Research Priorities

• availability of water
• under the stress of long term climate changes,
• intra-seasonal to seasonal weather and climate
  variability
• no current theoretical basis to explain major
  changes in weather on these scales.
• predictability of tropical storms
• track and intensities,
• ecological forecasting
• species identification and changes,
• linkage between sea level and changes in climate
• and other aspects of the Earth system.

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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Additional Research
Topics

• understanding the hydrologic cycle
• under the effects of the changing climate
• ecosystem health
• biodiversity changes and invasive species
• severe storm systems
• tornado, hail, winter snow and ice storms
• forecasting earthquakes and volcanoes

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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Observational
Requirements

• Measure atmospheric and oceanic circulation
  systems
• circulation and causes of variability
• transport of heat
• in atmosphere
• profiles temperature, humidity, and winds
• atmospheric chemical constituents
• aerosol loading
• Measure at temporal and spatial scales
  appropriate to the physical processes.

• availability of water
• relation to long-term climate change
• intra-seasonal climate variability
• causes, predictability
• tropical storms
• predictability

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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Observational
Requirements

• Measure full hydrologic cycle
• response to climate change
• Measure
• precipitation
• evaporation
• clouds
• cycling through ground and surface water flow
• ground water storage
• ocean circulation, SST, topography and salinity
• ice and frozen surfaces
• Measure at temporal and spatial scales
  appropriate to the physical processes.

• availability of water
• relation to long-term climate change
• intra-seasonal climate variability
• causes, predictability
• tropical storms
• predictability
• ecological forecasting
• sea level linkage to climate

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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Observational
Requirements

• Measure Earths land and ocean surface
• surface topography
• surface temperature, humidity, roughness
• boundary layer depth
• atmosphere - ocean fluxes
• ice and frozen surfaces.
• Measure at temporal and spatial scales
  appropriate to the physical processes.

• availability of water
• relation to long-term climate change
• intra-seasonal climate variability
• causes, predictability
• tropical storms
• predictability
• ecological forecasting
• sea level linkage to climate

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NASA Earth Science - 2025 Modeling Requirements

• four dimensional, ensemble models
• numerical framework within which new theories can
  be developed, tested and improved
• improved atmospheric and ocean model physics
• sub-grid scale parameterizations of the
  hydrological, turbulent and air-sea/land-sea
  interaction.
• ability to model and map biological resources,
• biological structures, functional capability,
  physiological state, biological production
  mapping, etc.
• modeling at temporal and spatial scales
  appropriate to the physical processes.

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