260
Chapter 26
economic and policy decision-makers are leading ESE to formulate more
focused questions such as:
Is climate changing in ways we can understand and predict? NASA is
attempting to uncover the basic mechanics of climate, and then distinguish
natural from human-induced impacts on the climate system leading to more
accurate predictive models of ocean-atmosphere interactions, cloud
formation, radiative balance, and chemical transport from land to
atmosphere. This predictive knowledge can then be translated to support
decisions based on improved understanding short-term weather and seasonal
climate variations. With the aid of satellite observations, scientist were able
to predict the 1997-98 El Niño approximately six months in advance and
monitor its progression which provided decision-makers time to plan
mitigation strategies including planting alternate crop types and modifying
harvest schedules, implement flood control activities and better prepare for
its impacts.
Can we understand and predict how terrestrial and marine ecosystems
are changing? NASA will attempt to distinguish natural from humaninduced changes in ecosystem characteristics towards addressing
uncertainties in understanding the carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial
and marine ecosystems. More reliable knowledge is needed of the ability of
ecosystems to recover from disturbances, human-induced or natural, and of
implications regarding the long-term sustainability of the planet’s biological
productivity. This information is directly applicable, for example, to natural
resource management, and can support decisions makers and practitioners in
agriculture and the food production and fishery industries.
How is the chemical composition of the atmosphere changing ? NASA
has made great strides in understanding the concentrations and distributions
of ozone and ozone-depleting chemicals in the stratosphere. Validation of
the new substitutes for the banned chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is needed to
find out if they have adverse impacts themselves. A better understanding of
the chemistry in the troposphere, where humans live, is needed to determine
the consequences of human-produced ozone and other pollutants, and is
necessary for urban and city planning in the future to sustain and protect the
quality of the environment.
Can we improve our understanding of the processes and dynamics of the
Earth’s surface and interior, and use this knowledge to prepare for and
respond to natural hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes? NASA
seeks to understand the dynamics of the solid earth and its interaction with
the atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere. Fundamental scientific questions
about the rates and magnitudes, and the spatial and temporal variability of
these dynamics remain unanswered. Such information also provides critical
Chapter 26
economic and policy decision-makers are leading ESE to formulate more
focused questions such as:
Is climate changing in ways we can understand and predict? NASA is
attempting to uncover the basic mechanics of climate, and then distinguish
natural from human-induced impacts on the climate system leading to more
accurate predictive models of ocean-atmosphere interactions, cloud
formation, radiative balance, and chemical transport from land to
atmosphere. This predictive knowledge can then be translated to support
decisions based on improved understanding short-term weather and seasonal
climate variations. With the aid of satellite observations, scientist were able
to predict the 1997-98 El Niño approximately six months in advance and
monitor its progression which provided decision-makers time to plan
mitigation strategies including planting alternate crop types and modifying
harvest schedules, implement flood control activities and better prepare for
its impacts.
Can we understand and predict how terrestrial and marine ecosystems
are changing? NASA will attempt to distinguish natural from humaninduced changes in ecosystem characteristics towards addressing
uncertainties in understanding the carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial
and marine ecosystems. More reliable knowledge is needed of the ability of
ecosystems to recover from disturbances, human-induced or natural, and of
implications regarding the long-term sustainability of the planet’s biological
productivity. This information is directly applicable, for example, to natural
resource management, and can support decisions makers and practitioners in
agriculture and the food production and fishery industries.
How is the chemical composition of the atmosphere changing ? NASA
has made great strides in understanding the concentrations and distributions
of ozone and ozone-depleting chemicals in the stratosphere. Validation of
the new substitutes for the banned chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is needed to
find out if they have adverse impacts themselves. A better understanding of
the chemistry in the troposphere, where humans live, is needed to determine
the consequences of human-produced ozone and other pollutants, and is
necessary for urban and city planning in the future to sustain and protect the
quality of the environment.
Can we improve our understanding of the processes and dynamics of the
Earth’s surface and interior, and use this knowledge to prepare for and
respond to natural hazards such as volcanoes and earthquakes? NASA
seeks to understand the dynamics of the solid earth and its interaction with
the atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere. Fundamental scientific questions
about the rates and magnitudes, and the spatial and temporal variability of
these dynamics remain unanswered. Such information also provides critical