Climate Data Records from Environmental Satellites Interim Report (2004) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 9-18
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From page 9... ...
Today the Keeling curve, documenting the power of human beings to alter the chemical composition of the entire atmosphere, has iconic status as the single discovery most responsible for motivating research on anthropogenic climate change. Unfortunately, the CO2 record is an atypical CDR: many climate records are deficient in length, stability, or accuracy.
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Therefore, above all, it is essential to ensure the existence of a long-term observing system that provides a more definitive observational foundation to evaluate decadal to century-scale variability and change. A NEED FOR CLIMATE OBSERVATIONS Long-term observations sustained over decades are a critical first step in providing the climate data necessary for scientists, decision makers, and stakeholders to make adaptive choices that could improve resiliency to climate change and vulnerability, and maintain economic vitality.
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A specific component of the CCSP plan addresses the following question: How can we provide active stewardship for an observation system that will document the evolving state of the climate system, allow for im proved understanding of its changes, and contribute to improved predic tive capability for society? NOAA's mission for the next century includes a bold new mandate to "understand climate variability and change to enhance society's ability to plan and respond," and NOAA plans to create a global observing and data management system to help to achieve this goal (Box 1-1)
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Observations from both operational and research satellite programs are a primary information source for studying climate variability and change, in part because they uniquely provide global or near-global data. Yet, as noted by the NRC (2000a)
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The idea of a "climate data record" has surfaced numerous times in recent literature, yet comments from workshop participants and community surveys indicated that the climate community has yet to settle on a consistent definition. For this report the following definition is used: A climate data record is a time series of measurements of sufficient length, consistency, and continuity to determine climate variability and change.
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NOAA would then use this information as guidance to develop its plan for producing CDRs from operational satellites. Once the plan is drafted, the committee will review the draft Climate Data Records Plan to ensure that it is sound, comprehensive, and includes mechanisms for continued user involvement, and it will recommend improvements to ensure that CDRs are processed according to established scientific methods and packaged in forms that are useful for real-time assessments and predictions of climate as well as retrospective analyses, re-analyses, and reprocessing efforts.
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Thematic CDRs (TCDRs) are geophysical variables derived from the FCDRs, specific to various disciplines, and often generated by blending satellite observations, in situ data, and model output.
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to create and maintain state-of-the-art CDRs with polar-orbiting satellites. As a result the committee did not refer specifically to generation of CDRs primarily with geostationary platforms or in situ data, such as the CO2 record.
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From page 17... ...
. Although NPOESS and NPP were originally envisioned for serving civilian and defense needs for environmental data, the climate community quickly realized that these platforms also would be the primary information sources for any satellite CDRs in the coming decades.
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Based on the historical lessons, committee expertise, community surveys, and the workshop, Chapter 3 outlines the key elements needed for a success ful CDR generation program, beginning with identification of an appropriate organizational framework, continuing with suggested steps for creating the CDRs, and ending with comments on sustaining the program. Since data management is an integral component of the CDR legacy left to the next generation, Chapter 4 provides comments on data storage, archiving, and dissemination.
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