Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

Executive Summary
Pages 1-16

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 1...
... These declarations, first made in the interim report of the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future,1 are the foundation of the committee's vision for a decadal program of Earth science research and applications in support of society -- a vision that includes advances in fundamental understanding of the Earth system and increased application of this understanding to serve the nation and the people of the world. The declarations call for a renewal of the national commitment to a program of Earth observations in which attention to securing practical benefits for humankind plays an equal role with the quest to acquire new knowledge about the Earth system.
From page 2...
... Addressing these societal challenges requires that we confront key scientific questions related to ice sheets and sea-level change, large-scale and persistent shifts in precipitation and water availability, transcontinental air pollution, shifts in ecosystem structure and function in response to climate change, impacts of climate change on human health, and the occurrence of extreme events, such as severe storms, heat waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. The key questions include: • Will there be catastrophic collapse of the major ice sheets, including those of Greenland and West Antarctic and, if so, how rapidly will this occur?
From page 3...
... These include measurements of total solar irradiance and Earth radiation and vector sea-surface winds; limb sounding of ozone profiles; and temperature and water vapor soundings from geostationary and polar orbits.5 As highlighted in the committee's interim report, there is substantial concern that substitution of passive microwave sensor data for active scatterometry data will worsen El Niño and hurricane forecasts as well as weather forecasts in coastal areas.6 Given the status of existing surface wind measurements and the substantial uncertainty introduced by the cancellation of the CMIS instrument on NPOESS, the committee believes it imperative that a measurement capability be available to prevent a data gap when the NASA QuikSCAT mission, already well past its nominal mission lifetime, terminates. Questions about the future of wind measurement capabilities are part of a larger set of issues related to the development of a mitigation strategy to recover capabilities lost in the recently announced descoping and cancellations of instruments and spacecraft planned for the NPOESS constellation.
From page 4...
... ES.1 140 120 Number of Instruments 100 Solid Earth Water Cycle 80 Ecosystems 60 Climate Weather 40 20 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year FIGURE ES.2 Number of U.S. space-based Earth observation instruments in the current decade.
From page 5...
... As explained in the description of the CLARREO mission in Chapter 4, the committee recommends that the CERES Earth radiation budget instrument and a total solar irradiance sensor be flown on the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite and that these instruments or their equivalent be carried on the NPOESS spacecraft or another suitable platform.
From page 6...
... Sustained measurements of these key climate and weather variables are part of the committee's strategy to achieve its vision for an Earth observation and information system in the next decade. The recommended new system of observations that will help deliver that vision is described below.
From page 7...
... As described in Chapter 2, the committee derived a total of 17 missions for implementation by NASA and NOAA. In developing the recommended set of missions, the committee recognized that a successful Earth observation program is more than the sum of its parts.
From page 8...
... These are vector sea-surface winds; gPS radio occultation temperature, water vapor, and electron density soundings; and total solar irradiance (restored to NPOESS)
From page 9...
... SMAP Soil moisture and freeze-thaw for weather and LEO, SSO L-band radar 300 water cycle processes L-band radiometer ICESat-II Ice sheet height changes for climate change LEO, Laser altimeter 300 diagnosis Non-SSO DESDynI Surface and ice sheet deformation for LEO, SSO L-band InSAR 700 understanding natural hazards and climate; Laser altimeter vegetation structure for ecosystem health 2013-2016 HyspIRI Land surface composition for agriculture and LEO, SSO Hyperspectral spectrometer 300 mineral characterization; vegetation types for ecosystem health ASCENDS Day/night, all-latitude, all-season CO2 column LEO, SSO Multifrequency laser 400 integrals for climate emissions SWOT Ocean, lake, and river water levels for ocean LEO, SSO Ka- or Ku-band radar 450 and inland water dynamics Ku-band altimeter Microwave radiometer GEO-CAPE Atmospheric gas columns for air quality GEO High-spatial-resolution 550 forecasts; ocean color for coastal ecosystem hyperspectral spectrometer health and climate emissions Low-spatial-resolution imaging spectrometer IR correlation radiometer ACE Aerosol and cloud profiles for climate and LEO, SSO Backscatter lidar 800 water cycle; ocean color for open ocean Multiangle polarimeter biogeochemistry Doppler radar 2016-2020 LIST Land surface topography for landslide hazards LEO, SSO Laser altimeter 300 and water runoff PATH High-frequency, all-weather temperature and GEO Microwave array spectrometer 450 humidity soundings for weather forecasting and sea-surface temperatureb GRACE-II High-temporal-resolution gravity fields for LEO, SSO Microwave or laser ranging 450 tracking large-scale water movement system SCLP Snow accumulation for freshwater availability LEO, SSO Ku- and X-band radars 500 K- and Ka-band radiometers GACM Ozone and related gases for intercontinental LEO, SSO UV spectrometer 600 air quality and stratospheric ozone layer IR spectrometer prediction Microwave limb sounder 3D-Winds Tropospheric winds for weather forecasting LEO, SSO Doppler lidar 650 (Demo) and pollution transport NOTE: Missions are listed by cost.
From page 10...
... The set of recommended missions listed in Tables ES.1 and ES. 2 reflects an integrated, cohesive, and carefully sequenced mission plan that addresses the range of urgent societal benefit areas.
From page 11...
... If necessary, eliminate specific missions related to a theme rather than whole themes. • In the event of large budget shortfalls, re-evaluate the entire set of missions in light of an assessment of the current state of international global Earth observations, plans, needs, and opportunities.
From page 12...
... • NOAA should increase investment in identifying and facilitating the transition of demonstrably useful research observations to operational use. The Venture class of missions, in particular, would replace and be very different from the current ESSP mission line, which is increasingly a competitive means for implementing NASA's strategic missions.
From page 13...
... While exploratory, sustained, and operational measurements often share the need for new technology, careful calibration, and long-term stability, there are also important differences among them; exploratory, sustained, and operational Earth observations are distinct yet overlapping categories. An efficient and effective Earth observation system requires a continuing interagency evaluation of the capabilities and potential applications of numerous current and planned missions for transition of fundamental science missions into operational observation programs.
From page 14...
... Finally, the next generation of Earth scientists -- the graduate students in universities -- are often educated by performing research that has originated in R&A efforts. See NRC, Earth Observations from Space: History, Promise, and Reality (Executive Summary)
From page 15...
... To ensure that effective and productive use of data is maximized, resources must be dedicated to an education and training program that spans a broad range of communities. A robust program that provides training in the use of these observations will result in highly varied societal benefits, including improved weather forecasts, more effective emergency management, better land-use planning, and so on.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.