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Pages 3-16

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From page 3...
... Over the past 60 years, particularly rapid progress has been achieved in acquiring such scientific and practical knowledge, due in large part to the special perspective provided by "satellite-based Earth observations." The vantage point of space enables us to see the extent to which Earth's ever-changing processes influence our lives. These processes operate at local spatial scales, such as the flows of rivers that provide freshwater and the weather and climate conditions that determine crop yields, as well as at global spatial scales, such as changes in the ocean currents that impact commercial fishing and contribute to global change and climate variability.
From page 4...
... The Earth information we have come to rely on throughout our daily lives is the result of a sustained commitment to both exploratory and applied Earth science, and to what has become a sophisticated national and international infrastructure of observing systems, scientific research, and applications. A particular strength of the Earth science and applications field is the extent to which curiosity-based science is inextricably integrated with applications-oriented science and societal benefits.
From page 5...
... Embracing the goal of understanding Earth in pursuit of this vision -- to thrive on our changing planet -- motivates a new paradigm for the coming decade and beyond. Earth Science and Applications Paradigm for the Coming Decade Earth science and derived Earth information have become an integral component of our daily lives, our business successes, and society's capacity to thrive.
From page 6...
... decadal survey report based on the survey committee's approach to identifying priorities for the coming decade, starting from community requests for information (RFIs) , refining this input to determine priority science and applications questions and objectives, and then identifying new observing system priorities (assuming completion of the program of record)
From page 7...
... Reducing Climate Uncertainty and (C-2) How can we reduce the uncertainty in the amount of future warming of the Earth as Informing Societal Response a function of fossil fuel emissions, improve our ability to predict local and regional climate response to natural and anthropogenic forcings, and reduce the uncertainty in global climate sensitivity that drives uncertainty in future economic impacts and mitigation/adaptation strategies?
From page 8...
... Recommendation 3.1: NASA, NOAA, and USGS, working in coordination, according to their appropriate roles and recognizing their agency mission and priorities, should implement an integrated programmatic approach to advancing Earth science and applications that is based on the questions and objectives listed in Table 3.2, "Science and Applications Priorities for the Decade 2017-2027." By pursuing these priorities, important advances will be made in areas that are both scientifically challenging and of direct impact to how we live. A major component of the committee's observing program recommendations is a commitment to a set of observation capabilities, outlined in the next section that will enable substantial progress in all of the following science and applications areas: •  roviding critical information on the make-up and distribution of aerosols and clouds, which in P turn improve predictions of future climate conditions and help us assess the impacts of aerosols on human health; •  ddressing key questions about how changing cloud cover and precipitation will affect climate, A weather, and Earth's energy balance in the future, advancing understanding of the movement of air and energy in the atmosphere and its impact on weather, precipitation, and severe storms; •  etermining the extent to which the shrinking of glaciers and ice sheets, and their contributions to D sea-level rise, is accelerating, decelerating, or remaining unchanged; •  uantifying trends in water stored on land (e.g., in aquifers)
From page 9...
... Together, these new program elements complement existing NASA flight program elements such as the Venture program. The foundational observations in Table S.2 -- the five shown in the "Designated" column that are recommended specifically by the committee for implementation, and the three to be competitively selected from among the identified set of seven "Earth System Explorer" candidates -- augment the existing POR and ensure that the survey's 35 priority science and applications questions can be effectively addressed, to the extent that resources allow.
From page 10...
... of sources and sinks Ice Elevation Global ice characterization including elevation change of Lidar* X land ice to assess sea-level contributions and freeboard height of sea ice to assess sea ice/ocean/atmosphere interaction Ocean Surface Coincident high-accuracy currents and vector winds Doppler scatterometer X Winds and to assess air-sea momentum exchange and to infer Currents upwelling, upper ocean mixing, and sea-ice drift Ozone and Trace Vertical profiles of ozone and trace gases (including water UV/VIS/IR microwave limb/nadir X Gases vapor, CO, NO2, methane, and N2O)
From page 11...
... X Topography and surface land topography, ice topography, vegetation Vegetation structure, and shallow water bathymetry * Could potentially be addressed by a multifunction lidar designed to address two or more of the Targeted Observables Other ESAS 2017 Targeted Observables, Not Allocated to a Flight Program Element Aquatic-Coastal Biogeochemistry Radiance Inter-calibration   ­    Surface Water Height Magnetic Field Changes Salinity Ocean Ecosystem Structure Soil Moisture NOTE: Observations (Targeted Observables)
From page 12...
... real-year dollar estimated costs (colored wedges) , broken down by NASA flight program element proposed in this report, as compared to the anticipated flight budget (black line)
From page 13...
... The flight program provides observations that the research and analysis program draws on to perform scientific exploration, the applied sciences program transforms the science into real-world benefits, and the technology program accelerates the inclusion of technology advances in flight programs. The current balance across these four program elements is largely appropriate, enabling a robust and resilient Earth science program, and can be effectively maintained using decision rules such as recommended in this report.
From page 14...
... Five are prescribed in the committee's recommended program for NASA, and three are to be chosen from among seven candidate areas prioritized by the committee to form the basis of a new class of NASA competed medium-size missions. These new observation priorities will be complemented by an additional two new small missions and six new instruments to be selected through NASA's existing Earth Venture program element, and two opportunities for sustained observations to be selected through the new Venture-Continuity strand of this program.
From page 15...
... New observations and data products enable D innovative commercial applications that have the potential for substantial economic benefit to both developers and end users. Building on the success and discoveries of the past several decades, this report's balanced program provides a pathway to realizing remarkable scientific and societal benefits from space-based Earth observations.


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