Review of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program’s Synthesis and Assessment Product on Temperature Trends in the Lower Atmosphere
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE U.S. CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE PROGRAM’S SYNTHESIS AND ASSESSMENT PRODUCT ON TEMPERATURE TRENDS IN THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE
WILLIAM J. RANDEL (Chair),
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
JUDITH A. CURRY,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
DENNIS L. HARTMANN,
University of Washington, Seattle
PHIL JONES,
University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
KENNETH KUNKEL,
Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign
RICHARD S. LINDZEN,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
RICHARD L. SMITH,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
JOHN MICHAEL WALLACE,
University of Washington, Seattle
JUNHONG WANG,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
NRC Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Director,
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
PARIKHIT SINHA, Study Director
RACHAEL SHIFLETT, Senior Program Assistant
CLIMATE RESEARCH COMMITTEE
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR. (Chair),
University of Maryland, College Park
LEE E. BRANSCOME,
Climatological Consulting Cooperation, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
JAMES A. COAKLEY, JR.,
Oregon State University, Corvallis
JULIA E. COLE,
University of Arizona, Tucson
JUDITH A. CURRY,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
CLARA DESER,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
DAVID KAROLY,
University of Oklahoma, Norman
ROBERT J. LEMPERT,
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California
LINDA O. MEARNS,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
GERALD A. MEEHL,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
PETER B. RHINES,
University of Washington, Seattle
W. JAMES SHUTTLEWORTH,
University of Arizona, Tucson
LYNNE D. TALLEY,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
HASSAN VIRJI,
International START Secretariat, Washington, D.C.
YUK YUNG,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NRC Staff
AMANDA STAUDT, Senior Program Officer
ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE
ROBERT J. SERAFIN (Chair),
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
M. JOAN ALEXANDER,
Colorado Research Associates, Boulder
FREDERICK R. ANDERSON,
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Washington, D.C.
MICHAEL L. BENDER,
Princeton University, New Jersey
ROSINA M. BIERBAUM,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MARY ANNE CARROLL,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
CAROL ANNE CLAYSON,
Florida State University, Tallahassee
WALTER F. DABBERDT,
Vaisala Inc., Boulder, Colorado
KERRY A. EMANUEL,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
DENNIS L. HARTMANN,
University of Washington, Seattle
PETER R. LEAVITT,
Weather Information, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts
JENNIFER A. LOGAN,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
VERNON R. MORRIS,
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
WILLIAM J. RANDEL,
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR,
Colorado State University/CIRA, Fort Collins
ROGER M. WAKIMOTO,
University of California, Los Angeles
Ex Officio Members
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR.,
University of Maryland, College Park
ERIC F. WOOD,
Princeton University, New Jersey
NRC Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Director
PAUL CUTLER, Senior Program Officer
AMANDA STAUDT, Senior Program Officer
MARIA UHLE, Program Officer
ELIZABETH A. GALINIS, Senior Program Assistant
ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant
DIANE GUSTAFSON, Administrative Coordinator
ANDREAS SOHRE, Financial Associate
Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
James Angell, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
Richard Levine, San Diego State University, California
Jerry Mahlman, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
Steven Running, University of Montana, Missoula
Siegfried Schubert, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Kevin Trenberth, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Eric Barron, Pennsylvania State University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.