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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

Review of NOAA Working Group Report on
Maintaining the Continuation of
Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance
Observation

Committee on Evaluating NOAA’s Plan to Mitigate the
Loss of Total Solar Irradiance Measurements from Space

Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS • 500 Fifth Street, NW • Washington, DC 20001

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 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under award number EE-133E-12-SE-2422. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agency or any of its sub agencies.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-28763-0

International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-28763-4

eISBN-0-309-28766-9

Additional copies of this report are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu/.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

COMMITTEE ON EVALUATING NOAA’S PLAN TO MITIGATE THE LOSS OF TOTAL SOLAR IRRADIANCE MEASUREMENTS FROM SPACE

GRAEME L. STEPHENS (Chair), Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

JOANNA D. HAIGH, Imperial College of London, United Kingdom

JOHN W. HARVEY, National Solar Observatory, Tucson, Arizona

CHARLES ICHOKU, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

KUO-NAN LIOU (NAE), University of California, Los Angeles

JOSEPH RICE, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland

WILLIAM SMITH, Hampton University, Virginia

BRUCE WIELICKI, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

NRC Staff:

MAGGIE WALSER, Study Director

ART CHARO, Senior Program Officer

ELIZABETH FINKELMAN, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

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 NRC’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 participation in their review of this report:

Thomas Ackerman, University of Washington

Claus Fröhlich, Physikalisch-

Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos

Jeffrey Hall, Lowell Observatory

Jeff Knight, UK Met Office

Kevin Maschhoff, BAE Systems

Richard Willson, ACRIM Consulting

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Thomas Vonder Haar, of Colorado State University, appointed by the Division on Earth and Life Studies, who 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.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

Institutional oversight for this project was provided by:

BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE

ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR. (Chair), University of Maryland, College Park

GERALD A. MEEHL (Vice Chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

LANCE F. BOSART, State University of New York, Albany

RICHARD CARBONE, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

SHUYI S. CHEN, University of Miami, Florida

KIRSTIN DOW, University of South Carolina, Columbia

PAMELA EMCH, Northrup Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, California

LISA GODDARD, Columbia University, New York, New York

ISAAC HELD, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Princeton, New Jersey

ANTHONY JANETOS, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Maryland, College Park

JOHN E. KUTZBACH, University of Wisconsin, Madison

ARTHUR LEE, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, California

ROBERT J. LEMPERT, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California

STEPHEN W. PACALA, Princeton University, New Jersey

ARISTIDES A. N. PATRINOS, Synthetic Genomics, Inc.

RAYMOND T. PIERREHUMBERT, University of Chicago, Illinois

KIMBERLY PRATHER, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

RICH RICHELS, Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., Washington, DC

DAVID A. ROBINSON, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey

JOHN T. SNOW, University of Oklahoma, Norman

CLAUDIA TEBALDI, Climate Central, Princeton, New Jersey

XUBIN ZENG, University of Arizona, Tucson

NRC Staff

SUSAN ROBERTS, Interim Director

EDWARD DUNLEA, Senior Program Officer

LAURIE GELLER, Senior Program Officer

MAGGIE WALSER, Program Officer

KATIE THOMAS, Associate Program Officer

LAUREN BROWN, Research Associate

AMANDA PURCELL, Research and Financial Associate

RITA GASKINS, Administrative Coordinator

ROB GREENWAY, Program Associate

ELIZABETH FINKLEMAN, Senior Program Assistant

SHELLY FREELAND, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2013. Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-term Satellite Total Solar Irradiance Observation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18371.
×
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Solar irradiance is a vital source of energy input for the Earth's climate system and its variability has the potential to mitigate or exacerbate a human-created climate. Maintaining an unbroken record of Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) is critical in resolving ongoing debates regarding the potential role of solar variability in influencing Earth's climate. Space-borne instruments have acquired TSI data since 1978. Currently, the best calibrated and lowest noise source of TSI measurements is the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) onboard NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE). These TIM-era data are of higher quality than the older data in the full record. Thus, the TSI climate data record (CDR) has two components. There is the shorter, but more accurate record of the TIM era and the full (33+ year) space-based TSI measurement record. Both are important and require preservation.

Review of NOAA Working Group Report on Maintaining the Continuation of Long-Term Satellite Total Irradiance Observations evaluates NOAA's plan for mitigating the loss of total solar irradiance measurements from space, given the likelihood of losing this capacity from instruments currently on the SORCE satellite in coming years and the short term/experimental nature of the currently identified method of filling the data gap. This report evaluates NOAA's plan for mitigating the gap in total solar irradiance data.

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