Research Strategies for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (1990) / Chapter Skim
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8 Documenting Global Change
8 Documenting Global Change
Pages 215-240
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From page 215... ...
An integral part of developing a monitoring and information management strategy is the iden~ciD~cabon of how the needed tasks will be accomplished, particularly in the case of satellite observations, where the expense and lead time require extraordinary care in scientific justification and realistic planning. Key missions in this regard include the ongoing NOAA polar orbiting and geostationary satellites, the Deparunent of Defense GEOSAT and ongoing Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
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From page 216... ...
Information management, which is an extension of data management, is defined as including a comprehensive process of compilation, distribution, and preservation of basic data, derived products, and information about them and is approached in terms of the inputs to and outputs from a variety of scientific activities within global change research. MEASUREMENT STRATEGY Monitoring Requirements Public and scientific concern with global change centers on, but is not confined to, significant changes in the earth's climate in the decades to come, due to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations primarily from the increasing worldwide consumption of fossil fuel and to the emission into the atmosphere of other greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons.
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From page 217... ...
These data will be derived by indirect or surrogate global-scale measurements, together with regional- and local-scale process studies, to infer global-scale values of the desired variable. The need for such data sets, specific for global change studies and the development of realistic earth system models, puts new and stringent requirements on the global observing system.
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From page 218... ...
for polar stratosphere, ad hoc measurements from surface observatories; need global monitoring program Good coverage in time and space from surface network, NOAA/GMCC Ongoing from BAPMON and ad hoc coverage, field experiments (e.g., ABLE) ; need reliability, IGAC program should resolve deficiencies Ongoing from industry statistics, polar ozone expedition Very poor, spotty coverage; ad hoc measurements, NOAAIAVHRR and field experiments may provide global estimates Poor; IGBP initiative (See Report No.
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From page 219... ...
, Nimbus, SEAWIFS, ADEOS, EOS/MODIS Ongoing and planned from Nimbus, DMSP, SSM/I, ERS 1, EOS, lERS 1, Radarsat Poor; WCRP Global Precipitation Climatology Project, GEWEX, TRMM, EOS, BEST provide potential measurements Ongoing from global network of in situ gauges, satellite altimetry, VLBI Spotty, poor; measurements from JGOFS, Nimbus 7, NOAA/AVHRR, SPOT, Landsat, Radarsat, ADEOS, EOS, JERS; surface measurements from UN/hIAB, NSF/LTER, USES/ CFI Very poor; need coordinated surface observation networks, potential expansion of SOTER data base, EOS/ SAR aAcronyms and abbreviations used in this table are as follows: ABLE ADEOS AVHRR BAPMON BEST CFI Atmosphere Boundary Layer Experiment Advanced Earth Observing Satellite Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network Bilan Energetique de la Systeme Tropical Continuous Forest Inventory TABLE B.1 continues
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Forest Service VLBI Very Long Baseline ~terferometry WCRP World Climate Research Program WOCE World Ocean Circulation Experiment WWW World Weather Watch
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From page 221... ...
In addition to new data that will need to be collected and synthesized on a global scale, existing data could provide useful information if made accessible to the research community. Data sets classified for military intelligence purposes, such as the global data set on digital terrain information important for many aspects of global change research ranging from surface energy interactions to surface roughness fields for circulation models, could provide valuable information if released.
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From page 222... ...
More measurements of sea surface temperature, deep and intermediate waters, aeolian fluxes, and components of the carbon cycle are also needed. Fractionation of isotopes in precipitation, plankton, and tree rings; entrapment of gases within ice; and incorporation of trace metals into corals are the types of process studies of modern environments that would advance our knowledge of global change.
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From page 223... ...
The data needs of this research are associated with process studies that relate methane production, consumption, and flux to environmental parameters such as burning and livestock farming and to changes in ecosystem structure and function. The dynamics of collecting these data must emphasize the integration of information obtained at different scales from simultaneous chamber, tower, and aircraft flux measurements.
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From page 224... ...
Existing and Planned Observing Systems In order to meet the data requirements for documenting global change, for developing and testing models at the interfaces of land, oceans, and atmosphere, and for undertaking continental-scale process studies, a measurement program that has the following elements is needed: a satellite system for measuring a number of parameters, often simultaneously, with a time scale ranging from seconds to decades and a space scale ranging from pixels to global; · large-scale field and process studies involving satellites, aircraft, balloon, and surface observing stations; · a global observing network on the earth's surface for measuring those variables that cannot be observed from space and for validating and calibrating the remotely sensed measurement; and · two modeling activities, one to help decide the optimal design of the monitoring system and the second to derive data products from indirect and surrogate measurements. Space Observing System The science requirements are developed in the preceding chapters in a context of ever-improving techniques for global observations, many of which are dependent on satellites for the global, synoptic, and long-term view.
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From page 225... ...
has started to produce long-term validated data sets for climate purposes, including cloud climatology, sea surface temperature, radiation budget, precipitation, surface winds, and ocean currents. At the same time, the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Program (ISLSCP)
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From page 226... ...
An important concern in the near term is the discontinuity of key measurements such as global stratospheric ozone levels, the earth's radiation budget, and the biological productivity of the oceans, made by satellite missions launched in Me 1980s. To bridge these gaps in data sets, special attention has to be paid to ensure (1)
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From page 227... ...
NOTE: Acronyms and abbreviations used in this figure are as follows: ADEOS, Advanced Earth Observation Satellite; ATSR, Along-Track Scanning Radiometer; AVHRR, Advanced Very HighResolution Radiometer; CZCS, Coastal Zone Color Scanner; EOS, Earth Observation Satellite System; EPOP, European Polar Orbiting Platform; ERBE, Earn Radiation Budget Experiment; ERS, ESA Remote Sensing Satellite; ESA, European Space Agency; GEOSAT, Geodetic Satellite; JERS, Japanese Earth Resources Satellite; JPOP, Japanese Polar Orbiting Platform; MAPS, Measurement of Air Pollution from Space; NOAA, National Oceanic arid Atmospheric Administration; NSCA11, Navy Scatterometer; OCTS, Ocean Color Temperature Scanner; SAR, synthetic aperture radar; SCARAB, Scanner for Radiative Budget; SEAWIFS, Sea-viewing, Wide Fieldof-View Sensor; SIR, Shuttle Unaging Radar; SPOT, Systhme Probatoire de ['Observation de la Terre; TOPEX/Poseidon, U.S.-French Ocean Topography Experiment; TRMM, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. Ozone Sounds (TOMS)
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From page 228... ...
Polar platforms and related satellites defined by NASA, NOAA, ESA, and Japan should include a core payload for simultaneous measurement of aunospheric dynamics and composition, land surface properties, and oceanic parameters. Of particular importance to studies of global change will be polar platform measurements of Yegetation characteristics, ocean color, stratospheric parameters, ice and snow cover, and components of the earth's radiation budget.
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From page 229... ...
A final example of these large-scale studies is the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program field projects involving rates of exchange of trace gases between representative tropical biological environments and the atmosphere. In addition, this series of experiments will assess the impact of land use changes such as cropland expansion and forest harvesting on He rates of emission.
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From page 230... ...
/) I - :~ RESEARCH STRATEGIES FOR THE USGCRP FIFE 15:17 June 4th, 1987 NASA C-130 _ ~ LEGEND Wind Vector Road Et Automatic Meteorological Station · Bowen Radio Flux Measurement X Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement NASA H-1 N ~ (if)
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From page 231... ...
These and other sites, for example, sites within the United States such as the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites funded by the National Science Foundation and other ecological monitoring and research sites funded by other agencies, could provide ecological information relevant to global change (LTER Network
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From page 232... ...
Cooperation among agencies engaged in space-based, global earth observation programs is already extensive and is pursued not only through bilateral collaboration but also multilaterally by international satellite coordination groups. Such groups coordinate multilateral missions (including the payloads of the U.S., European, and Japanese polar platforms)
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From page 233... ...
Data System Requirements Data system requirements for global change fall into five categories of activity: 1. Collection, processing, and analysis of past and existing global measurements to · establish the relative mean state of the earth system, · obtain measures of system variability, · detect change, and · understand large-scale interactive processes.
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The system must be able to integrate data within and across disciplines to create data products for use by the research community and policymakers. · Data quality assurance using high standards to maximize the application of data to answer global change questions.
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Creating a New System A new system for data and information management should begin with the establishment of objectives. What data sets are needed to describe global change?
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Achieving effective scientific involvement will not be easy. Unfortunately, much of the scientific community is not aware of the need to be involved in any unified global change data and information management approach.
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It will be created by a joint effort of the national data centers and, eventually, international data sources. The data directory should be electronically accessible and user friendly.
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Cooperation and Sharing For most global change studies, regional and global data and information will be required. No one nation, agency, or institution will be able to gather
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From page 239... ...
A U.S. Strategy for Global Change Data and Information Management.
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