NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey

716 Pages·2017·37.4 MB·English

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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for
Earth Observation from Space
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ISBN 978-0-309-46757-5 | DOI 10.17226/24938
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GET THIS BOOK Committee on the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space;
Space Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space
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Thriving on Our Changing Planet:
A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space
Committee on the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Consensus Study Report of
UNEDITED PREPUBLICATION–SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space
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organization that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-XXXXX-X
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-XXXXX-X
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org.10.17226/24938
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Suggested Citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Thriving on Our
Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space. Washington, DC: The National
Academies Press. https://doi.org.10.17226/24938.
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T h r i v i n g o n O u r C h a n g i n g P l a n e t : A D e c a d a l S t r a t e g y f o r E a r t h O b s e r v a t i o n f r o m S p a c e

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C o p y r i g h t N a t i o n a l A c a d e m y o f S c i e n c e s . A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d .
Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

COMMITTEE ON THE DECADAL SURVEY FOR EARTH SCIENCE
AND APPLICATIONS FROM SPACE

WALEED ABDALATI, University of Colorado Boulder, Co-Chair
WILLIAM B. GAIL, Global Weather Corporation, Co-Chair
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR., NAE,1 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Co-Chair2
STEVEN J. BATTEL, NAE, Battel Engineering, Inc.
STACEY W. BOLAND, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
ROBERT D. BRAUN, NAE, University of Colorado
SHUYI S. CHEN, University of Washington
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH, NAS,3 University of California, Berkeley
SCOTT C. DONEY, University of Virginia
CHRISTOPHER B. FIELD, NAS, Stanford University
HELEN A. FRICKER, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
SARAH T. GILLE, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
DENNIS L. HARTMANN, NAS, University of Washington
DANIEL J. JACOB, Harvard University
ANTHONY C. JANETOS, Boston University
EVERETTE JOSEPH, University of Albany, SUNY
MOLLY K. MACAULEY,4 Resources for the Future
JOYCE E. PENNER, University of Michigan
SOROOSH SOROOSHIAN, NAE, University of California, Irvine
GRAEME L. STEPHENS, NAE, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech
BYRON D. TAPLEY, NAE, University of Texas, Austin
W. STANLEY WILSON, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Staff

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
LAUREN EVERETT, Program Officer
CHARLES HARRIS, Research Associate (through August 2016)
MARCHEL HOLLE, Research Associate (from November 2016)
ANDREA REBHOLZ, Program Coordinator

MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director, Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering
Board

1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Resigned from the committee on May 5, 2016.
3 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
4 Dr. Macauley passed away on July 8, 2016.
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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

Panel on Global Hydrological Cycles and Water Resources

ANA P. BARROS, Duke University, Co-Chair
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara, Co-Chair
NEWSHA AJAMI, Stanford University
JOHN D. BOLTEN, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
DARA ENTEKHABI, NAE,1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
GRAHAM E. FOGG, University of California, Davis
EFI FOUFOULA-GEORGIOU, University of California, Irvine
DAVID C. GOODRICH, U.S. Department of Agriculture
TERRIS S. HOGUE, Colorado School of Mines
JEFFREY S. KARGEL, University of Arizona
CHRISTIAN D. KUMMEROW, Colorado State University
VENKAT LAKSHMI, University of South Carolina
ANDREA RINALDO,2 NAS3/NAE, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
EDWIN WELLES, Deltares
ERIC F. WOOD, NAE, Princeton University

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
ED DUNNE, Program Officer (through July 2017)
LAUREN EVERETT, Program Officer (from July 2017)
TAMARA DAWSON, Program Coordinator

Panel on Weather and Air Quality: Minutes to Subseasonal

STEVEN A. ACKERMAN, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Co-Chair
NANCY L. BAKER, Naval Research Laboratory, Co-Chair
PHILIP E. ARDANUY, INNOVIM, LLC
ELIZABETH A. BARNES, Colorado State University
STANLEY G. BENJAMIN, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
MARK A. BOURASSA, Florida State University
BRYAN N. DUNCAN, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
YING-HWA KUO,4 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
CHARLES E. KOLB, NAE, Aerodyne Research, Inc.
W. PAUL MENZEL, University of Wisconsin-Madison
MARIA A. PIRONE, Harris Corporation
ARMISTEAD G. RUSSELL, Georgia Institute of Technology
JULIE O. THOMAS, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
DUANE W. WALISER, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
XUBIN ZENG, University of Arizona

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
SANDRA GRAHAM, Senior Program Officer
ANDREA REBHOLZ, Program Associate

1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Resigned from the panel on June 6, 2017.
3 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
4 Resigned from the panel on September 14, 2016.
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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

Panel on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems and Natural Resource Management

COMPTON J. TUCKER, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Co-Chair
JAMES A. YODER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Co-Chair
GREGORY P. ASNER, NAS, Carnegie Institution for Science
FRANCISCO CHAVEZ, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
INEZ Y. FUNG, NAS, University of California, Berkeley
SCOTT GOETZ, Woods Hole Research Center
PATRICK N. HALPIN, Duke University
ERIC HOCHBERG, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
CHRISTIAN J. JOHANNSEN, Purdue University
RAPHAEL M. KUDELA, University of California, Santa Cruz
GREGORY W. MCCARTY, U.S. Department of Agriculture
LINDA O. MEARNS, National Center for Atmospheric Research
LESLEY E. OTT, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
MARY JANE PERRY, University of Maine
DAVID A. SIEGEL, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID L. SKOLE, Michigan State University
SUSAN L. USTIN, University of California, Davis
CARA WILSON, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
CONSTANCE KARRAS, Program Officer
PAYTON KULINA, Senior Program Assistant
JAMES HEISS, Postdoctoral Fellow

Panel on Climate Variability and Change: Seasonal to Centennial

CAROL ANNE CLAYSON, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Co-Chair
VENKATACHALAM RAMASWAMY, NOAA GFDL, Co-Chair
ARLYN E. ANDREWS, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
ENRIQUE CURCHITSER, Rutgers University
LEE-LUENG FU, NAE, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
GUIDO GROSSE, Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine
RANDAL D. KOSTER, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
SONIA KREIDENWEIS, Colorado State University
EMILIO F. MORAN, NAS, Michigan State University
CORA E. RANDALL, University of Colorado
PHILIP J. RASCH, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
ERIC J. RIGNOT, University of California, Irvine
CHRISTOPHER RUF, University of Michigan
ROSS J. SALAWITCH, University of Maryland
AMY K. SNOVER, University of Washington
JULIENNE C. STROEVE, University of Colorado Boulder
BRUCE A. WIELICKI, NASA Langley Research Center
GARY W. YOHE, Wesleyan University

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
LAUREN EVERETT, Program Officer
ERIN MARKOVICH, Senior Program Assistant
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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

Panel on Earth Surface and Interior: Dynamics and Hazards

DOUGLAS W. BURBANK, NAS, University of California, Santa Barbara, Co-Chair
DAVID T. SANDWELL, NAS, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Co-Chair
ROBIN E. BELL, Columbia University
EMILY E. BRODSKY, University of California, Santa Cruz
DONALD P. CHAMBERS, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
LUCY FLESCH, Purdue University
GEORGE E. HILLEY, Stanford University
KRISTINE M. LARSON, University of Colorado Boulder
STEFAN MAUS, University of Colorado Boulder
MICHAEL S. RAMSEY, University of Pittsburgh
JEANNE SAUBER, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
KHALID A. SOOFI, ConocoPhillips
HOWARD A. ZEBKER, Stanford University

ARTHUR CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
ANNE LINNE, Scholar
ERIC EDKIN, Senior Program Assistant

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Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

SPACE STUDIES BOARD

FIONA HARRISON, NAS,1 California Institute of Technology, Chair
ROBERT D. BRAUN, NAE,2 University of Colorado, Boulder, Vice Chair
DAVID N. SPERGEL, NAS, Princeton University and Center for Computational Astrophysics at the
Simons Foundation, Vice Chair
JAMES G. ANDERSON, NAS, Harvard University
JEFF M. BINGHAM, Consultant
JAY C. BUCKEY, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
MARY LYNNE DITTMAR, Dittmar Associates
JOSEPH FULLER, JR., Futron Corporation
THOMAS R. GAVIN, California Institute of Technology
SARAH GIBSON, National Center for Atmospheric Research
WESLEY T. HUNTRESS, Carnegie Institution of Washington
ANTHONY C. JANETOS, Boston University
CHRYSSA KOUVELIOTOU, NAS, George Washington University
DENNIS P. LETTENMAIER, NAE, University of California, Los Angeles
ROSALY M. LOPES, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
DAVID J. MCCOMAS, Princeton University
LARRY PAXTON, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
SAUL PERLMUTTER, NAS, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ELIOT QUATAERT, University of California, Berkeley
BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR, University of Toronto
HARLAN E. SPENCE, University of New Hampshire
MARK H. THIEMENS, NAS, University of California, San Diego
MEENAKSHI WADHWA, Arizona State University

Staff

MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director
CARMELA J. CHAMBERLAIN, Administrative Coordinator
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
CELESTE A. NAYLOR, Information Management Associate
MARGARET KNEMEYER, Financial Officer
SU LIU, Financial Assistant

1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
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