Highlights

Since 1989, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has submitted annual reports to Congress called Our Changing Planet. The reports describe the status of USGCRP research activities, provide progress updates, and document recent accomplishments.

In particular, Our Changing Planet highlights progress and accomplishments in interagency activities. These highlights represent the broad spectrum of USGCRP activities that extend from Earth system observations, modeling, and fundamental research through synthesis and assessment, decision support, education, and public engagement.

Inside the prototype for SPRUCE experimental chambers. (Credit: DOE)

The continual cycling of carbon through the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms is an essential function of the Earth system. The U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program (under the auspices of USGCRP; carboncyclescience.us) and USGCRP agencies are working to understand how climate change and human activities are altering this foundational component of the environment, and how these alterations feed back to affect climate change. Some examples are highlighted below:

At least two thirds of the world’s land-based organic carbon is stored in

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Modeled (top panel) and observed (bottom two panels) changes in atmospheric aerosol loads between 1980 and 2000. A decrease over Europe and North Amer- ica (blue) and an increase over southeastern and eastern Asia (red)—evident in all three panels—contrib

Pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels and wood has contributed to climate change in complex ways, with some pollutants causing cooling and others causing warming, accompanied by effects on patterns of atmospheric circulation and precipitation. To better understand these complex relationships, the Atmospheric Chemistry Climate Model Intercomparison Project, part of the international 5th-phase Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), conducted a series of pollution-focused modeling experiments to reveal spatial patterns, sectoral influences,

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The NASA GEOS5 model has made significant progress in simulating the MJO, demonstrated by how closely its output (right panel) visually resembles satellite observation data (left panel; in both panels, MJO events are represented as lines of green, red, a

Predicting climate conditions anywhere from two weeks to a season in advance is critical for making informed decisions and safeguarding infrastructure across various sectors of the U.S. economy, including water resources, energy supply, public safety, and agriculture, among many others.

USGCRP agencies are supporting improved climate forecasts on these relatively short timescales through field campaigns coupled with model development and analysis efforts. DOE, NASA, NOAA, NSF, and DOD’

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The Washington, DC metropolitan region holds a unique concentration of Federal buildings, irreplaceable cultural and historic resources, nationally significant monuments and landscapes, and diverse communities. This region is already experiencing the effects of climate change, including more frequent extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and recurring flooding. As these impacts intensify, they will affect residents and workers, real estate assets, businesses, government, and natural resources.

Federal, regional, and local organizations have an

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In March 2014, USGCRP helped support the launch of the Climate Data Initiative, a key component of the President’s Climate Action Plan. The Climate Data Initiative brings together open government data with commitments from the private and philanthropic sectors to develop data-driven tools that communities and businesses across America need to plan for the impacts of climate change.

With the launch of the Climate Data Initiative, data from USGCRP agencies—including NOAA, NASA, USGS, and DOD—and other Federal entities are

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An interpreter talks to aquarium visitors. (Credit: NNOCCI)

Informal education settings such as zoos, aquariums, and parks play an essential part in conveying science to broad public audiences. USGCRP agencies work together to support initiatives that build capacity for communicating the science and impacts of climate change among interpreters in these important educational environments. For example, the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), funded by NSF and led by the New England Aquarium (NEAQ), comprises a partnership of aquariums, zoos, parks, academic institutions, and other non-

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This graph shows projected impacts of climate change on crop productivity (darker blue) and related agricultural and economic responses. Black dots indicate the average percent change in each variable by 2050, relative to no climate change; the height of

Agricultural production is a critical sector of the domestic and global economy that is affected directly by climate change. The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP)—supported in part by DOE, NASA, USAID, and USDA—is a major international effort linking the climate, crop, and economic modeling communities to produce improved projections of climate impacts on the agricultural sector, thereby enhancing capacity to prepare for and respond to these climate-driven changes. To learn more about AgMIP, visit: http://goo.gl/ZmU82S

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An example of a climate change indicator: variation in Antarctic land ice over time. (Credit: NASA)

“Indicators” are variables that can be used to measure the status or trend of a system. Indicators of climate-related global change—whether ecological, physical, or societal—can be used to track and communicate key aspects of the changing environment, point out vulnerabilities, and inform decision making at local, state, and national levels.

A pilot set of climate indicators is being developed collaboratively by USGCRP agencies including NASA, NOAA, EPA, USDA, DOE, DOD’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), CDC, and DOI. The

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The NMME (yellow column) is a seasonal forecasting system that combines individual models (purple columns N1-N6) to produce more accurate predictions of climate. In forecasts of precipitation (top two panels) and temperature (bottom two panels)—key factor

Drought is a significant hazard for the United States, with potentially severe and long-lasting impacts on the Nation’s economy and food and water supplies. USGCRP agencies are advancing our understanding of the causes and consequences of drought, an FY 2015 interagency research priority (see Section 4). They are also collaborating in efforts to support drought preparedness and recovery, such as the National Drought Resilience Partnership (a deliverable of the President’s Climate Action Plan) and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).

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GSA owns or leases 9,624 assets, maintains workspace for 1.1 million Federal employees, preserves more than 481 historic properties, and procures more than $60 billion in products and services for the Federal Government. Climate change has the potential to impact the ability of GSA and other Federal agencies to fulfill their missions, operate their facilities, and maintain their services. With its region-by-region breakdown of climate data and projections, the Third National Climate Assessment (see related Highlight 9) and its supporting regional climate

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Highlights

Carbon Cycle Science for a Changing World

Modeling Pollution to Understand Localized Climate Trends

DYNAMO: Linking Observations and Models to Predict Near-Term Climate

Building a Climate-Resilient National Capital Region

Empowering the Nation with Climate Data

Building Capacity Among Climate-Change Interpreters

Modeling Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Adaptation by the Agro-Economy

Tracking Climate Change with Indicators

Drought Research to Support Management and Preparedness

Using the National Climate Assessment to Help Protect Federal Assets