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.
USGCRP’s novel Global Change Information System builds on prior agency investments and is designed to support traceability between multiple environmental data streams—such as observations from sensors and output from models—and the resulting scientific reports. This system creates an open environment for users to access machine-readable information and trace user-friendly products back to the supporting science. As an important first step and proof-of-concept, the GCIS provides this
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
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-
The Global Carbon Atlas, released in late 2013, is an interactive web-based platform designed to communicate information about the global carbon cycle to educators, policy makers, non-governmental organizations, the general public, and the scientific community. The Atlas allows users to explore, visualize, and interpret global and regional carbon data related to human activities and natural processes, with the goal of sharing knowledge and supporting decisions to limit and cope with human-induced climate change.
The Global Carbon Atlas was made possible
With the release of the Third National Climate Assessment (see related Highlight 9) came a spike in public demand for information about climate change, its impacts on America, and USGCRP. The Program met this press of interest with a new user-friendly, public-oriented website that launched concurrently with the report’s release. The site deploys the Third National Climate Assessment in an interactive, shareable format. It also provides a dynamic suite of resources and information spanning the breadth of USGCRP and serving user groups including scientists, decision
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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
Trout and salmon are economically and ecologically important stream-dwelling species. Researchers from USGS, NOAA, and the University of Montana are working together to assess the effects of current and future climate change on these species’ freshwater habitats throughout the Pacific Northwest, with the goal of providing tools to help managers predict and respond to potential climate impacts on habitats, populations, and the economy.
Research to date indicate that increasing stream water temperatures may lead to fragmentation of suitable habitat for
Climate change threatens human health in a variety of ways, including through increased heat waves, worsened air quality, changing ranges of food-, water-, and insect-borne diseases, and other effects. These impacts are already affecting the health of Americans and are expected to intensify as climate change progresses. To better understand and meet the public health challenges posed by climate change, USGCRP—through leadership by EPA, NOAA, and HHS’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)—is developing a new
“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
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).