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USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Economic Research Service (ERS) track U.S. crop production each year, relying in large part on producer surveys and ground observations to estimate acreage and yields at state and county levels. During the growing season, production data inform estimates of crop acreage and yields that help farmers and traders set prices. Satellite data offer a useful method for validating statistics collected on the ground, and can help fill in gaps in ground observations, particularly in years where planting is delayed or disrupted due to weather or...
Agriculture & Food Data & Tools Observations
USGCRP’s International Activities Interagency Working Group (IAIWG) convened its first international and interagency workshop in December 2018, bringing together representatives from System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), Future Earth, and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). These three international programs receive funding through USGCRP to support their activities and to advance USGCRP’s international mandate. USGCRP was represented by ten Federal agencies as well as USGCRP staff. The workshop’s goals were to enhance awareness of mutual priorities, investments, and...
International
Through its Social Science Coordinating Committee ( SSCC ), USGCRP works to integrate social science methods, findings, and disciplinary perspectives into federal global change research programs. The social, behavioral, and economic sciences provide critical insights on the drivers and impacts of global change and inform mitigation, adaptation, and resilience decisions. In February 2019, in collaboration with the National Academies’ Board on Environmental Change and Society, the SSCC convened a seminar entitled “Climate Resilience Pathways and Social Science Research Actions.” Building on a...
Social Science
The Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2), released by USGCRP in November 2018, is a state-of-the-science assessment of the carbon cycle in North America and its connection to climate and society. Authored by more than 200 experts from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, SOCCR2 focuses on U.S. and North American carbon cycle processes and their interactions with global-scale carbon budgets and climate change impacts over the last decade. The report includes an assessment of carbon source, sinks, and flows across atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial systems, including natural and...
Carbon Cycle
SERVIR is a joint initiative between NASA and USAID that develops demand-driven services, tools, and training for decision-makers in more than 50 countries. By connecting USAID’s development network with NASA’s science, geospatial technologies, and extensive satellite data, SERVIR helps strengthen local capacity to integrate science and technology into decision-making. Since 2004, SERVIR has collaborated with leading regional organizations in the developing world to help people and institutions track environmental changes, evaluate climate threats, and respond rapidly to natural disasters. In...
International
In the Gulf of Mexico, toxic algal bloom outbreaks (or red tides) occur primarily during the late summer and early fall, and can be harmful to people and ecosystems. One of the most severe red tide outbreaks in a decade hit Florida’s Gulf Coast throughout the summer and early fall of 2018, with widespread adverse impacts that prompted the governor to declare a State of Emergency in mid-August. In October 2018, a new pilot smartphone-based information resource developed by NASA, NOAA, and state and local partners began alerting users to red tide risks around St. Petersburg and Pinellas County...
Coasts Human Health
USGCRP completed the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) in November 2018 with the release of NCA4 Volume II ( Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States ). Building on an assessment of observed and projected changes in the physical climate system released as Volume I of NCA4 ( Climate Science Special Report ) in 2017, Volume II focuses on climate-related risks to systems that support our well-being and economy. A number of ongoing assessment products and efforts undertaken by USGCRP’s member agencies and interagency groups provided valuable inputs to NCA4 Volume II. USGCRP led...
National Climate Assessment
Wildfires affect communities throughout the United States each year, threatening lives, property and infrastructure, and ecosystems. 1 Understanding the climatic conditions that influence wildfire patterns can improve our ability to predict the occurrence and severity of future wildfires, and ultimately support the development of effective adaptation strategies. In response to this need, multiple programs within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Department of the Interior’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) are collaborating with the USDA Forest Service (USDA-FS) and other...
Adaptation Ecosystems & Biodiversity
U.S. coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise, tidal flooding, higher storm surge, coastal erosion, and other climate-related impacts. 1 To help communities in southern California plan for rising water levels, a NASA DEVELOP team collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, in partnership with the California Coastal Commission, to create detailed projections of flooding from sea level rise and coastal storms along the central and southern California coastline that can inform planning to reduce climate-related risks to...
Adaptation Coasts
Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas on September 14, 2018, causing widespread flooding and damage. In the aftermath of the storm, NASA deployed airborne radar to map floodwaters threatening the region , supplying federal, state, and local agencies with information critical to disaster response efforts. Airborne radar is able to “see” through cloud cover to image the ground below during day and night and can map flooding occurring under vegetation, which is especially valuable in heavily vegetated areas such as the Carolinas. Scientists rapidly mapped the extent and depth of flooding...
Extreme Events Observations