Climate Observations and Services
Program Overview
What is requested?
NOAA requests an increase of $13.0 million in Operations, Research and Facilities (ORF) in FY2002 for the Climate Observations and Services Program. In addition, we are requesting an increase of $1.6M in Procurement, Acquisitions, and Construction (PAC) account for this program. The Climate Observations and Services Program is located in NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) budget activity and will be jointly managed by OAR, the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and the National Weather Service (NWS). This will be used to further develop the capabilities necessary to forecast and assess climate and make this information valuable to users. The Climate Observations and Services Program requires strong observational and research foundations, a robust modeling and analysis capability, and the ability to produce useful products and services from regional to international scales. This request fully funds NOAA's commitment to support 1000 floats in the global oceanographic observation system by FY2005. The request will also support the assessments and services, carbon cycle program, and weather-climate connection components of the Climate Observations and Services Program.
In FY2001, the emphasis was on improving our ability to observe and model climate variables by providing critical upgrades to NOAA's atmospheric baseline observatories; establishment of a Climate Reference Network to precisely record fundamental variables such as temperature and precipitation; and establishment of a global (oceanographic) observational network of profiling floats to provide data critical for climate models of seasonal climate variations such as El Ni¤o and models of long-term variations. In FY2002, NOAA plans to continue development of climate services, continuing to build an ocean observing system to address scientific and operational aspects of climate.
Why do we need it?
From the storms of next week to the floods of next season to the potential human-induced climate change over the coming century, climate variability and change will be continue to be a major issue for the nation. Whether responding to the ongoing drought in the Pacific Northwest and its effect on power generation, or in determining how much atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken up by the North American biosphere, climate questions influence users from the Western water manager to the shapers of national policy. Improved climate predictions will enable resource managers in climate sensitive sectors such as energy, water management, and agriculture to alter strategies and reduce economic vulnerability. The challenge is to extend the research successes, maintain the observational backbone, and extend the capability to provide useful information services to our customers.
What will we do?
NOAA's requested increase will advance
the Climate Observations and Services Program in its objectives
to support operational and quasi-operational climate activities
in NOAA, and the development of climate services based on the
national investments in climate research, modeling, and observations.
Although the line item is found within the OAR budget activities,
the program will be jointly managed by NOAA's OAR, NESDIS, and
NWS. Management of this initiative is designed so that as funding
needs shift from installation costs to collection, analysis,
and distribution of the data, and as climate products and services
are transformed from developmental to operational status, the
program maintains the flexibility to move its resources to where
they will be most effective.
What are the benefits?
Research efforts have identified the types of information and technologies required to measure climate variability and change, identify causes of variability, evaluate the consequences of variability and predict future climate states. The benefits of basic climate research are now ready to be utilized in an applied research program, the next step towards operational forecasts. Through this initiative, NOAA will be better able to serve the needs of its customers in industry, the general public, and the Government with more accurate data, information, and knowledge regarding potential changes in climate, seasons of unusual weather, as well as the trends and expectations for future climate and weather events. This initiative provides the quality of data needed to translate climate research understanding into operational climate services whose potential benefits extend well into billions of dollars of economic value.