Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-Scale International Project
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-Scale International Project

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1998-07-03

Total Pages: 103

ISBN-13: 0309060818

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Efforts to understand climate variability and predict future climate change have highlighted many aspects of the hydrologic cycle and the exchange of energy and water at the atmosphere-surface interface as areas of critically needed study. The very nature of weather and climate demands that an international perspective and a comprehensive research approach be applied to understand these important issues. In response to this need, the international partners of the World Climate Research Program developed GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Experiment) as a major focus of international study. As the first of five continental-scale experiments, the GEWEX Continental Scale International Project (GCIP) was established to quantitatively assess the hydrologic cycle and energy fluxes of the Mississippi River basin. GCIP focuses on understanding the annual, interannual, and spatial variability of hydrology and climate within the Mississippi River basin; the development and evaluation of regional coupled hydrologic/atmospheric models; the development of data assimilation schemes; and the development of accessible, comprehensive databases. Improved water resource management on seasonal to interannual time scales is also a key GCIP goal. This book reviews the GCIP program, describes progress to date, and explores promising opportunities for future progress.

Emerging Global Water and Energy Initiatives--An Integrated Perspective
Emerging Global Water and Energy Initiatives--An Integrated Perspective

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1999-09-20

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 0309066433

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The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Panel of the National Research Council (NRC) was tasked by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to provide a rapid and succinct assessment to relevant agencies on the general merit of the GEWEX America Prediction Project (GAPP), as well as the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP). In addition, the panel was asked to provide guidance to the agencies on the relationships between the agencies' newly proposed hydrologic research activities, GAPP, and CEOP. Providing this guidance is critical, in part, because the federal agencies tend to have somewhat differing priorities across the wide span of GEWEX activities.

Global Energy and Water Cycles
Global Energy and Water Cycles

Author: K. A. Browning

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-02

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780521560573

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A comprehensive treatment of models and processes related to water fluxes for meteorologists, hydrologists and oceanographers.

Enhancing NASA's Contributions to Polar Science
Enhancing NASA's Contributions to Polar Science

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2001-05-23

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 0309074010

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The high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic, together with some mountainous areas with glaciers and long-lasting snow, are sometimes called the cryosphere-defined as that portion of the planet where water is perennially or seasonally frozen as sea ice, snow cover, permafrost, ice sheets, and glaciers. Variations in the extent and characteristics of surface ice and snow in the high latitudes are of fundamental importance to global climate because of the amount of the sun's radiation that is reflected from these often white surfaces. Thus, the cryosphere is an important frontier for scientists seeking to understand past climate events, current weather, and climate variability. Obtaining the data necessary for such research requires the capability to observe and measure a variety of characteristics and processes exhibited by major ice sheets and large-scale patterns of snow and sea ice extent, and much of these data are gathered using satellites. As part of its efforts to better support the researchers studying the cryosphere and climate, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-using sophisticated satellite technology-measures a range of variables from atmospheric temperature, cloud properties, and aerosol concentration to ice sheet elevation, snow cover on land, and ocean salinity. These raw data are compiled and processed into products, or data sets, useful to scientists. These so-called "polar geophysical data sets" can then be studied and interpreted to answer questions related to atmosphere and climate, ice sheets, terrestrial systems, sea ice, ocean processes, and many other phenomena in the cryosphere. The goal of this report is to provide a brief review of the strategy, scope, and quality of existing polar geophysical data sets and help NASA find ways to make these products and future polar data sets more useful to researchers, especially those working on the global change questions that lie at the heart of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.

Dictionary of Global Climate Change
Dictionary of Global Climate Change

Author: W.J. Maunder

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1461568412

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Climate, climate change, climate fluctuations and climatic trends are only a few of the terms used today, in not only conferences, scientific symposia and workshops, but also parliaments and in discussions throughout society. To climatologists these terms may be well known; to the vast majority of people, however, they are new, and they require definition and explanation. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) inherited an interest and involvement in the studies of climate and climate change from its predecessor, the International Meteorological Organization (IMo), which was established in 1873. By 1929 the IMO had set up a Commission for Climatology to deal with matters related to climate studies. When, in 1950, the World Meteorological Organization assumed the mantle of the IMO, it retained the commission which, among other responsibilities, had already recognized the need for the definition and explana tion of terms used in climatology. It must also be said that much of what we now know about climate derives from the scientific and technical programmes co ordinated by IMO and now, to a much greater extent, by WMO. In 1979, the First World Climate Conference made an assessment of the status of knowledge of climate and climate variability, and recommended the establishment of a World Climate Programme. This recommendation was fully endorsed by the Eighth World Meteorological Congress, and the World Climate Programme was subse quently established by WMO in co-operation with the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Dictionary of Global Climate Change
Dictionary of Global Climate Change

Author:

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1992-08-31

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 041203901X

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Climate, climate change, climate fluctuations and climatic trends are only a few of the terms used today, in not only conferences, scientific symposia and workshops, but also parliaments and in discussions throughout society. climatologists these terms may be well known; to the vast majority of people, however, they are new, and they require definition and explanation. The World Meteorological Organization inherited an interest and involvement in the studies of climate and climate change from its predecessor, the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was established in 1873. By 1929 the had set up a Commission for Climatology to deal with matters related to climate studies. When, in 1950, the World Meteorological Organization assumed the mantle of the it retained the commission which, among other responsibilities, had already recognized the need for the definition and explanation of terms used in climatology. It must also be said that much of what we now know about climate derives from the scientific and technical programmes - ordinated by and now, to a much greater extent, by In 1979, the First World Climate Conference made an assessment of the status of knowledge of climate and climate variability, and recommended the establishment of a World Climate Programme.

Review of the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office
Review of the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-12-16

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 0309182387

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A growing appreciation for how variations in climate affect society and the environment has increased the demand for fast and accurate predictions of climate variability. The Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) program, established internationally in 1995 and expanded to include a U.S. component in 1998, focuses on improving understanding and skill in predicting climate variability on seasonal to centennial time scales. This report evaluates the performance of the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office (PO) in fulfilling its charge from supporting agencies. The report concludes that the project office is vital for coordinating US CLIVAR activities and is effective despite limited resources. It also provides suggestions for enhancing the communications from and visibility of US CLIVAR activities and for developing strategic directions for the future.

Review of the GAPP Science and Implementation Plan
Review of the GAPP Science and Implementation Plan

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2005-11-27

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 0309096782

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Water managers rely on predicting changes in the hydrologic cycle on seasonal-to-interannual time frames to prepare for water resource needs. Seasonal to interannual predictability of the hydrologic cycle is related to local and remote influences involving land processes and ocean processes, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation. Although advances in understanding land-surface processes show promise in improving climate prediction, incorporating this information into water management decision processes remains a challenge since current models provide only limited information for predictions on seasonal and longer time scales. To address these needs, the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Americas Prediction Project (GAPP) was established in 2001 to improve how changes in water resources are predicted on intraseasonal-to-interannual time scales for the continental United States. The GAPP program has developed a science and implementation plan to guide its science activities, which describes strategies for improving prediction and decision support in the hydrologic sciences. This report by the National Research Council provides a review of the GAPP Science and Implementation Plan, outlining suggestions to strengthen the plan and the GAPP program overall.