Although NASA is most closely identified with human space flight and space science, Earth science has been a key element of its mission since the agency was created in 1958. Thus, NASA’s involvement in the National Assessment should not come as a surprise. From the unique perspective of space, NASA researchers are gaining a better understanding of how our air, land, water, and life interact as an integrated system to influence climate and the environment. This knowledge has led to quantum leaps in our ability to monitor and predict hurricanes, severe storms, and other environmental phenomena, and to analyze long-term global climate change.

Advances in Earth science data and technology enabled NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other federal agencies to predict the 1997-1998 El Niño event almost a year in advance. This gave local officials, emergency management agencies, and residents in the affected communities critical lead time to prepare for the floods and droughts and other severe weather that El Niño typically brings. As we move through 1999, we are seeing a cold water mass called La Niña being offset by the strong warm water remnants of El Niño. The same remote sensing satellites and instruments that were successfully used along with sea-surface measurements to predict the recent El Niño will be employed to track the La Niña.

NASA participates with the National Assessment community in a major commitment to answer fundamental questions about the Earth and in using that information to address everyday problems. As one part of it's assessment efforts, NASA has sponsored scoping workshops in the following regions to investigate issues of climate change and variability:

• Northern Great Plains - Held in November 1997 at the University of North Dakota, the focus of this workshop was on regional issues of agriculture and ranching.
• Southeast - This scoping workshop, held in June 1997 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, examined the climate change impacts affecting a nine-state region. The discussion had particular emphasis on regional agriculture, coastal resources, and extreme climate events.
• Rio Grande/Southwest - In March 1998, issues facing the communities living along the U.S.-Mexico were addressed in a workshop held in El Paso, Texas.
• Native Peoples and Native Homelands - This October 1998 workshop, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was designed by Native Peoples to examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather variability on Native Peoples and their homelands. Attended by many community Elders, Native scientists and scholars, and community members, the Albuquerque workshop featured a unique integration of traditional scientific and environment analysis with the Native Peoples’ spiritual traditions and long community histories of change, adaptation, and survival in specific regions.

NASA looks forward to seeing the results of this first phase of the National Assessment. All of the NASA-sponsored assessments are underway and should be completed by early 2000. Each of them is striving to build on the information, resources, and partnerships developed in the regional workshops held in their areas. For instance, the Northern Great Plains assessment will draw from the November 1997 regional scoping workshop and the Native Peoples/Native Homelands assessment will integrate information from the Native Peoples/Native Homelands workshop held in October 1998.

NASA also hopes that the National Assessment will benefit from the agency’s recent establishment of five Regional Earth Science Applications Centers (RESACs). Much like the regional assessments, these RESACs are aimed at targeting issues of regional concern to provide useful knowledge and guidance to policy makers and stakeholders. Because the RESACs and the National Assessment have many common goals, the RESACs will be a valuable resource for the region and sector teams. In fact, two of the RESACs will directly contribute to the assessment: the Upper Plains States RESAC will conduct the Northern Great Plains regional assessment, and the California/Southwest RESAC will support the Southwest regional assessment sponsored by the Department of the Interior.

While much of NASA's assessment work directly supports the National Assessment, the agency also funds many other projects and activities that are assessment-related. Current estimates are that NASA spends a total of between $20 and $30 million on assessment-related projects. These projects, some of which are co-sponsored with other agencies, include the Atmospheric Model of Aviation Program, the Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Program, the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project, and the Upper Atmosphere Research Program. Together, these projects promise to produce dramatic advances in our knowledge of climate change and its impacts.

The future holds tremendous promise for Earth science at NASA. Over the next five years, some thirty new Earth science satellites are scheduled for launch. Two of the largest and most important spacecraft will launch this year: Earth Observing System (EOS) AM-1 and Landsat 7. These launches will inaugurate a series of EOS missions designed to continue our systematic measurement of fundamental aspects of global change. And new technologies are being developed to allow us to take Earth observations better, cheaper, and faster. For instance, in 1999, the Earth Orbiter-1 satellite, due to launch late this year, will demonstrate an advanced land imaging system with a hyperspectral and multispectral capability. At the same time, through data buys and other activities, NASA is working to stimulate the fledgling remote sensing satellite industry as it develops data and products that will make a growing and lasting contribution to Earth science research and assessment work.

These satellites and other future missions are expected to generate a torrent of data for assessment research and analysis and other fields of Earth science, including operational and commercial applications. It is an exciting time in the world of climate change assessment and NASA is privileged to be a part of it.

For more information, contact:

Louis Whitsett or Jack Collier, NASA Headquarters, Office of Earth Science (Code YO), 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001.