Individual Agency Research Activities

In addition to their interagency activities, many of the USGCRP agencies have various responsibilities relating to the potential consequences of climate change and of consideration of responses and means for coping with and adapting to climate change.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) focuses on understanding terrestrial systems and the effects of global change (including water balance, atmospheric deposition, vegetative quality, and UV-B radiation) on food, fiber, and forestry production in agricultural, forest, and range ecosystems. USDA research also addresses how resilient managed agricultural, rangeland, and forest ecosystems are to climate change and what adaptation strategies will be needed to adjust to a changing climate. Programs include long-term studies addressing the structure, function, and management of forest and grassland ecosystems; research in applied sciences, including soils, climate, food and fiber crops, pest management, forests and wildlife, and social sciences; implementation of ecosystem management on the national forests and grasslands; and human interaction with natural resources.

For example, U.S. Forest Service research has established a national plan of forest sustainability to continue to provide water, recreation, timber, and clean air in a changing environment. Two goals of this program are to improve strategies for sustaining forest health under multiple environmental stresses and to develop projections of future forest water quality and yield in light of potential changes in climate.

Similarly, research at the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) looks to determine the impacts of increased atmospheric CO₂ levels, rising temperatures, and water availability on crops and their interactions with other biological components of agricultural ecosystems. ARS also conducts research on characterizing and measuring changes in weather and the water cycles at local and regional scales, and determining how to manage agricultural production systems facing such changes.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supports in situ and remote sensing and monitoring, research, and assessment to improve the accuracy of forecasts of weather and intense storms, and projections of climate change; to improve the scientific basis for federal, state, and local management of the coastal and marine environment and its natural resources; and to ensure a safe and productive marine transportation system. In addition to direct responsibilities for managing National Marine Sanctuaries and for protecting threatened, endangered, and trust resources, NOAA works with states to implement their coastal zone management plans and with regional councils to ensure sustained productivity of marine fisheries. Climate change and variability influence all areas of NOAA's responsibilities, both through direct effects and through intensification of other stresses, such as pollution, invasive species, and land and resource use.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Through the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services sponsors research on a wide variety of health-related issues ranging from research on treatments for existing and emerging diseases to studies of risks from exposures to environmental stresses. For example, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) conducts research on the effects of exposure to environmental agents on human health. The core programs of the NIEHS provide data and understanding for risk assessments due to changes in human vulnerability and exposures. Climate change raises issues of susceptibility to disease and needs for ensuring public health services. Changes in crop production techniques can increase human exposures to toxic agents and to disease vectors.

U.S. Department of the Interior

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is the largest manager of land and the associated biological and other natural resources within the United States. Its land management agencies, which include the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service, cumulatively manage over 180 million hectares (445 million acres) or 20 percent of the nation's land area for a variety of purposes, including preservation, tourism and recreation, timber harvesting, migratory birds, fish, wildlife, and a multiplicity of other functions and uses.

DOI's Bureau of Reclamation is the largest supplier and manager of water in the 17 western states, delivering water to over 30 million people for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and domestic uses. The Bureau also generates over a billion dollars worth of hydroelectric power and is responsible for multi-purpose projects encompassing flood control, recreation, irrigation, fish, and wildlife. Management of land, water, and other natural resources is of necessity an exercise in adaptive management (IPCC 1991).

Research related to climate change conducted by DOI's U.S. Geological Survey includes efforts to identify which parts of the natural and human-controlled landscapes, ecosystems, and coastlines are at the highest risk under potential changes in climate and climate variability, water availability, and different land and resource management practices.

U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation has recognized that many of the nation's transportation facilities and operations, which are now generally exposed to weather extremes, are also likely to be affected as the climate changes. Among a long list of potential impacts, sea level rise is likely to affect many port facilities and coastal airports; higher peak stream flows are likely to affect bridges and roadways, whereas lower summertime levels of rivers and the Great Lakes are likely to inhibit barge and ship traffic; and higher peak temperatures and more intense storms are likely to adversely affect pavements and freight movement. An assessment of the potential significance of changes for the U.S. transportation system and of guidelines for improving resilience is being organized.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works closely with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Native American tribes to develop and enforce regulations under existing environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. In line with EPA's mission to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment, EPA's Global Change Research Program is assessing the consequences of global change for human health, aquatic ecosystem health, air quality, and water quality. Recognizing the need for "place-based" information, these assessments will focus on impacts at appropriate geographic scales (e.g., regional, watershed). In addition, EPA is supporting three integrated regional assessments in the Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Gulf Coast regions. Finally, in support of these assessments, EPA laboratories and centers conduct research through intramural and extramural programs.