A Report by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research, A Supplement to the President's Fiscal Year 2000 Budget MODIS Views Earth as a System. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) can see the Earth in the same colors our eyes soe (ie, red, green, and blue), as well as in 33 other spectral bands. This rediative information can be weed to derive information about an unprocedcnted member of parameters related to glob al change, including occan plant life, land vegetation cover, cloud properties, atmospheric particulates (serosols) and surface temperature. This image shows the Earths in true color as it appears to the MODIS instrument on the Terra spacecraft Terra (previously called EOS-AM), the flagship of the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite series, was lunched successfully in December, 1999. Other instruments on Tarre will provide information about clouds, acrosols, trace gases, additional land surface and oosan properties, and the Earth's radiation budget. Terra's data sets will make important contributions to USOCRPinvestigations of the carbon cycle, climate change, atmospheric chemistry, ecological changes, and the water cycle. MODIS is a key instrument on Terra. MODIS objective is to provide a comprehensive series of global observations of the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum in such a way to to view the entire surface of the Earth every two days. Here, the word "comprehensive" refers to the wide spectral range and spatial coverage, as well as the near-daily coverage MODIS will provide over time. Source: NASAMODIS instrument team. Image may be viewed at: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Newkroges/mages.php37img_id=2721 70-630 About the National Science and Technology Council President Clinton established the National Science and Technology Council An important objective of the NSTC is the establishment of clear national goals for To obtain additional information regarding the NSTC, contact the NSTC Executive The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) is one of nine To obtain additional information about the CENR, contact the CENR Executive About the Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was established by the To obtain additional Information regarding the OSTP, contact the OSTP Administrative Office at 202-456-6004 (voice). I am pleased to transmit to you a copy of Our Changing Planet: The FY 2001 U. S. Global Change The assessment also identifies key research needs for continuing improvements in understanding The USGCRPhas been strongly backed by every Administration and Congress since its inception Finally, I would like to once again commend all the program participants and the members of the Neal Lane D-01-20 U.S. Global Change Research Program FY 2001 Budget by Agency New Research and Assessment Highlights. Observation, Monitoring, and Data Management Highligh's The National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of U.S. Global Change Research Program FY 2001 Budget by Program Element Near-Term Plans Appendix: The FY 1999-2001 USGCRPBudget by Agency and Program. 43 Contact Laformation 73 The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) seeks to provide a sound scien tific understanding of the human and natural forces that influence the Earth's climate system--and thus provide a sound scientific basis for national and international deci sionmaking on global change issues. The USGCRPseeks to observe, understand, predict, and assess the critical natural and human-induced dynamic states and trends of the Earth's global environmental system across a wide range of time and spatial scales. USGCRP Objectives Determine the origins, rates, and likely future course of natural and anthropogenic changes. Increase understanding of the combined effects of multiple stresses on ecosystems. Address the potential for surprises and abrupt changes in the global environment. This multi-agency National Research Program is coordinated through the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR). The CENR has established a Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) to oversee the coordination of USGCRPactivities, in cooperation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The SGCR is composed of representatives of the departments and agencics participating in the USGCRP, including: the Departments of Agriculture (USDA). Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [DOC/NOAAD), Defense (DoD), Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health [HHS/NIH]), the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey [DOI/USGS]), and State (DOS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Smithsonian Institution (SI). USGCRPscience results provide useful information for environmental decision-making on issues such as climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in ecosysterns, and global land cover and land use. USGCRP Highlights I |