Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft: A Workshop Report (National Research Council, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2008), which summarizes the National Research Council workshop “Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft” held in June 2007 in Washington, D.C., is reprinted here in its entirety. Note that in the reprinted report’s table of contents, the page numbers added in italic reflect the pagination that applies for inclusion in the current report, rather than the pages numbers of the original report. The original report is available online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12033.
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B
Reprinted Workshop Report
Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft: A Workshop Report (Na-
tional Research Council, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2008), which summarizes the National
Research Council workshop “Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft”
held in June 2007 in Washington, D.C., is reprinted here in its entirety. Note that in the reprinted report’s table of
contents, the page numbers added in italic reflect the pagination that applies for inclusion in the current report,
rather than the pages numbers of the original report. The original report is available online at http://www.nap.
edu/catalog.php?record_id=12033.
82
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R E P R I N T E D W O R K S H O P R E P O R T 83
Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the
NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft
A Workshop Report
Panel on Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
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84
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OTHER REPORTS OF THE SPACE STUDIES BOARD
Opening New Frontiers in Space: Choices for the Next New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity (SSB,
2008)
Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA’s Constellation System: Interim Report (SSB with the Aeronautics
and Space Engineering Board [ASEB], 2008)
Space Science and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Summary of a Workshop (SSB, 2008)
United States Civil Space Policy: Summary of a Workshop (SSB with ASEB, 2008)
Workshop Series on Issues in Space Science and Technology: Summary of Space and Earth Science Issues
from the Workshop on U.S. Civil Space Policy (SSB, 2008)
Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (2007)
An Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars (SSB with the Board on Life Sciences [BLS], 2007)
Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space
Exploration (SSB with ASEB, 2007)
Decadal Science Strategy Surveys: Report of a Workshop (2007)
Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond (2007)
Exploring Organic Environments in the Solar System (SSB with the Board on Chemical Sciences and
Technology, 2007)
Grading NASA’s Solar System Exploration Program: A Midterm Review (2007)
The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems (SSB with BLS, 2007)
NASA’s Beyond Einstein Program: An Architecture for Implementation (SSB with the Board on Physics and
Astronomy [BPA], 2007)
A Performance Assessment of NASA’s Astrophysics Program (SSB with BPA, 2007)
Portals to the Universe: The NASA Astronomy Science Centers (2007)
The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon (2007)
An Assessment of Balance in NASA’s Science Programs (2006)
Assessment of NASA’s Mars Architecture 2007-2016 (2006)
Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Venus Missions: Letter Report (2006)
Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments for Solar-Terrestrial Research: Report of a Workshop (2006)
Issues Affecting the Future of the U.S. Space Science and Engineering Workforce: Interim Report (SSB with
ASEB, 2006)
Review of NASA’s 2006 Draft Science Plan: Letter Report (2006)
The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon—Interim Report (2006)
Space Radiation Hazards and the Vision for Space Exploration (2006)
Limited copies of these reports are available free of charge from:
Space Studies Board
National Research Council
The Keck Center of the National Academies
500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001
(202) 334-3477/ssb@nas.edu
www.nationalacademies.org/ssb/ssb.html
NOTE: These reports are listed according to year of approval for release, which in some cases precedes the year of publication.
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PANEL ON OPTIONS TO ENSURE THE CLIMATE RECORD
FROM THE NPOESS AND GOES-R SPACECRAFT
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR., University of Maryland, Chair
PHILIP E. ARDANUY, Raytheon Information Solutions
JUDITH A. CURRY, Georgia Institute of Technology
JUDITH L. LEAN, Naval Research Laboratory
BERRIEN MOORE III, University of New Hampshire
JAY S. PEARLMAN, The Boeing Company
JAMES F.W. PURDOM, Colorado State University
CHRISTOPHER S. VELDEN, University of Wisconsin-Madison
THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR, Colorado State University
FRANK J. WENTZ, Remote Sensing Systems
Consultant
STACEY W. BOLAND, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Staff
ARTHUR A. CHARO, Study Director, Space Studies Board
CURTIS H. MARSHALL, Program Officer, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
THERESA M. FISHER, Program Associate, Space Studies Board
CATHERINE A. GRUBER, Assistant Editor, Space Studies Board
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SPACE STUDIES BOARD
LENNARD A. FISK, University of Michigan, Chair
A. THOMAS YOUNG, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired), Vice Chair
DANIEL N. BAKER, University of Colorado
STEVEN J. BATTEL, Battel Engineering
CHARLES L. BENNETT, Johns Hopkins University
ELIZABETH R. CANTWELL, Los Alamos National Laboratory
ALAN DRESSLER, The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution
JACK D. FELLOWS, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
FIONA A. HARRISON, California Institute of Technology
TAMARA E. JERNIGAN, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
KLAUS KEIL, University of Hawaii
MOLLY MACAULEY, Resources for the Future
BERRIEN MOORE III, University of New Hampshire
KENNETH H. NEALSON, University of Southern California
JAMES PAWELCZYK, Pennsylvania State University
SOROOSH SOROOSHIAN, University of California, Irvine
RICHARD H. TRULY, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (retired)
JOAN VERNIKOS, Thirdage, LLC
JOSEPH F. VEVERKA, Cornell University
WARREN M. WASHINGTON, National Center for Atmospheric Research
CHARLES E. WOODWARD, University of Minnesota
GARY P. ZANK, University of California, Riverside
MARCIA S. SMITH, Director
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Preface
NPOESS, which has been driven by the imperative of reliably providing short-term weather information, is itself
a union of heretofore separate civilian and military programs. . . . The same considerations of expediency and
economy motivate the present attempts to add to NPOESS the goals of climate research. The technical complexities
of combining seemingly disparate requirements are accompanied by the programmatic complexities of forging fur-
ther connections among three different agencies, with different mandates, cultures, and congressional appropriators.
Yet the stakes are very high, and each agency gains significantly by finding ways to cooperate, as do the taxpayers.
Beyond cost savings, benefits include the possibility that long-term climate observations will reveal new phenomena
of interest to weather forecasters, as happened with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Conversely, climate researchers
can often make good use of operational data.1
In January 2007, the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Earth science decadal survey committee deliv-
ered to agency sponsors a prepublication version of its final report, Earth Science and Applications from Space:
National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond.2 However, prior to the delivery of that report, NASA and
NOAA requested that additional items be added to the committee’s statement of task. The new tasks focused on
recovery of measurement capabilities, especially those related to climate research, that were lost as a result of
changes in plans for the next generation of polar and geostationary environmental monitoring satellites, NPOESS
and GOES-R (see Appendix A).3
By mutual agreement, the new tasks were to be addressed by a separate panel in a report that would draw on
the results of a major workshop. Specifically, the new tasks were as follows:
1. Analyze the impact of the changes to the NPOESS program that were announced in June 2006 and changes to
the GOES-R series as described in the NOAA testimony to Congress on September 29, 2006. These changes included
reduction in the number of planned NPOESS satellites, the deletion or descoping of particular instruments, and a
delay in the planned launch of the first NPOESS satellite. In addition, recent changes to the GOES-R series resulted
in deletion or descoping of instrumentation and a delay in the first spacecraft launch. The committee should give
1Excerpted from the Foreword to National Research Council (NRC), Issues in the Integration of Research and Operational Satellite Systems
for Climate Research: II. Implementation, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2000.
2NRC, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, The National Academies Press,
Washington, D.C., 2007.
3Note that acronyms not defined in the text, especially those denoting individual instruments and missions, are defined in Appendix D.
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particular attention to impacts in areas associated with climate research, other NOAA strategic goals, and related
Global Earth Observation System of Systems/Integrated Earth Observation System (GEOSS/IEOS) societal benefit
areas. The analysis should include discussions related to continuity of existing measurements and development of
new research and operational capabilities.
2. Develop a strategy to mitigate the impact of the changes described in the item above. The committee will
prioritize capabilities that were lost or placed at risk following the changes to NPOESS and the GOES-R series and
present strategies to recover these capabilities. Included in this assessment will be an analysis of the capabilities of
the portfolio of missions recommended in the decadal strategy to recover these capabilities, especially those related
to research on Earth’s climate. The changes to the NPOESS and GOES-R programs may also offer new opportunities.
The committee should provide a preliminary assessment of the risks, benefits, and costs of placing—on NPOESS,
GOES-R, or on other platforms—alternative sensors to those planned for NPOESS. Finally, the committee will
consider the advantages and disadvantages of relying on capabilities that may be developed by our European and
Japanese partners.
This workshop report, prepared by the NRC’s Panel on Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the
NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft, presents the initial response to this request. It summarizes the presentations
and discussions at a June 19-21, 2007, workshop but does not necessarily reflect the consensus views of the panel
or the NRC. A second report, which will include recommendations for a strategy to recover recently descoped
observational and measurement capabilities, is scheduled for transmittal by January 31, 2008.
The workshop, titled “Options to Ensure the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft,”
was held at the National Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, D.C. Some 100 scientists and engineers from
academia, government, and industry attended the workshop, which gave participants a chance to review and com-
ment on the NASA-NOAA assessments of the impacts to climate observations associated with the changes made
to the NPOESS program following the June 2006 Nunn-McCurdy certification, 4 as well as potential mitigation
strategies. Participants also discussed the impact of the September 2006 cancellation of the HES instrument on
GOES-R, which was to have contributed to NOAA strategic goals and to GEOSS/IEOS societal benefit areas. 5
The workshop was divided into morning plenary sessions and afternoon breakouts. To guide breakout discus-
sions, participants were given templates to be filled out during discussions. The workshop agenda is shown in
Appendix B.
When considering questions regarding recovery of climate observation capabilities on NPOESS, participants
were asked to discuss the impacts and mitigation options associated with the June 2006 Nunn-McCurdy certifica-
tion and the GOES-R descoping in terms of both the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) essential climate
variables (ECVs)6 and related climate data records, and in terms of the sensors themselves. Participants then
reviewed the options discussed in a NOAA-NASA report to the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP);7 however, participants were also asked to consider a wider universe of mitigation options, includ-
ing free flyers, formation flying, and constellations; flights of opportunity; and international partner opportunities
beyond the European MetOp program. At the request of OSTP, NASA and NOAA are also performing such an
analysis as part of the second phase of their study, the final results of which were not available at the time of the
workshop. Their preliminary assessment is summarized in Appendix C, which reproduces the text and figures of
a presentation given at the workshop.
4See U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Hearing Charter, “The Future of NPOESS: Results of the
Nunn-McCurdy Review of NOAA’s Weather Satellite Program,” June 8, 2006, available at http://gop.science.house.gov/hearings/full06/
June%208/charter.pdf.
5Presentations made at the April 23-24, 2007, workshop organizing meeting and presentations made at plenary sessions and notes taken
on the breakout sessions at the June 19-21, 2007, workshop are available at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/SSB_NPOESS2007_
Presentations.html.
6The GCOS was established in 1992 to ensure that the observations and information needed to address climate-related issues are obtained
and made available to all potential users. It is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission of UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the International Council for Science. For information on the
GCOS ECVs, see http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/gcos/index.php?name=essentialvariables.
7NOAA-NASA, “Impacts of NPOESS Nunn-McCurdy Certification on Joint NASA-NOAA Climate Goals,” draft white paper, January 8,
2007.
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Workshop participants were asked to consider how the following programs will or could play into a mitigation
strategy in the period before and after NPOESS launches:
1. NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP),8
2. Extended-phase operations of instruments on the Earth Observing System spacecraft, 9 and
3. Implementation of the recommendations made in the decadal survey, Earth Science and Applications from
Space.10
Of the three items above, consideration of the potential impact of the decadal survey dominated participant
discussions. In part, this emphasis resulted from recognition that with limited funds, recovery strategies, especially
for NPOESS, would effectively compete with the new starts recommended in the decadal survey. In addition, the
measurement capabilities of sensors on some of the missions recommended in the decadal survey overlap with
those recently lost in the descoped NPOESS and GOES-R programs. 11
The organization of this report follows loosely that of the workshop agenda (Appendix B), which was designed
to have participants consider the impact of changes to the NPOESS and GOES-R program according to the impact
on the measurement of ECVs (breakout sessions on day 1 of the workshop) and on the specific sensors that con-
stituted the pre-Nunn-McCurdy NPOESS and the pre-descoped GOES-R program baselines (breakout sessions
on day 2 of the workshop). The panel recognized that there would be overlap in these discussions but thought it
useful for participants to consider the broader issues of ECV measurement and development of climate data records
apart from specific concerns about NPOESS sensors. Indeed, many workshop participants noted repeatedly that
ensuring the measurement(s) of a particular climate variable(s) was only a necessary first step toward enabling
the creation of time series of measurements of sufficient length, consistency, and continuity to determine climate
variability and change—that is, to generate climate data records. 12
In closing, the panel notes with deep regret the sudden death of Anthony Hollingsworth, from the European
Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, on July 29, 2007. Tony was a world-class meteorologist and, as
noted in the many tributes that followed his passing, a key figure in fostering international collaborations among
EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency, and space agencies worldwide. At the time of his death, Tony was
heading Europe’s GEMS environmental monitoring project; he also was advising the panel on the international
dimensions of mitigation options for NPOESS.
8The
National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) is a joint mission involving
NASA and the NPOESS Integrated Program Office. See http://jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/.
9See http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepage/description.php.
10NRC, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, The National Academies Press,
Washington, D.C., 2007.
11For descriptions of the decadal survey missions, see Chapter 4 of NRC, Earth Science and Applications from Space, 2007. For discussions
of decadal survey missions and NPOESS, see Chapter 2 and Tables 2.4 and 2.5 in that report.
12NRC, Climate Data Records from Environmental Satellites: Interim Report, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2004.
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical
expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee.
The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution
in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for
objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain
confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for
their review of this report:
Eric J. Barron, University of Texas,
Craig Donlon, Hadley Centre, Met Office, United Kingdom,
Dennis P. Lettenmaier, University of Washington,
Ralph F. Milliff, Colorado Research Associates, and
R. Keith Raney, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were
not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its
release. The review of this report was overseen by Byron D. Tapley, University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by
the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report
was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered.
Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring panel and the institution.
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– Examined 2 operational-grade missions
• Used sensor analysis from NASA plus spacecraft development analysis from NOAA Polar Extended
Mission study (2006)
Climate Data Record (CDR) Science Support [p. 16]
• Includes development, production, reprocessing, stewardship, and distribution
• Assumes data from all NPOESS certified sensors and mitigation sensors/sources
• Covers about 30 Climate Change Science Program essential climate variables
• Will be covered in more detail in following presentation
Free Flyer Climate Satellite [p. 17]
• Would fly in formation with NPOESS PM to provide imager data
• Two options were examined:
– Research spacecraft
• Planned 5-year mission
• Single string development with selective redundancy
• Inexpensive, non-standard launch vehicle
• Ground segment leverages existing systems
– Operational spacecraft
• Planned 7-year mission with additional redundancy
• Standard launch vehicle
• Additional investment in ground segment
• Current cost estimate range for a 3-sensor satellite is approximately $700M-$1100M
– CDR Science Support is an additional $300M-$450M
Altimetry Options [p. 18]
• NPOESS sun-synchronous orbits are NOT ideal for precision altimetry
• Flight of an altimeter on NPOESS is NOT recommended
• For this analysis, “free flyer” satellites in the NOAA/EUMETSAT JASON series are assumed
– Three satellites beyond JASON 2 required to provide coverage to 2026
– Costs estimated for JASON 3, 4, and 5
– Advanced altimeter costs also estimated
• May replace JASON class missions starting with JASON 4
• Independent of this study, U.S. Navy is working with the IPO to develop costs and options to procure an
operational oceanography radar altimeter
• Current total cost estimate for a series of 3 missions ranges from approximately $1.5B-$2.1B
– CDR Science Support is an additional ~$200M
– Current cost estimate for a single JASON follow-on is approximately $470M with the potential for 50/50
cost sharing with partners
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157
APPENDIX C
TABLE Climate Goal Partnering Opportunities (Preliminary) [p. 19]
Partner Sensor or Capability Timeframe Role
EUMETSAT Jason-3 2013-2018 Mitigate
NASA/Navy Adv. Altimeter TBD Mitigate
Increasing Potential →
ESA/JAXA (Earthcare) APS/ERBS-like 2010-20xx Mitigate
ESA GMES Sentinel 3 Altimeter Complement
Navy (NPOESS) Altimeter (Op) 2016-2026 Complement
Navy (DoD Space Test Program) Altimeter (Op) Complement
CNES Megha-Tropiques ERBS-like Complement
Chinese SOA (HY series) Altimeter Mitigate
Brazilian Space Agency (Amazonia) Flight Opportunity 2010/2015 Accommodation
EUMETSAT (MSG) ERBS-like on-orbit Complement
Chinese Met. Agency (FY series) ERBS-like Mitigate
ESA PARASOL APS-like on-orbit Complement
Related Concerns [p. 20]
• VIIRS
– Reduced imaging capability for mid-morning orbit
• Discussions on-going with EUMETSAT about an advanced imager on METOP-D
– Optical Crosstalk
• MIS
– Reduced capability microwave imager
– First MIS scheduled to fly on NPOESS C2 (2016)
– Discussion on-going with JAXA about AMSR-2
– Pursuing several options for continuity of ocean vector wind measurements
TABLE Near-Term Planning [p. 21]
Decision/Funding Commitment Launch Readiness Date
CERES on NPP September 2007 / FY07* September 2009
TSIS on LDCM January 2008 / FY09 Late 2011
JASON-3 Decision CY08 / FY10 2013
First Climate Free-Flyer Mid 2009 / Pre-Phase A FY08 2014
* Would require re-allocation of existing funds
Next Steps [p. 22]
• Listen closely to the input from this Workshop
• Continue to work with OSTP
• Continue dialogue regarding potential international and/or domestic partnerships
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158
Backups [pp. 23-24]
Reductions of Climate-Relevant Sensors
EARLY-AM MID-AM PM
New C2 New C4 New C1 New C3
NPOESS Instruments NPP (2016) (2022) (2013) (2020)
Old (C6)
Old (C3)
MetOp
(2013) (2016)
Old (C2) Old (C5) Old (C1) Old (C4)
(2011) (2015) (2009) (2014)
Reduced Capability Sensors
CMIS*
Reduced Coverage Sensors
CrlS/ATMS IASI/AMSU
VIIRS AVHRR
De-manifested Sensors
TSIS
CERES/ERBS CERES
ALT
OMPS**
APS
*CMIS to be redefined as a less capable, less expensive sensor
Remains Intact No Change/Not Relevant
**OMPS Limb Subsystem is cancelled and only the Nadir
Reduced Capability Related Missions
capability is maintained
Deleted Implies Sensor Present
FIGURE [C.9] NPOESS Nunn-McCurdy Certification. Reductions of Climate-Relevant Sensors. [p. 24]
9 AppC figure.eps
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Appendix D
Abbreviations and Acronyms
(A)ATSR Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (also AATSR)
ABI Advanced Baseline Imager
ACE aerosol-cloud-ecosystem (mission)
ACRIMSAT Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite
ADCS Altitude Determination and Control System
ADM Air Data Management
AIRS Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
ALOS Advanced Land Observation Satellite
ALT altimeter
AMSR-E Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System
AMSU Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
AoA Analysis of Alternatives
APS Aerosol Polarimeter Sensor
ASAR Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar
ASCAT advanced scatterometer
ASCENDS Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons
ASTER Advanced Spacebone Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
ATLID Atmospheric Light Detection and Ranging Instrument
ATMS Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
BIOMASS Biomass monitoring mission for carbon assessment (ESA)
CALIPSO Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations
CDR climate data record
CEOS Committee on Earth Observations Satellites
CERES Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System
CERES S’COOL Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System Students’ Clouds Observations On-Line
CGMS Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites
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CHAMP Coral Health and Monitoring Project or Challenging Minisatellite Payload
CLARREO Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory
CMIS Conical Microwave Imager and Sounder
CNES Centre National d’Etude Spatiales
COSMIC Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate
CrIS Cross-track Infrared Sounder
CryoSat Cryosphere Satellite (mission)
DESDynI Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice Mission
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
DOD Department of Defense
DSCOVR Deep Space Climate Observatory
EarthCARE ESA’s cloud and aerosol (mission)
ECMWF European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
ECV essential climate variable
EDR environmental data record
ENVISAT Environmental Satellite
EOS Earth Observing System
ERB Earth’s radiation budget
ERBS Earth Radiation Budget Sensor
ESA European Space Agency
ET-EGOS Expert Team on Evolution of the Global Observing System
EUMETSAT European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Feng Yun Feng Yun Wind and Cloud (meteorological satellite)
FPAR fraction of photosynthetically active radiation
GACM Global Atmospheric Composition Mission
GCOM Global Change Observation Mission
GCOS Global Climate Observing System
GEMS Global and regional Earth-system (Atmosphere) Monitoring
GEO geosynchronous Earth orbit
GEOSS Global Earth Observation System of Systems
GERB geostationary Earth radiation budget
GFO Geosat (Geodetic Satellite) Follow-on
GHRSST-PP Global High Resolution SST Pilot Project
GIFTS Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer
GLAS Geoscience Laser Altimeter System
GLI Global Imager
GLM Geostationary Lightning Mapper
GMES Global Monitoring for Environmental Security
GMI Giant Magneto-Impedance
GMS Geostationary Meteorological Satellite
GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
GOME Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment
GOS Global Observing System
GOSAT Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite
GPM Global Precipitation Measurement
GPS/RO Global Positioning System/Radio Occultation
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GRACE Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
GRAS Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding
HES Hyperspectral Environmental Suite
HIRDLS High-Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
HIRS High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder
IASI Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
ICESat Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite
IEOS Integrated Earth Observation System
IOCCG International Ocean Colour Coordination Group
IORD Integrated Operational Requirements Document (NPOESS)
IOS Integrated Observing System
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IR infrared
IRS Indian Remote Sensing Satellite
ISRO Indian Space Agency
ITAR International Traffic in Arms Regulations
ITSC Information Technology Support Center
JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
LAI leaf area index
LDCM Landsat Data Continuity Mission
LEO low Earth orbit
MAM mirror attenuated mosaic
MERIS Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (ESA)
Meteosat Meteorological satellite for European counterpart to GOES
MetOp Meteorological Operational Satellite (European)
METSAT Meteorological Satellite
MIPAS Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding
MIS Microwave Imager and Sounder
MISR Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer
MLS microwave limb sounder
MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-Radiometer
MSG Meteosat Second Generation
MSU microwave sounding unit
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NESDIS National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service
NESDIS/STAR National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service/Center for Satellite
Applications and Research
NIR near infrared
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NODC National Oceanic Data Center (NOAA)
NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System
NPP NPOESS Preparatory Project
NRC National Research Council
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NSTC National Science and Technology Council
OCO Orbiting Carbon Observatory
OLS Operational Line Scanner
OMI Ozone Monitoring Instrument
OMPS Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite
OPAG Open Programme Area Group
OSIP Operational Satellite Improvement Program
OSSE Observing System Simulation Experiment
OSTM Ocean Surface Topography Mission
OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy
OSTST Ocean Surface Topography Science Team
P 3I preplanned product improvement
PALSAR Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar
PARASOL Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with
Observations from a Lidar
PATH Precipitation and All-Weather Temperature and Humidity
POES Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
POLDER Polarization and Directionality of Earth’s Reflectances
QuikSCAT Quick Scatterometer
RADARSAT Radar Satellite (Canada)
SAGE Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment
SAR synthetic aperture radar
SARAL Satellite with Argos and AltiKa
SARSAT Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking
SBUV Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument
SBUV/2 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectral Radiometer, MOD 2
ScaRAB Scanner for the Radiation Budget
SCIAMACHY Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography
SCLP Snow and Cold Land Processes
SeaWiFS Sea-Viewing Wide-Field Sensor
SESS Space Environment Sensor Suite
SEVIRI Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager
SGLI Second Generation Global Imager
SIM Spectral Irradiance Monitor
SMAP Software Assurance Management Program
SMMR Scanning Multichannel (or Multifrequency) Microwave Radiometer
SMOS Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
SOHO Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
SORCE Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment
SPOT Satellite Probatoire de l’Observation de la Terre
SSI spectral solar irradiance
SSM/I Special Sensor Microwave Imager
SSMIS Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder
SST sea surface temperature
STAR Center for Satellite Applications and Research
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SuS Survivability Sensor
SWOT Surface Water-Ocean Topography
TES Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
TIM Total Irradiance Monitor
TMI TRMM [Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission] Microwave Imager
TOMS Total Ozone Mapping (Spectrolab/System/Spectrometer)
TOPEX Ocean Topography Experiment
TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
TSI total solar irradiance
TSIS Total Solar Irradiance Suite
UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UV ultraviolet
VAS VISSR Atmospheric Sounder
VIIRS Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite
VIRI visible and infrared imager
VISSR Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer
WindSat a joint Integrated Program Office/DOD/NASA satellite-based polarimetric microwave
radiometer
WMO World Meteorological Organization
XOVWM Extended Ocean Vector Winds Mission
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Appendix E
Biographical Sketches of Panel Members
ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR., Chair, is director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and
a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland. His research
interests include tropical ocean circulation and its role in the coupled climate system, and climate variability and
predictability. Dr. Busalacchi has been involved in the activities of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP)
for many years as co-chair of the scientific steering group for its subprogram on climate variability and predict-
ability, and he currently is a member of the Joint Scientific Committee of the WCRP. Dr. Busalacchi has extensive
NRC experience as a member of the Climate Research Committee, the Committee on Earth Studies, the Panel on
the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Program, and the Panel on Ocean Atmosphere Observations Supporting
Short-Term Climate Predictions.
PHILIP E. ARDANUY is chief scientist and director of Remote Sensing Applications at Raytheon Information Solu-
tions. Dr. Ardanuy specializes in developing integrated mission concepts through government-industry-academic
partnerships. His research has included network-centric and system-of-systems concepts, telepresence-telescience-
telerobotics, tropical meteorology, Earth’s radiation budget and climate, satellite instrument calibration and char-
acterization, remote sensing applications and systems engineering, scientific applications research-to-operational
transition, and validation of environmental observations. He is the associate editor of the International Society
for Optical Engineering’s (SPIE) Journal of Applied Remote Sensing and chair of the American Meteorological
Society’s (AMS) Committee on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography. Dr. Ardanuy has received multiple
honors, including his 2007 elevation to the position of Raytheon Engineering Fellow and his receipt of the Raytheon
Excellence in Business Development Award and the Raytheon Peer Award for “dedication in the excellence in his
work and unimagined expertise in algorithms, ground processing, mission understanding, and mission experience.”
Dr. Ardanuy served on the NRC Panel on Earth Science Applications and Societal Benefits of the Committee for
Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future, and on the
Committee on Utilization of Environmental Satellite Data: A Vision for 2010 and Beyond.
JUDITH A. CURRY is chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Tech-
nology. Her research interests include remote sensing, climate of the polar regions, atmospheric modeling, and
air/sea interactions. She participates in the World Meteorological Organization’s World Climate Research Program,
was a member of the Science Steering Group of the Arctic Climate System Program, and chairs the Global Energy
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APPENDIX E
and Water Cycle Experiment Cloud System Studies Working Group on Polar Clouds. She co-chaired the Surface
Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean program’s Science Working Group. Dr. Curry previously served on the NRC
Committee to Review NASA’s Polar Geophysical Data Sets, the Panel on Coastal Meteorology, and the Climate
Research Committee. She currently serves on the Space Studies Board.
JUDITH L. LEAN has worked in the Naval Research Laboratory’s Space Science Division since 1986, where her
research focuses on the mechanisms, measurements, and modeling of variations in the Sun’s radiative output and
the effects of this variability on Earth’s global climate and space weather. She is a guest investigator on NASA’s
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite and the Living with a Star and Sun-Earth Connection programs. She is a co-
investigator on the Solar Radiation and Climate, Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics,
and Solar Dynamics Explorer space missions. Dr. Lean has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee
on Science, Technology and Space on the science of climate change. She is a fellow of the American Geophysical
Union and a member of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, the American Astronomical
Society-Solar Physics Division, and the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Lean served on the NRC Commit-
tee on Radiative Forcing Effects on Climate, the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, and the Panel on
Climate Variability and Change of the Committee for Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Community
Assessment and Strategy for the Future.
BERRIEN MOORE III is a professor of systems research at University of New Hampshire (UNH) and is executive
director of Climate Central, Inc. He was director of UNH’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
from 1987 to early 2008. He stepped down as director of the Institute to direct Climate Central. Dr. Moore’s
research focuses on the carbon cycle, global biogeochemical cycles, and global change as well as policy issues
in the area of the global environment. At UNH, he received the university’s 1993 Excellence in Research Award
and was named University Distinguished Professor in 1997. In 2005, he was honored with National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator’s Special Recognition award for his service as chair of
the NOAA Research Review Team. Dr. Moore was the recipient of the 2007 Dryden Lectureship in Research
by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Most recently, he shared in the 2007 Nobel
Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Dr. Moore was the coordinating
lead author for the final chapter, “Advancing our Understanding,” of the IPCC’s Third Assessment Report (2001).
He has served on several NASA advisory committees and in 1987 chaired the NASA Space and Earth Science
Advisory Committee. Dr. Moore led the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Task Force on
Global Analysis, Interpretation, and Modeling prior to serving as chair of the overarching Scientific Committee of
the IGBP. He chaired the 2001 Open Science Conference on Global Change in Amsterdam and is one of the four
architects of the Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change. Dr. Moore has contributed actively to committees
at the NRC, and he served as vice chair of the NRC Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space:
A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future. He is chair of the Committee on Earth Studies and is a
member of the Space Studies Board.
JAY S. PEARLMAN is chief engineer of Network Centric Operations (NCO) Programs and Technologies at the
Boeing Company. Dr. Pearlman’s background includes basic research program management and program develop-
ment in sensors, remote sensing, and information systems. He was Boeing’s chief architect for the NOAA GOES-
R study contract and the chief scientist for the Landsat Data Continuity contract. He was also deputy principal
investigator for the NASA Hyperion Program. Dr. Pearlman is currently leading the NCO research and technology
coordination and is a Boeing technical fellow. He is a senior member of the IEEE and is chair of the IEEE Com-
mittee on Earth Observation. He is active in promoting systems-of-systems architecture and information system
development for large-scale national and global applications, including advancing ocean and coastal information
systems. Dr. Pearlman has more than 70 publications and 25 U.S. and international patents. He served on the
NRC Panel on Enabling Concepts and Technologies of the Committee for the Review of NASA’s Pioneering
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Revolutionary Technology Program and on the Steering Committee, Space Applications and Commercialization.
He is currently a member of the Ocean Studies Board.
JAMES F.W. PURDOM is a senior research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
(CIRA) at Colorado State University. Before joining CIRA in 2001, he spent 4 years as director of the Office of
Research and Applications in NOAA-NESDIS. Dr. Purdom’s research focuses on remote sensing of Earth and its
environment from space, as well as the development and evolution of atmospheric convection, with emphasis on
the study of mesoscale processes using satellite data. He received the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal
in 1994, the National Weather Association Special Award in 1996, the American Meteorological Society Special
Award in 1997, and the Presidential Rank Award in 2001. He served on the NRC Task Group on the Availability
and Usefulness of NASA’s Space Mission Data.
CHRISTOPHER S. VELDEN is currently a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin. He heads a small
group that develops satellite products mainly for tropical cyclone applications. He served as a member of the U.S.
Weather Research Project Science Steering Committee (1996-1999), the GOES Science Team (1996-1998), and
the Geostationary Microwave Sounder Working Group (1995-1996). He served as chair of the AMS Committee
on Satellite Meteorology and has also been a member of the AMS Tropical Committee. In the last 5 years he has
been honored by AMS with two awards, and he has published numerous papers. He served on the NRC Committee
on NOAA-NESDIS Transition from Research to Operations, the Committee on the Future of the Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission, and the Panel on Weather of the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space:
A Community Assessment and Strategy for the Future.
THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR is the director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere and
University Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. His research includes
work on Earth’s radiation budget and fundamental relationships with the climate system and incorporates some of
the first results of direct solar irradiance measurements from satellites and the exchange of energy between Earth
and space. Dr. Vonder Haar is also director of the Center for Geosciences, a Department of Defense-sponsored
research center that focuses on the study of weather patterns and how they affect military operations, and includes
investigations of fog, cloud layering, cloud drift winds, and dynamics of cloud persistence as detected from satel-
lites. He currently serves on the NRC Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and was the vice chair of the
Panel on Weather of the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Community Assessment
and Strategy for the Future. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003.
FRANK J. WENTZ serves as director of Remote Sensing Systems, a research company specializing in satellite
microwave remote sensing of Earth. His research focuses on radiative transfer models that relate satellite obser-
vations to geophysical parameters, with the objective of providing reliable geophysical data sets to the Earth
science community. He is currently working on satellite-derived decadal time series of atmospheric moisture and
temperature, the measurement of sea surface temperature through clouds, and advanced microwave sensor designs
for climatological studies. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union. Mr. Wentz served on the NRC
Panel on Reconciling Temperature Observations of the Climate Research Committee, and he was a member of
the Committee on Earth Studies.