Earth Observations Capabilities “At Risk” Says Moore

At a panel organized by the Alliance for Earth Observations last month, University of Oklahoma’s Dr. Berrien Moore said that our nation’s Earth observations capability “is at risk.”

Moderated by Nancy Colleton, the Space and Terrestrial Weather: Climate Change and More panel at the American Astronautical Society’s (AAS) 50^th Goddard Memorial Symposium brought together leaders from the research, academic, and government sectors to examine the role of Earth observations in monitoring terrestrial and space weather.

Participants were:  

•  Michael Hesse, Ph.D., Director, Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center;
• Berrien Moore, Ph.D., Chesapeake Energy Corporation Chair in Climate Studies, School of Meteorology and Dean, College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences, University of Oklahoma; 
• Louis Uccellini, Ph.D., Director, National Weather Service, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA; President, American Meteorological Society; and
• Robert Winokur, Deputy Oceanographer of the Navy and Acting Director, Oceanography, Space and Maritime Domain Awareness Division, Chief of Naval Operations.

The panel reflected on the challenges of maintaining these critical capabilities in the future. Dr. Moore reiterated the risks faced as a result of budgetary, management, institutional and political obstacles, and described it as “a problem of problems.”

Yet the importance of this information cannot be missed, particularly in light of the challenges brought on by changing environmental conditions.  Explaining the Navy’s interest in climate change, Winokur spoke about monitoring and understanding changes in the Arctic as a major concern for naval operations. “We need to understand the Arctic and we can’t do that without a good set of data,” he emphasized. 

The panel’s observations once again highlighted the importance of three key messages that the Alliance has spearheaded through its efforts: the critical role of environmental information as a decision-making tool, the environmental information supply chain that makes environmental intelligence possible, and the need for a long-term national strategy for environmental information.

“It’s getting the right information, to the right person, at the right time,” said Colleton.

Click here to view the video of the session and visit the Goddard Symposiym website at http://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/600/highlights/stories/goddard_symposium_2012.html to download panelists’ slides and learn more about the event. 

From left: Colleton, Hesse, Moore, Uccellini, and Winokur.