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Decadal survey lays out key Earth science priorities

Satellite view of Earth
A new report published by theÌýÌýrecommends that NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Ìýand the United States Geological Survey (USGS) should implement a coordinated approach for their space-based environmental observations to further advance Earth science and applications for the next decade.

ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ researchers contributed to the survey, which also recommends building a robust, resilient, and balanced U.S. program of Earth observations from space that will enable the agencies to strategically advance the science and applications with constrained resources.Ìý

“Information about Earth science now plays a significant role in our daily lives, and we are coming to recognize the complex and continually changing ways by which Earth’s processes occur,â€� said Waleed Abdalati, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)Ìýand co-chair of the committee.Ìý“In order to progress as a society, we must focus on understanding and reliablyÌýpredictingÌýthe many ways in which Earth is changing.â€�

The decadal NAE survey outlinesÌýscience priorities, observational needsÌýand opportunities for U.S. space-based Earth observations in the coming decade.