Horn
14th May 2016, 09:08 AM
‘Dismay’: NASA scientist appeals to CSIRO not to cut global climate efforts
A top scientist from US space agency NASA has appealed to CSIRO to abandon plans to cut a key monitoring program that it says will undermine Australia and the world’s ability to monitor and predict climate change.
Brent Holben, the project scientist in charge of NASA’s Aerosol Robotic Network (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/), urged CSIRO to reconsider any plans it had to cut or withdraw its contribution to the program, according to a letter obtained by Fairfax Media (http://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/gosfby/csironasaletter.pdf).
“I understand that CSIRO is undertaking a major restructuring that may lead to the closure of AeroSpan [CSIRO’s partner program],” Dr Holben wrote in the letter addressed to Alex Wonhas, a senior CSIRO executive, and dated May 1, 2016.
“The purpose of this letter is to express my dismay about this, on behalf of NASA and the global aerosol community,” he said.
…
Understanding aerosols – the distribution and character of airborne particles and clouds – “represent the single greatest source of uncertainty in climate simulations”, Dr Holben said.
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The NASA letter said measurements of aerosols were “a fundamental component of climate predictions on both regional and global scales”.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/dismay-nasa-appeals-to-csiro-not-to-cut-global-climate-efforts-20160511-gosaco.html
http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/
A top scientist from US space agency NASA has appealed to CSIRO to abandon plans to cut a key monitoring program that it says will undermine Australia and the world’s ability to monitor and predict climate change.
Brent Holben, the project scientist in charge of NASA’s Aerosol Robotic Network (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/), urged CSIRO to reconsider any plans it had to cut or withdraw its contribution to the program, according to a letter obtained by Fairfax Media (http://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/gosfby/csironasaletter.pdf).
“I understand that CSIRO is undertaking a major restructuring that may lead to the closure of AeroSpan [CSIRO’s partner program],” Dr Holben wrote in the letter addressed to Alex Wonhas, a senior CSIRO executive, and dated May 1, 2016.
“The purpose of this letter is to express my dismay about this, on behalf of NASA and the global aerosol community,” he said.
…
Understanding aerosols – the distribution and character of airborne particles and clouds – “represent the single greatest source of uncertainty in climate simulations”, Dr Holben said.
…
The NASA letter said measurements of aerosols were “a fundamental component of climate predictions on both regional and global scales”.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/dismay-nasa-appeals-to-csiro-not-to-cut-global-climate-efforts-20160511-gosaco.html
http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/