The U.S. Global Change Research Program: An Assessment of FY 1991 Plans -- Copyright -- Contents -- PREFACE -- SUMMARY -- ASSESSMENT OF THE FY 1991 USGCRP -- THE EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE USGCRP -- PART I: THE U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM REPORT OF THE PANEL TO REVIEW THE FY 1991 U.S. GLOB... -- Introduction -- 1 Reducing Uncertainties -- PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- 2 Appropriate Balance -- BALANCE BETWEEN LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS -- BALANCE BETWEEN EXTRAMURAL AND AGENCY-BASED RESEARCH -- BALANCE BETWEEN "BIG" AND "LITTLE" SCIENCE -- BALANCE AMONG OBSERVATIONS, PROCESS STUDIES, AND MODELING -- BALANCE BETWEEN ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING PROGRAMS -- BALANCE AMONG SCIENCE PRIORITIES -- PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- 3 Processes for Coordination and Review -- CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IN PROGRAM PLANNING AND REVIEW -- MECHANISMS FOR SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT AND THE DELIVERY OF POLICY ADVICE -- INTERACTION AMONG PARTICIPATING AGENCIES -- PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- 4 Other Issues -- INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION IN GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH -- AVAILABILITY OF HUMAN RESOURCES -- DEFINITION OF ''CONTRIBUTING" PROGRAMS -- PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- PART II: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF EOS REPORT OF THE PANEL TO REVIEW NASA'S EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM IN TH... -- Introduction -- 5 Environmental Parameters -- THE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR GLOBAL CHANGE -- EOS IN THE CONTEXT OF OTHER SPACE MISSIONS -- EOS AND THE USGCRP -- Summary Recommendations -- CONTRIBUTIONS TO SPECIFIC USGCRP SCIENCE PRIORITIES -- Climate and Hydrologic Systems -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Finding -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Biogeochemical Dynamics -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Findings -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Ecological Systems and Dynamics -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans.

Earth System History -- Human Interactions -- Solid Earth Processes -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- Solar Influences -- Near-Term Plans -- EOS Plans -- 6 Simultaneity of Data Collection -- DEFINITIONS OF SIMULTANEITY -- GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS -- To Enhance Process Studies -- To Interpret Physical Measurements -- To Facilitate Data Management -- To Incorporate Engineering Considerations -- SPECIFIC ANALYSES FOR PARTICULAR SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES -- Climate and Hydrological Systems: the Role of Clouds -- Biogeochemical Dynamics: Fluxes of Trace Species -- DOCUMENTATION -- 7 EOS Platforms -- ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS -- Launch Vehicles -- The Platform Systems -- CONTINUITY AND RELIABILITY -- COSTS -- PRECURSORS, SMALL MISSIONS, EARTH PROBES, AND OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS -- 8 The EOS Data and Information System -- CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM -- Evolution -- Diversity of Data and Information -- Data Diversity -- Human Interactions -- A Distributed System -- NASA'S DATA POLICY -- Landsat and Other Commercialized Datasets -- Preservation of Historic Datasets -- RESEARCH AND PROTYPING NEEDS -- Prototyping -- Pathfinder Datasets -- INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC ADVICE -- APPENDIXES -- Appendix A The Charge to the National Research Council -- Appendix B Comments on projects in the Science Priority Elements of the FY 1991 USGCRP -- Climate and Hydrologic Systems -- Biogeochemical Dynamics -- Ecological Systems and Dynamics -- Earth System History -- Human Interactions -- Solid Earth Processes -- Solar Influences -- Earth System Modeling -- Data and Information Systems -- Documenting Global Change -- Appendix C Prototyping for EOSDIS -- Unique Challenges of Global Change Data Management -- Use of Data Archives as a Research Library -- Database Requirements for Scientific Metadata -- Timely Access to Large Datasets -- Missing and Bad Data -- Visual Browsing.

Access by Many -- REFERENCES -- ACRONYMS.