2005 Earth Science Focus Area Roadmaps
NASA works with the science community to identify questions on the frontiers of science that have profound societal importance, and to which NASA can make a defining contribution. These science questions become the foundation of a research strategy, which defines requirements for scientific observations, and a roadmap for combining the technology, observations, modeling efforts, basic research, and partnerships needed to answer the questions over time.
Each Science Focus Area has developed a 'roadmap' which identifies the current state of the science, an achievable state a decade hence, and the observations, research products, and scientific assessments that comprise the steps along the way.
Atmospheric Composition - Understand the trace constituent and particulate composition of the Earth's atmosphere and predict its future evolution.
Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems - Understand and predict changes in the Earth's terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.
Climate Variability and Change - Develop integrated models of the ocean, air, cryosphere and land surface, and apply to retrospective and future studies of climate variability and change.
Earth Surface and Interior Structure - Utilize state-of-the-art measurements and advanced modeling techniques to understand and predict changes in the Earth's surface and interior.
Water & Energy Cycles - Characterize and predict trends and changes in the global water and energy cycles.
Weather - Develop the technology, observational and modeling capacity needed to improve daily and extreme weather forecasting (e.g. hurricanes, tornadoes).