This Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product addresses current capabilities to integrate observations of the climate system into a consistent description of past and current conditions through the method of reanalysis. In addition, the Product assesses present capabilities to attribute causes for climate variations and trends over North America during the reanalysis period, which extends from the mid-twentieth century to the present. This Product reviews the strengths and limitations of current atmospheric reanalysis products. It finds that reanalysis data play a crucial role in helping to identify, describe, and understand atmospheric features associated with weather and climate variability, including high-impact events such as major droughts and floods. Reanalysis data play an important role in assessing the ability of climate models to simulate the average climate and its variations. The data also help in identifying deficiencies in representations of physical processes that produce climate model errors.

This and a companion report constitute one of twenty-one Synthesis and Assessment Products called for in the Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. These studies are structured to provide high-level, integrated research results on important science issues with a particular focus on questions raised by decision-makers on dimensions of climate change directly relevant to the U.S. One element of the CCSP's strategic vision is to provide decision support tools for differentiating and evaluating response strategies. Scenario-based analysis is one such tool. The scenarios in this report explore the implications of alternative stabilization levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, and they explicitly consider the economic and technological foundations of such response options. Such scenarios are a valuable complement to other scientific research contained in the twenty-one CCSP Synthesis and Assessment Products. The companion to the research reported here, Global-Change Scenarios: Their Development and Use, explores the broader strategic frame for developing and utilizing scenarios in support of climate decision making.

This Revised Research Plan is an update to the 2003 Strategic Plan of the US Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), a document that was developed via a thorough, open and transparent multi-year process involving a wide range of scientists and managers. The Strategic Plan has long-term value to CCSP, but like any strategic plan, it must be supplemented by shorter-term revisions that take into account both advances in the science and changes in societal needs, and CCSP has an ongoing long-range strategic planning process to ensure that these needs are met. The Revised Research Plan (hereinafter referred to as the Research Plan) draws on CCSP's long-range planning process and provides this update, in compliance with the terms of the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990. In the Research Plan, the reader will find several things: 1) an updated statement of vision, goals and capabilities consistent with CCSP's current Strategic Plan but reflecting both scientific progress and the evolution of the Program based on accomplishments and evolving societal and environmental needs; 2) a description of the relationship of the Research Plan to the current Scientific Assessment; 3) highlights of ways in which the program is evolving in the context of …

This report on Definitions and Methodological Options to Inventory Emissions from Direct Human-Induced Degradation of Forests and Devegetation of Other Vegetation Types is the response from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1 to an invitation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)2 . The report was prepared in cooperation with the preparation of the other report under the IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme (IPCC-NGGIP), on Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF). The report discusses: Alternative definitions and provides possible framework definitions for countries to consider; Methodological options to inventory emissions from degradation and devegetation activities; Approaches to reporting and documentation; and Implications of methodological and definitional options for accounting under the provisions of Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol (including issues of scale, costs and accuracy).

This extended report of the IPCC Expert Meeting on the Science of Alternative Metrics that was held in Oslo 18-20 March 2009 is provided in response to an invitation from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under Kyoto Protocol (UNFCCC AWG-KP) to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to undertake further technical assessment of alternative common metrics which are used to calculate the CO2 equivalence of anthropogenic emissions by sources, and removals by sinks, of greenhouse gases listed in Annex A to the Kyoto Protocol. The outcome of the expert meeting was an agreed set of key conclusions and recommendations to UNFCCC in response to the request of the AWG-KP as well as more specific recommendations to the scientific community regarding research needs and ones relevant to the scoping of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). These were presented to the IPCC Plenary in a short report at its 30th session in Antalya, 21-23 April 2009. The current full report of the expert meeting amplifies those conclusions and recommendations and includes the extended abstracts of the meeting presentations as well as a general bibliography.

This document is an interim committee report based on discussions from the environmental perspective what considerations Japan should abide by as a basis for international negotiations on the climate regime beyond 2012. A wide range of viewpoints are considered.

This guide aims to help individuals and communities know and understand Earth’s climate, the impacts of climate change, and approaches to adaptation or mitigation. The guide aims to promote greater climate science literacy by providing an educational framework of principles and concepts. The guide can serve educators who teach climate science as a way to meet content standards in their science curricula.

The Technical Paper addresses the issue of freshwater. Sea level rise is dealt with only insofar as it can lead to impacts on freshwater in coastal areas and beyond. Climate, freshwater, biophysical and socio-economic systems are interconnected in complex ways. Hence, a change in any one of these can induce a change in any other. Freshwater-related issues are critical in determining key regional and sectoral vulnerabilities. Therefore, the relationship between climate change and freshwater resources is of primary concern to human society and also has implications for all living species.

This booklet highlights key findings of Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, a state of knowledge report about the observed and projected consequences of climate change for our nation and people. It is an authoritative scientific report written in plain language, with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels. The report draws from a large body of scientific information including the set of 21 synthesis and assessment products from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and much more. It also includes new information published since these assessments were released. While the primary focus of the report is on the impacts of climate change in the United States, it also discusses some of the actions society is already taking or can take to respond to the climate challenge. These include limiting climate change by, for example, reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases or increasing their removal from the atmosphere. The importance of our current choices about heat-trapping emissions is underscored by comparing impacts resulting from higher versus lower emissions scenarios. Choices about emissions made now will have far-reaching consequences for climate change impacts, with lower …

This book is the most comprehensive report to date on the wide range of impacts of climate change in the United States. It is written in plain language to better inform members of the public and policymakers. The report finds that global warming is unequivocal, primarily human-induced, and its impacts are already apparent in transportation, agriculture, health, and water and energy supplies. These impacts are expected to grow with continued climate change - the higher the levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the greater the impacts. The report illustrates how these impacts can be kept to a minimum if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. The choices we make now will determine the severity of climate change impacts in the future. This book will help citizens, business leaders, and policymakers at all levels to make informed decisions about responding to climate change and its impacts. Likely to set the policy agenda across the US for the next few years Features examples of actions currently being pursued in various regions to address climate change. Summarizes in one place the current and projected affects of climate change in the United States

Long-term, high-accuracy, stable environmental observations are essential to define the state of the global integrated Earth system, its history and its future variability and change. Observations for climate include: (1) operational weather observations, when appropriate care has been exercised to establish high accuracy; (2) limited-duration observations collected as part of research investigations to elucidate chemical, dynamical, biological, or radiative processes that contribute to maintaining climate patterns or to their variability; (3) high accuracy, high precision observations to document decadal-to-centennial changes; and (4) observations of climate proxies, collected to extend the instrumental climate record to remote regions and back in time to provide information on climate change at millennial and longer time scales. This report was requested by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in order to serve as input to see how progress has been made with respect to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Implementation Plan developed in 2004 In accordance with the UNFCCC guidelines, the sections of the report delineate specific U.S. climate monitoring activities in several distinct yet integrated areas as follows: (1) common issues; (2) non-satellite atmospheric observations; (3) non-satellite oceanic observations; (4) non-satellite terrestrial observations; (5) satellite global atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial …

This national scientific assessment integrates and interprets the findings of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and synthesizes findings from previous assessments, including reports and products by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It analyzes current natural and human-induced trends in global change, and projects future trends impacting the natural environment, agriculture, water resources, social systems, energy production and use, transportation, and human health. It is intended to help inform discussion of the relevant issues by decisionmakers, stakeholders, and the public. As such, this report addresses the requirements for assessment in the Global Change Research Act of 1990.1

This is the first Chronicle Research Services report in a three-part series on what higher education will look like in the year 2020. It is based on reviews of research and data on trends in higher education, interviews with experts who are shaping the future of colleges, and the results of a poll of members of a Chronicle Research Services panel of admissions officials.

Constance Whitney Warren's statue of Diego Velazquez on horseback is located on the University of North Texas campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Julianne Aguilar, Heidi Anderson, Megan Barnes, Jenna Cowley, Jessica Davidson, Katrina Glenn, Jayla Henneberry, Amy Innerarity, Rosalinda King, Jayme Morris, Bethany Stout, Kristin Szot, Sarah Thomson.

Artist Rosanne Keller created the sculpture "She Gave Us Wings," located on the TWU campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Katie Dawson, Amanda Dunnavant, Corey Godfrey, Shuhei Igarashi, Lindsey Stevens, Tilley Stone, Jennifer Wohlrab.

Artist Daniel Bozhkov created the installation "Rainmaker's Workshop," located on the UNT campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Brett Bullion, Lisa Cardenas, Billy Ingle, Edna Maisonet, Marissa Mayfield, Cory Ottinger, Scott Pollock, Kristi Rucker, Kira Schultz, Jenny Shenks, Seda Smbatyan, Sarah Sokolow, Maggie Such.

Gerald Balciar created the eagle sculpture on the UNT campus in 1990, "In High Places." This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Natalie Curtis, Eric Flye, Matt Kim, Lalanya Sorensen, Patrice Whitten.

Sculptor Leo Friedlander created the work "Pioneer Woman," located on the TWU campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Summer Baldwin, Sandy Chen, Chris Coggin, Ryan Gaw, Jennifer Johnson, Corey Korn, Angie Kyle, Mary Payne, Rachel Rogerson, Elizabeth Sutton, Diana Zaky.

Charles Truett Williams' "Mother Earth," is a marble sculpture located on the University of North Texas campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Kelby Blakely, Yi-Hsien Chang, Regan Edwards, Ashley Eldred, Sergio Frazier, Steve Garfield, Natalie Jackson, Aime Lai, Dana Maracine, Laura Nichols, Alan Palomo, Blayre Stiller.

Lynn Ford's Wood Carving is a wall display of chip-carvings located in the Emily Fowler Branch of the Denton Public Library. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Alexis Atha, Brian Ryden, Jordan Benoit, Augustine Cordero, Bethany Carton, Chris Hall, L. Renee Nelson, Micah Wimberley, Elizabeth McDonald, Yoko Matsuyama.

Coreen Mary Spellman created a brick mural on the Texas Woman's University campus. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Hanel, Laura; Fleming, Joshua; Ferguson, Karen; Kelly, Alison; Loftus, Michele; Martinez, Kim; North, Amanda; Rader, Doyle; Raymer, Sarah; Wendel, Erin.

The Confederate Soldier Monument, granite with polished marble tablets, stands over 12 feet tall and is located on the grounds of the Denton County Courthouse. It was erected in 1918. This student project analyzes and documents the artwork with: photographs, a description, an account, a biography of the artist, and a bibliography. Students in the group: Caroline Baldwin, Marilyn Bradley, Yovanny Canales, Mary Canales, David Collins, Virginia Dunton, Andrew Grimes, Jessica Houseberg, Shea Imboden, Fernando Johnson, Amanda Lawrence, Krysta McFarland, Tyler York.