This program has two capabilities:
Climate System Observations
Observations are the foundation for research and analysis leading to a better understanding the earth's climate system, improving climate predictions, and monitoring current climate variations and placing them into historical perspective which will in turn result in greater use of improved predictions and forecasts. The Climate System Observations capability has three areas of focus: Atmosphere, Oceans, and Forcing.
Data Management and Information
Data Management and Information consists of two major activities conducted in coordination: data management services and data stewardship. They constitute a comprehensive end-to-end process including movement of data and information from the observing system sensors to the data user. This process includes the acquisition, quality control, metadata cataloging, validation, reprocessing, storage, retrieval, dissemination (access and retrieval), and archiving of data. Data Stewardship is the application of rigorous analyses and oversight to ensure that data sets meet the needs of research, business and industry, and government users. Rapid access to new and historical quality data records supports the analysis capability.
As new data is discovered and delivered, NOAA provides users with the information they require for effective planning and operations related to a wide-range of climate events, e.g., severe droughts, heat and cold waves, heavy and extreme precipitation events, snowstorms and snow cover extent, sea ice extent, tropical and extra-tropical storms, and tornadoes, and the changes in frequency, intensities, and locations of these events and related impacts.
