New Titles from the National Academies Press | Earth Scienceshttp://www.nap.edu/rss?topic=2812013-05-23T20:58:41-04:00Science books from the publishers for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research CouncilAn Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessmentstag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18278#final2013-04-23T00:00:00-04:002013-04-26T14:55:33-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Increasing renewable energy development, both within the United States and abroad, has rekindled interest in the potential for marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources to contribute to electricity generation. These resources derive from ocean tides, waves, and currents; temperature gradients in the ocean; and free-flowing rivers and streams. One measure of the interest in the possible use of these resources for electricity generation is the increasing number of permits that have been filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As of December 2012, FERC had issued 4 licenses and 84 preliminary permits, up from virtually zero a decade ago. However, most of these permits are for developments along the Mississippi River, and the actual benefit realized from all MHK resources is extremely small. The first U.S. commercial gridconnected project, a tidal project in Maine with a capacity of less than 1 megawatt (MW), is currently delivering a fraction of that power to the grid and is due to be fully installed in 2013.</p> <p>As part of its assessment of MHK resources, DOE asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide detailed evaluations. In response, the NRC formed the Committee on Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Technology Assessment. As directed in its statement of task (SOT), the committee first developed an interim report, released in June 2011, which focused on the wave and tidal resource assessments (Appendix B). The current report contains the committee's evaluation of all five of the DOE resource categories as well as the committee's comments on the overall MHK resource assessment process. This summary focuses on the committee's overarching findings and conclusions regarding a conceptual framework for developing the resource assessments, the aggregation of results into a single number, and the consistency across and coordination between the individual resource assessments. Critiques of the individual resource assessment, further discussion of the practical MHK resource base, and overarching conclusions and recommendations are explained in <em>An Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessment</em>.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18278">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=283'>Energy and Energy Conservation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=356'>Energy Resources</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/_PyZYAICgvU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18278A Review of the Draft 2013 National Climate Assessmenttag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18322#final2013-04-15T10:47:07-04:002013-04-15T10:47:18-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>As mandated by the Global Change Research Act (GCRA), the U.S. Global Change Research Program is currently producing a "National Climate Assessment" (NCA). The NCA is a report to inform the President, the Congress, and the American people about the current state of scientific knowledge regarding climate change effects on U.S. regions and key sectors, now and in the coming decades. This document contains an evaluation of the draft NCA report, presented through consensus responses to the Panel's Task Statement questions, and through a large collection of individual Panel member comments and suggestions for specific chapters, statements, figures, etc. While focusing primarily on practical suggestions for immediately improving the current draft, the Panel also raises some broader considerations about fundamental approaches used in certain parts of the NCA report, and about the scope of USGCRP research that underlies the NCA findings. Some suggestions can be viewed as longer-term advice for future versions of NCA work.</p> <p>This NCA has been a significantly more ambitious effort than previous assessments, in terms of the scope of topics addressed and the breadth of public engagement processes involved. Some of the important new areas include the use of "traceable accounts," the articulation of needs for future research and a vision for an ongoing assessment process, the outreach efforts to help various stakeholders define their climate-related information needs, and the initial (though incomplete) effort to assess the current state of climate change response activities around the nation. Given the current state of the science and the scope of resources available, we believe the NCA did a reasonable job of fulfilling its charge overall. Although more needs to be done to fully meet the nation's needs for information and guidance, such needs cannot be met without an expanded research effort on the part of the USGCRP and future assessments.</p> <p>The Panel suggests that the NCA report would be improved by addressing the numerous specific problems and concerns and the more cross-cutting issues raised in the consensus answers to the Task Statement questions—which include, for instance, the need to:</p> <p>1. provide a clear overarching framework for the report that helps readers understand climate change as part of a complex system with interacting physical, biological, and human social/economic dimensions, and offers practical guidance on using iterative risk management strategies to make decisions in the face of large uncertainties;<br /> 2. clearly acknowledge how climate change affects and is affected by other types of major global environmental changes and other societal developments; <br /> 3. offer an explicit discussion about the uncertainties associated with the regional model projections presented in the NCA draft; <br /> 4. take full advantage of the e-book format planned for this document through strategic use of hyperlinks among different parts of the report and other innovative approaches that help guide the experience of the NCA's diverse audiences.</p> <p>As the nation continues to engage with the threats, opportunities, and surprises of climate change in its many manifestations, the 2013 NCA should prove to be a valuable resource, as a summary of the state of knowledge about climate change and its implications for the American people.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18322">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=277'>Behavioral and Social Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=307'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/s7-Fyw9pvA4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18322Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligencetag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18265#final2013-03-28T00:00:00-04:002013-04-02T08:49:27-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>We live in a changing world with multiple and evolving threats to national security, including terrorism, asymmetrical warfare (conflicts between agents with different military powers or tactics), and social unrest. Visually depicting and assessing these threats using imagery and other geographically-referenced information is the mission of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). As the nature of the threat evolves, so do the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to respond. The challenge for NGA is to maintain a workforce that can deal with evolving threats to national security, ongoing scientific and technological advances, and changing skills and expectations of workers.</p> <p><em>Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence</em> assesses the supply of expertise in 10 geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) fields, including 5 traditional areas (geodesy and geophysics, photogrammetry, remote sensing, cartographic science, and geographic information systems and geospatial analysis) and 5 emerging areas that could improve geospatial intelligence (GEOINT fusion, crowdsourcing, human geography, visual analytics, and forecasting). The report also identifies gaps in expertise relative to NGA's needs and suggests ways to ensure an adequate supply of geospatial intelligence expertise over the next 20 years.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18265">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=280'>Conflict and Security Issues</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=326'>Military and Defense Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=335'>Geography and Mapping</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=280'>Conflict and Security Issues</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=327'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/LnPQoJRnzNQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18265Levees and the National Flood Insurance Program: Improving Policies and Practicestag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18309#prepub2013-03-20T10:46:15-04:002013-03-21T09:33:37-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Prepublication Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is a cornerstone in the U.S. strategy to assist communities to prepare for, mitigate against, and recover from flood disasters. The NFIP was established by Congress with passage of the National Flood Insurance Act in 1968, to help reduce future flood damages through NFIP community floodplain regulation that would control development in flood hazard areas, provide insurance for a premium to property owners, and reduce federal expenditures for disaster assistance. The flood insurance is available only to owners of insurable property located in communities that participate in the NFIP. Currently, the program has 5,555,915 million policies in 21,881 communities3 across the United States.</p> <p>The NFIP defines the one percent annual chance flood (100-year or base flood) floodplain as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SFHA is delineated on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM's) using topographic, meteorologic, hydrologic, and hydraulic information. Property owners with a federally back mortgage within the SFHAs are required to purchase and retain flood insurance, called the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement (MPR). Levees and floodwalls, hereafter referred to as levees, have been part of flood management in the United States since the late 1700's because they are relatively easy to build and a reasonable infrastructure investment. A levee is a man-made structure, usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding. A levee system is a flood protection system which consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.</p> <p>Recognizing the need for improving the NFIP's treatment of levees, FEMA officials approached the National Research Council's (NRC) Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) and requested this study. The NRC responded by forming the ad hoc Committee on Levee and the National Flood Insurance Program: Improving Policies and Practices, charged to examine current FEMA treatment of levees within the NFIP and provide advice on how those levee-elated policies and activities could be improved. The study addressed four broad areas, risk analysis, flood insurance, risk reduction, and risk communication, regarding how levees are considered in the NFIP. Specific issues within these areas include current risk analysis and mapping procedures behind accredited and non-accredited levees, flood insurance pricing and the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement, mitigation options to reduce risk for communities with levees, flood risk communication efforts, and the concept of shared responsibility. The principal conclusions and recommendations are highlighted in this report.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18309">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/YNVyTxW2Dr4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18309Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuelstag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264#final2013-03-18T13:46:17-04:002013-03-18T13:46:17-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p> <p>For a century, almost all light-duty vehicles (LDVs) have been powered by internal combustion engines operating on petroleum fuels. Energy security concerns about petroleum imports and the effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on global climate are driving interest in alternatives. <em>Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels</em> assesses the potential for reducing petroleum consumption and GHG emissions by 80 percent across the U.S. LDV fleet by 2050, relative to 2005.</p> <p>This report examines the current capability and estimated future performance and costs for each vehicle type and non-petroleum-based fuel technology as options that could significantly contribute to these goals. By analyzing scenarios that combine various fuel and vehicle pathways, the report also identifies barriers to implementation of these technologies and suggests policies to achieve the desired reductions. Several scenarios are promising, but strong, and effective policies such as research and development, subsidies, energy taxes, or regulations will be necessary to overcome barriers, such as cost and consumer choice.</p> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=283'>Energy and Energy Conservation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=358'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Cc9s4RoayNw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sitestag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14668#final2013-02-27T17:39:24-05:002013-02-27T17:39:24-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Across the United States, thousands of hazardous waste sites are contaminated with chemicals that prevent the underlying groundwater from meeting drinking water standards. These include Superfund sites and other facilities that handle and dispose of hazardous waste, active and inactive dry cleaners, and leaking underground storage tanks; many are at federal facilities such as military installations. While many sites have been closed over the past 30 years through cleanup programs run by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. EPA, and other state and federal agencies, the remaining caseload is much more difficult to address because the nature of the contamination and subsurface conditions make it difficult to achieve drinking water standards in the affected groundwater.</p> <p><em>Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites</em> estimates that at least 126,000 sites across the U.S. still have contaminated groundwater, and their closure is expected to cost at least $110 billion to $127 billion. About 10 percent of these sites are considered "complex," meaning restoration is unlikely to be achieved in the next 50 to 100 years due to technological limitations. At sites where contaminant concentrations have plateaued at levels above cleanup goals despite active efforts, the report recommends evaluating whether the sites should transition to long-term management, where risks would be monitored and harmful exposures prevented, but at reduced costs.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14668">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=376'>Waste Disposal and Clean Up</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=372'>Pollutants and Toxics</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Hyc_j8-XJSs" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14668Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysistag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14682#final2013-01-14T00:00:00-05:002013-01-16T13:44:08-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate change can reasonably be expected to increase the frequency and intensity of a variety of potentially disruptive environmental events--slowly at first, but then more quickly. It is prudent to expect to be surprised by the way in which these events may cascade, or have far-reaching effects. During the coming decade, certain climate-related events will produce consequences that exceed the capacity of the affected societies or global systems to manage; these may have global security implications. Although focused on events outside the United States, <em>Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysis</em> recommends a range of research and policy actions to create a whole-of-government approach to increasing understanding of complex and contingent connections between climate and security, and to inform choices about adapting to and reducing vulnerability to climate change.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14682">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=277'>Behavioral and Social Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=305'>Human Dimensions of Global Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=277'>Behavioral and Social Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=424'>Defense and Security</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=280'>Conflict and Security Issues</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=327'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/BVdv3ZofceQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14682Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plantag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=17018#prepub2013-01-10T10:45:02-05:002013-01-11T09:59:52-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Prepublication Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The world's ocean has already experienced a 30% rise in acidity since the industrial revolution, with acidity expected to rise 100 to 150% over preindustrial levels by the end of this century. Potential consequences to marine life and also to economic activities that depend on a healthy marine ecosystem are difficult to assess and predict, but potentially devastating. To address this knowledge gap, Congress passed the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act in 2009, which, among other things, required that an interagency working group create a "Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification."</p> <p><em>Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan</em> reviews the strategic plan on the basis of how well it fulfills program elements laid out in the FOARAM Act and follows the advice provided to the working group in the NRC's 2010 report, <a href="http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Ocean-Acidification-National-Strategy/12904"><em>Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean</em></a>. This report concludes that, overall, the plan is strong and provides a comprehensive framework for improving our understanding of ocean acidification. Potential improvements include a better defined strategy for implementing program goals, stronger integration of the seven broad scientific themes laid out in the FOARAM Act, and better mechanisms for coordination among federal agencies and with other U.S. and international efforts to address ocean acidification.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=17018">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/mvfU6MBexA0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=17018Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012tag:nap.edu,2013:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13422#final2013-01-04T00:00:00-05:002013-01-08T11:13:09-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Twelve years into the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, little progress has been made in restoring the core of the remaining Everglades ecosystem; instead, most project construction so far has occurred along its periphery. To reverse ongoing ecosystem declines, it will be necessary to expedite restoration projects that target the central Everglades, and to improve both the quality and quantity of the water in the ecosystem.</p> <p>The new Central Everglades Planning Project offers an innovative approach to this challenge, although additional analyses are needed at the interface of water quality and water quantity to maximize restoration benefits within existing legal constraints. <em>Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012</em> explains the innovative approach to expedite restoration progress and additional rigorous analyses at the interface of water quality and quantity will be essential to maximize restoration benefits.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13422">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/rs8Tnhy-kzo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13422A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modelingtag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13430#final2012-12-24T00:00:00-05:002012-12-26T15:41:02-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>As climate change has pushed climate patterns outside of historic norms, the need for detailed projections is growing across all sectors, including agriculture, insurance, and emergency preparedness planning. <em>A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling</em> emphasizes the needs for climate models to evolve substantially in order to deliver climate projections at the scale and level of detail desired by decision makers, this report finds. Despite much recent progress in developing reliable climate models, there are still efficiencies to be gained across the large and diverse U.S. climate modeling community. Evolving to a more unified climate modeling enterprise-in particular by developing a common software infrastructure shared by all climate researchers and holding an annual climate modeling forum-could help speed progress.</p> <p>Throughout this report, several recommendations and guidelines are outlined to accelerate progress in climate modeling. The U.S. supports several climate models, each conceptually similar but with components assembled with slightly different software and data output standards. If all U.S. climate models employed a single software system, it could simplify testing and migration to new computing hardware, and allow scientists to compare and interchange climate model components, such as land surface or ocean models. <em>A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling </em>recommends an annual U.S. climate modeling forum be held to help bring the nation's diverse modeling communities together with the users of climate data. This would provide climate model data users with an opportunity to learn more about the strengths and limitations of models and provide input to modelers on their needs and provide a venue for discussions of priorities for the national modeling enterprise, and bring disparate climate science communities together to design common modeling experiments.</p> <p>In addition, <em>A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling</em> explains that U.S. climate modelers will need to address an expanding breadth of scientific problems while striving to make predictions and projections more accurate. Progress toward this goal can be made through a combination of increasing model resolution, advances in observations, improved model physics, and more complete representations of the Earth system. To address the computing needs of the climate modeling community, the report suggests a two-pronged approach that involves the continued use and upgrading of existing climate-dedicated computing resources at modeling centers, together with research on how to effectively exploit the more complex computer hardware systems expected over the next 10 to 20 years.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13430">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/4djXRLyNLvc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13430Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategiestag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13515#final2012-12-03T00:00:00-05:002012-12-03T16:13:33-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Recent well documented reductions in the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice cover, which can be linked to the warming climate, are affecting the global climate system and are also affecting the global economic system as marine access to the Arctic region and natural resource development increase. Satellite data show that during each of the past six summers, sea ice cover has shrunk to its smallest in three decades. The composition of the ice is also changing, now containing a higher fraction of thin first-year ice instead of thicker multi-year ice.</p> <p>Understanding and projecting future sea ice conditions is important to a growing number of stakeholders, including local populations, natural resource industries, fishing communities, commercial shippers, marine tourism operators, national security organizations, regulatory agencies, and the scientific research community. However, gaps in understanding the interactions between Arctic sea ice, oceans, and the atmosphere, along with an increasing rate of change in the nature and quantity of sea ice, is hampering accurate predictions. Although modeling has steadily improved, projections by every major modeling group failed to predict the record breaking drop in summer sea ice extent in September 2012.</p> <p>Establishing sustained communication between the user, modeling, and observation communities could help reveal gaps in understanding, help balance the needs and expectations of different stakeholders, and ensure that resources are allocated to address the most pressing sea ice data needs. <em>Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategies </em>explores these topics.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13515">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=339'>Polar Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/JJI2AckD7i0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13515Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Securitytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13449#final2012-11-29T00:00:00-05:002012-11-29T13:02:31-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in South Asia's Hindu Kush Himalayan region are retreating, but the consequences for the region's water supply are unclear, this report finds. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is the location of several of Asia's great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation, and other uses for about 1.5 billion people. Recent studies show that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability over the next several decades, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use, could have a greater impact. Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity, and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies. </p> <p><em>Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security</em> makes recommendations and sets guidelines for the future of climate change and water security in the Himalayan Region. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of an impact on water demand as environmental factors do on water supply. Water scarcity will likely affect the rural and urban poor most severely, as these groups have the least capacity to move to new locations as needed. It is predicted that the region will become increasingly urbanized as cities expand to absorb migrants in search of economic opportunities. As living standards and populations rise, water use will likely increase-for example, as more people have diets rich in meat, more water will be needed for agricultural use. The effects of future climate change could further exacerbate water stress.</p> <p><em>Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security </em>explains that changes in the availability of water resources could play an increasing role in political tensions, especially if existing water management institutions do not better account for the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. To effectively respond to the effects of climate change, water management systems will need to take into account the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. This means it will be important to expand research and monitoring programs to gather more detailed, consistent, and accurate data on demographics, water supply, demand, and scarcity.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13449">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=280'>Conflict and Security Issues</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=327'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/OyPJWTy6hpc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13449Disaster Resilience: A National Imperativetag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13457#final2012-11-29T00:00:00-05:002012-11-29T11:04:14-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>No person or place is immune from disasters or disaster-related losses. Infectious disease outbreaks, acts of terrorism, social unrest, or financial disasters in addition to natural hazards can all lead to large-scale consequences for the nation and its communities. Communities and the nation thus face difficult fiscal, social, cultural, and environmental choices about the best ways to ensure basic security and quality of life against hazards, deliberate attacks, and disasters. Beyond the unquantifiable costs of injury and loss of life from disasters, statistics for 2011 alone indicate economic damages from natural disasters in the United States exceeded $55 billion, with 14 events costing more than a billion dollars in damages each.</p> <p>One way to reduce the impacts of disasters on the nation and its communities is to invest in enhancing resilience--the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from and more successfully adapt to adverse events. <i>Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative</i> addresses the broad issue of increasing the nation's resilience to disasters. This book defines "national resilience", describes the state of knowledge about resilience to hazards and disasters, and frames the main issues related to increasing resilience in the United States. It also provide goals, baseline conditions, or performance metrics for national resilience and outlines additional information, data, gaps, and/or obstacles that need to be addressed to increase the nation's resilience to disasters. Additionally, the book's authoring committee makes recommendations about the necessary approaches to elevate national resilience to disasters in the United States.</p> <p>Enhanced resilience allows better anticipation of disasters and better planning to reduce disaster losses-rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for it afterward. <i>Disaster Resilience</i> confronts the topic of how to increase the nation's resilience to disasters through a vision of the characteristics of a resilient nation in the year 2030. Increasing disaster resilience is an imperative that requires the collective will of the nation and its communities. Although disasters will continue to occur, actions that move the nation from reactive approaches to disasters to a proactive stance where communities actively engage in enhancing resilience will reduce many of the broad societal and economic burdens that disasters can cause.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13457">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/RRIZmAg4vKU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13457Science for Environmental Protection: The Road Aheadtag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13510#final2012-11-21T00:00:00-05:002012-11-26T22:33:34-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>In anticipation of future environmental science and engineering challenges and technologic advances, EPA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to assess the overall capabilities of the agency to develop, obtain, and use the best available scientific and technologic information and tools to meet persistent, emerging, and future mission challenges and opportunities. Although the committee cannot predict with certainty what new environmental problems EPA will face in the next 10 years or more, it worked to identify some of the common drivers and common characteristics of problems that are likely to occur.</p> <p>Tensions inherent to the structure of EPA's work contribute to the current and persistent challenges faced by the agency, and meeting those challenges will require development of leading-edge scientific methods, tools, and technologies, and a more deliberate approach to systems thinking and interdisciplinary science. <em>Science for Environmental Protection: The Road Ahead</em> outlines a framework for building science for environmental protection in the 21st century and identified key areas where enhanced leadership and capacity can strengthen the agency's abilities to address current and emerging environmental challenges as well as take advantage of new tools and technologies to address them. The foundation of EPA science is strong, but the agency needs to continue to address numerous present and future challenges if it is to maintain its science leadership and meet its expanding mandates.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13510">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=372'>Pollutants and Toxics</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/f5Fra_AdVhY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13510Preparing for the Third Decade (Cycle 3) of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Programtag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13464#final2012-11-20T00:00:00-05:002012-11-21T07:44:12-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The first two decades of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program have provided a successful and useful assessment of U.S. water-quality conditions, how they have changed over time, and how natural features and human activities have affected those conditions. Now, planning is underway for the third decade (Cycle 3) of the Program outlined in the Science Plan, with challenges including ensuring that the NAWQA remain a national program in the face of declining resources, balancing new activities against long-term studies, and maintaining focus amidst numerous and competing stakeholder demands.</p> <p>The Science Plan for Cycle 3 articulates a forward-thinking vision for NAWQA science over the next decade, building on the previous cycles' data, experience, and products. <em>Preparing for the Third Decade (Cycle 3) of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program</em> explains the national needs outlined in the plan, NAWQA's need to emphasize collaboration with other USGS and external programs, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13464">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/YNY_FRaUMPI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13464The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth's Climate: A Workshop Reporttag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13519#final2012-11-12T00:00:00-05:002013-01-10T01:47:11-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>On September 8-9, 2011, experts in solar physics, climate models, paleoclimatology, and atmospheric science assembled at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado for a workshop to consider the Sun's variability over time and potential Sun-climate connections.</p><p>While it does not provide findings, recommendations, or consensus on the current state of the science, <em>The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth's Climate: A Workshop Report</em> briefly introduces the primary topics discussed by presenters at the event. As context for these topics, the summary includes background information on the potential Sun-climate connection, the measurement record from space, and potential perturbations of climate due to long-term solar variability. This workshop report also summarizes some of the science questions explored by the participants as potential future research endeavors.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13519">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=417'>Astronomy and Astrophysics</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/CqkQQi2bhMA" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13519Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Futuretag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13389#final2012-11-06T00:00:00-05:002012-11-08T23:25:18-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Tide gages show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level.</p> <p><br /> <em>Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future</em> explains that sea level along the U.S. west coast is affected by a number of factors. These include: climate patterns such as the El Nino, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13389">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/z19Kiw27izk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13389Weather Services for the Nation: Becoming Second to Nonetag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13429#final2012-11-02T00:00:00-04:002012-11-02T15:14:05-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>During the 1980s and 1990s, the National Weather Service (NWS) undertook a major program called the Modernization and Associated Restructuring (MAR). The MAR was officially completed in 2000. No comprehensive assessment of the execution of the MAR plan, or comparison of the promised benefits of the MAR to its actual impact, had ever been conducted. Therefore, Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an end-to-end assessment. That report, <em>The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring: A Retrospective Assessment</em>, concluded that the MAR was a success. <br /> <br /> Now, twelve years after the official completion of the MAR, the challenges faced by the NWS are no less important than those of the pre-MAR era. The three key challenges are: 1) Keeping Pace with accelerating scientific and technological advancement, 2) Meeting Expanding and Evolving User Needs in an increasingly information centric society, and 3) Partnering with an Increasingly Capable Enterprise that has grown considerably since the time of the MAR.<br /> <br /> <em>Weather Services for the Nation</em> presents three main recommendations for responding to these challenges. These recommendations will help the NWS address these challenges, making it more agile and effective. This will put it on a path to becoming second to none at integrating advances in science and technology into its operations and at meeting user needs, leading in some areas and keeping pace in others. It will have the highest quality core capabilities among national weather services. It will have a more agile organizational structure and workforce that allow it to directly or indirectly reach more end-users, save more lives, and help more businesses. And it will have leveraged these capabilities through the broader enterprise. This approach will make possible societal benefits beyond what the NWS budget alone allows.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13429">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/uvOt5NwycRY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13429Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Surveytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506#final2012-10-19T10:45:01-04:002012-10-19T10:45:13-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Science is increasingly driven by data, and spatial data underpin the science directions laid out in the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science Strategy. A robust framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way--known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI)--must be available for scientists and managers to find, use, and share spatial data both within and beyond the USGS.</p> <p>Over the last decade, the USGS has conducted breakthrough research that has overcome some of the challenges associated with implementing a large SDI. <em>Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey </em>is intended to ground those efforts by providing a practical roadmap to full implementation of an SDI to enable the USGS to conduct strategic science.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=335'>Geography and Mapping</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/UFCB7NvYMnQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13506Understanding Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater (Pack of 5 Booklets)tag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13514#final2012-10-09T13:21:13-04:002012-10-09T13:21:22-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>In communities all around the world, water supplies are coming under increasing pressure as population growth, climate change, pollution, and changes in land use affect water quantity and quality. To address existing and anticipated water shortages, many communities are working to increase water conservation and are seeking alternative sources of water. Water reuse- the sue of treated wastewater, or "reclaimed" water, for beneficial purposes such as drinking, irrigation, or industrial uses- is one option that has helped some communities significantly expand their water supplies.</p> <p><br /> <em>Understanding Water Reuse</em> summarizes the main findings of the National Research Council report <em>Water Reuse: Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater</em>. The report provides an overview of the options and outlook for water reuse in the United States, discusses water treatment technologies and potential uses of reclaimed water, and presents a new analysis that compares the risks of drinking reclaimed water to those of drinking water from traditional sources.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13514">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/p9lqkRUFF-8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13514Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14: A Workshop Summarytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13435#final2012-10-09T10:45:01-04:002012-10-09T10:45:11-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems. Each additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted commits us to further change and greater risks. In the judgment of the Committee on America's Climate Choices, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts. A principal message from the recent National Research Council report, America's Climate Choices, this brief summary of how climate change will shape many aspects of life in the foreseeable future emphasizes the vital importance of preparation for these changes.</p> <p><br /> The report points to the importance of formal and informal education in supporting the public's understanding of those challenges climate change will bring, and in preparing current and future generations to act to limit the magnitude of climate change and respond to those challenges. Recognizing both the urgency and the difficulty of climate change education, the National Research Council, with support from the National Science Foundation, formed the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The roundtable brings together federal agency representatives with diverse experts and practitioners in the physical and natural sciences, social sciences, learning sciences, environmental education, education policy, extension education and outreach, resource management, and public policy to engage in discussion and explore educational strategies for addressing climate change. <br /> </p> <p>Two workshops were held to survey the landscape of climate change education. The first explored the goals for climate change education for various target audiences. The second workshop, which is the focus of this summary, was held on August 31 and September 1, 2011, and focused on the teaching and learning of climate change and climate science in formal education settings, from kindergarten through the first two years of college (K-14). This workshop, based on an already articulated need to teach climate change education, provided a forum for discussion of the evidence from research and practice. The goal of this workshop was to raise and explore complex questions around climate change education, and to address the current status of climate change education in grade K-14 of the formal education system by facilitating discussion between expert researchers and practitioners in complementary fields, such as education policy, teacher professional development, learning and cognitive science, K-12 and higher education administration, instructional design, curriculum development, and climate science. <em>Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14: A Workshop Summary</em> summarizes the two workshops.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13435">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=282'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=350'>Math and Science Education</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=282'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=349'>K-12 Education</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/1oOW5k0vPhc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13435Corps of Engineers Water Resources Infrastructure: Deterioration, Investment, or Divestment?tag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13508#prepub2012-10-04T10:45:01-04:002012-10-04T13:51:07-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Prepublication Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Over the past century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built a vast network of water management infrastructure that includes approximately 700 dams, 14,000 miles of levees, 12,000 miles of river navigation channels and control structures, harbors and ports, and other facilities. Historically, the construction of new infrastructure dominated the Corps' water resources budget and activities. Today, national water needs and priorities increasingly are shifting to operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, much of which has exceeded its design life.</p> <p>However, since the mid-1980s federal funding for new project construction and major rehabilitation has declined steadily. As a result, much of the Corps' water resources infrastructure is deteriorating and wearing out faster than it is being replaced. <em>Corps of Engineers Water Resources Infrastrucutre: Deterioration, Investment, or Divestment? </em>explores the status of operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation of Corps water resources infrastructure, and identifies options for the Corps and the nation in setting maintenance and rehabilitation priorities.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13508">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/LuQ-QZ4n-CQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13508Challenges and Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciencestag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13293#final2012-10-02T00:00:00-04:002012-10-05T10:04:22-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>New research opportunities to advance hydrologic sciences promise a better understanding of the role of water in the Earth system that could help improve human welfare and the health of the environment. Reaching this understanding will require both exploratory research to better understand how the natural environment functions, and problem-driven research, to meet needs such as flood protection, supply of drinking water, irrigation, and water pollution. Collaboration among hydrologists, engineers, and scientists in other disciplines will be central to meeting the interdisciplinary research challenges outline in this report. New technological capabilities in remote sensing, chemical analysis, computation, and hydrologic modeling will help scientists leverage new research opportunities.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13293">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/rrfQGPZf51g" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13293Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Deltatag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13394#final2012-10-01T00:00:00-04:002012-10-03T14:28:53-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Extensively modified over the last century and a half, California's San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary remains biologically diverse and functions as a central element in California's water supply system. Uncertainties about the future, actions taken under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and companion California statues, and lawsuits have led to conflict concerning the timing and amount of water that can be diverted from the Delta for agriculture, municipal, and industrial purposes and concerning how much water is needed to protect the Delta ecosystem and its component species.</p> <p><em>Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta</em> focuses on scientific questions, assumptions, and conclusions underlying water-management alternatives and reviews the initial public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan in terms of adequacy of its use of science and adaptive management. In addition, this report identifies the factors that may be contributing to the decline of federally listed species, recommend future water-supple and delivery options that reflect proper consideration of climate change and compatibility with objectives of maintaining a sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem, advises what degree of restoration of the Delta system is likely to be attainable, and provides metrics that can be used by resource managers to measure progress toward restoration goals.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13394">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/VUCWfN7PM9o" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13394Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13507#final2012-09-28T00:00:00-04:002012-10-01T14:19:32-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>From the use of personal products to our consumption of food, water, and air, people are exposed to a wide array of agents each day--many with the potential to affect health. <em>Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy</em> investigates the contact of humans or other organisms with those agents (that is, chemical, physical, and biologic stressors) and their fate in living systems. The concept of exposure science has been instrumental in helping us understand how stressors affect human and ecosystem health, and in efforts to prevent or reduce contact with harmful stressors. In this way exposure science has played an integral role in many areas of environmental health, and can help meet growing needs in environmental regulation, urban and ecosystem planning, and disaster management.</p> <p><em>Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy</em> explains that there are increasing demands for exposure science information, for example to meet needs for data on the thousands of chemicals introduced into the market each year, and to better understand the health effects of prolonged low-level exposure to stressors. Recent advances in tools and technologies--including sensor systems, analytic methods, molecular technologies, computational tools, and bioinformatics--have provided the potential for more accurate and comprehensive exposure science data than ever before. This report also provides a roadmap to take advantage of the technologic innovations and strategic collaborations to move exposure science into the future.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13507">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=372'>Pollutants and Toxics</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=369'>Environmental Health and Safety</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=376'>Waste Disposal and Clean Up</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/oIhlR1ui1I4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13507Scientific Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permittag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13461#final2012-09-27T00:00:00-04:002012-11-08T14:42:51-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p> In May 2012, the National Park Service (NPS) asked the National Research Council to conduct a scientific review of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to evaluate the effects of issuing a Special Use Permit for the commercial shellfish operation in Drakes Estero for a ten year time span. Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC) currently operates the shellfish farm in Drakes Estero, part of Point Reyes National Seashore, under a reservation of use and occupancy that will expire on November 30, 2012 if a new Special Use Permit is not issued. Congress granted the Secretary of the Interior the discretionary authority to issue a new ten year Special Use Permit in 2009; hence, the Secretary now has the option to proceed with or delay the conversion of Drakes Estero to wilderness. To inform this decision, the NPS drafted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the DBOC Special Use Permit. Under the National Environmental policy Act (NEPA), as EIS is prepared to inform the public and agency decision-makers regarding the potential environmental impacts of a proposed federal action and reasonable alternatives. The Department of the Interior commissioned a peer review of the DEIS that was released in March 2012.</p> <p> </p> <div><em>Scientific Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit</em> reviews the scientific information presented in the DEIS that is used to determine the potential environmental impacts of a ten year extension of DBOC operations. In particular, this report responds to the following tasks given to the committee: assess the scientific information, analysis, and conclusions presented in the DEIS for Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit, and evaluate whether the peer review of the DEIS is fundamentally sound and materially sufficient. <em>Scientific Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit </em>focuses on eight of twelve resource categories considered in the DEIS: wetlands, eelgrass, wildlife and wildlife habitat, special-status species, coastal flood zones, soundscapes, water quality, and socioeconomic resources. </div> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13461">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/02T-JHZBNl8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13461Dam and Levee Safety and Community Resilience: A Vision for Future Practicetag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13393#final2012-09-11T00:00:00-04:002012-09-12T10:53:11-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Although advances in engineering can reduce the risk of dam and levee failure, some failures will still occur. Such events cause impacts on social and physical infrastructure that extend far beyond the flood zone. Broadening dam and levee safety programs to consider community- and regional-level priorities in decision making can help reduce the risk of, and increase community resilience to, potential dam and levee failures.</p> <p>Collaboration between dam and levee safety professionals at all levels, persons and property owners at direct risk, members of the wider economy, and the social and environmental networks in a community would allow all stakeholders to understand risks, shared needs, and opportunities, and make more informed decisions related to dam and levee infrastructure and community resilience. <em>Dam and Levee Safety and Community Resilience: A Vision for Future Practice</em> explains that fundamental shifts in safety culture will be necessary to integrate the concepts of resilience into dam and levee safety programs.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13393">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/qk1aECamIGI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13393Lessons and Legacies of the International Polar Year 2007-2008tag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13321#final2012-08-08T00:00:00-04:002012-09-21T10:41:00-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY) was an intense, coordinated field campaign of observations, research, and analysis. It was the largest, most comprehensive campaign ever mounted to explore Earth's polar domains.<em> Legacies and Lessons of the International Polar Year 2007-2008 </em>summarizes how IPY engaged the public to communicate the relevance of polar research to the entire planet, strengthened connections with the Indigenous people of the Arctic, and established new observational networks.</p> <p><em>Legacies and Lessons of the International Polar Year 2007-2008</em> also addresses the objectives articulated for IPY in the 2004 National Research Council report, <em>A Vision for International Polar Year</em> (NRC, 2004). These objectives include: suggestions for scientific communities and agencies to use the IPY to initiate a sustained effort aimed at assessing large-scale environmental change and variability in the polar regions, the need to explore new scientific frontiers from the molecular to the planetary scale, investment in critical infrastructure and technology to guarantee that IPY 2007-2008 leaves enduring benefits for the nation and for the residents of northern regions, as well as increase public understanding of the importance of polar regions in the global system.</p> <p><em>Legacies and Lessons of the International Polar Year 2007-2008</em> explains how activities at both poles led to scientific discoveries that provided a step change in scientific understanding and helped translate scientific knowledge into policy-relevant information. At a time when the polar regions are undergoing a transformation from an icy wilderness to a new zone for human affairs, these insights could not be more timely or more relevant. From outreach activities that engaged the general public to projects that brought researchers from multiple disciplines and several nations together, the legacies of IPY extend far beyond the scientific results achieved, and valuable lessons learned from the process will guide future endeavors of similar magnitude.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13321">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=339'>Polar Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/dndusUTS-CE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13321Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA's Implementation of the Decadal Surveytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13405#final2012-08-03T00:00:00-04:002012-08-06T14:44:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Understanding the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment and their implications requires a foundation of integrated observations of land, sea, air and space, on which to build credible information products, forecast models, and other tools for making informed decisions.</p> <p>The 2007 National Research Council report on decadal survey called for a renewal of the national commitment to a program of Earth observations in which attention to securing practical benefits for humankind plays an equal role with the quest to acquire new knowledge about the Earth system. NASA responded favorably and aggressively to this survey, embracing its overall recommendations for Earth observations, missions, technology investments, and priorities for the underlying science. As a result, the science and applications communities have made significant progress over the past 5 years.</p> <p>However, the Committee on Assessment of NASA's Earth Science Program found that the survey vision is being realized at a far slower pace than was recommended, principally because the required budget was not achieved. Exacerbating the budget shortfalls, NASA Earth science programs experienced launch failures and delays and the cost of implementing missions increased substantially as a result of changes in mission scope, increases in launch vehicle costs and/or the lack of availability of a medium-class launch vehicle, under-estimation of costs by the decadal survey, and unfunded programmatic changes that were required by Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has made significant reductions in scope to its future Earth environmental observing satellites as it contends with budget shortfalls.</p> <p><em>Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA's Implementation of the Decadal Survey</em> recommends a number of steps to better manage existing programs and to implement future programs that will be recommended by the next decadal survey. The report also highlights the urgent need for the Executive Branch to develop and implement an overarching multiagency national strategy for Earth observations from space, a key recommendation of the 2007 decadal survey that remains unfulfilled.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13405">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=418'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=419'>Space Exploration and Development</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=335'>Geography and Mapping</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/FH1Txwbri4M" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13405Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewatertag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13303#final2012-07-18T13:43:07-04:002012-07-18T13:45:41-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Expanding water reuse--the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation--could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. <em>Water Reuse</em> presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13303">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/XmuHthu05wc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13303International Science in the National Interest at the U.S. Geological Surveytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13302#final2012-07-18T00:00:00-04:002012-07-19T10:25:26-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is intrinsically global, and from early in its history, the USGS has successfully carried out international projects that serve U.S. national interests and benefit the USGS domestic mission. Opportunities abound for the USGS to strategically pursue international science in the next 5-10 years that bears on growing worldwide problems having direct impact on the United States--climate and ecosystem changes, natural disasters, the spread of invasive species, and diminishing natural resources, to name a few. Taking a more coherent, proactive agency approach to international science--and building support for international projects currently in progress-would help the USGS participate in international science activities more effectively.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13302">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Q0Ms2GtXdpY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13302Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologiestag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13355#prepub2012-06-15T12:45:19-04:002013-01-15T10:19:15-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Prepublication Now Available</strong></p>
<p>In the past several years, some energy technologies that inject or extract fluid from the Earth, such as oil and gas development and geothermal energy development, have been found or suspected to cause seismic events, drawing heightened public attention. </p> <p>Although only a very small fraction of injection and extraction activities among the hundreds of thousands of energy development sites in the United States have induced seismicity at levels noticeable to the public, understanding the potential for inducing felt seismic events and for limiting their occurrence and impacts is desirable for state and federal agencies, industry, and the public at large. To better understand, limit, and respond to induced seismic events, work is needed to build robust prediction models, to assess potential hazards, and to help relevant agencies coordinate to address them.</p> <p><em>Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies </em>identifies gaps in knowledge and research needed to advance the understanding of induced seismicity; identify gaps in induced seismic hazard assessment methodologies and the research to close those gaps; and assess options for steps toward best practices with regard to energy development and induced seismicity potential.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13355">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=283'>Energy and Energy Conservation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=356'>Energy Resources</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=283'>Energy and Energy Conservation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=358'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/rhJ9Szczl-Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13355Urban Meteorology: Forecasting, Monitoring, and Meeting Users' Needstag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13328#final2012-06-13T00:00:00-04:002012-06-14T02:27:35-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>According to the United Nations, three out of five people will be living in cities worldwide by the year 2030. The United States continues to experience urbanization with its vast urban corridors on the east and west coasts. Although urban weather is driven by large synoptic and meso-scale features, weather events unique to the urban environment arise from the characteristics of the typical urban setting, such as large areas covered by buildings of a variety of heights; paved streets and parking areas; means to supply electricity, natural gas, water, and raw materials; and generation of waste heat and materials.</p> <p><br /> <em>Urban Meteorology: Forecasting, Monitoring, and Meeting Users' Needs</em> is based largely on the information provided at a Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate community workshop. This book describes the needs for end user communities, focusing in particular on needs that are not being met by current urban-level forecasting and monitoring.<em> Urban Meteorology </em>also describes current and emerging meteorological forecasting and monitoring capabilities that have had and will likely have the most impact on urban areas, some of which are not being utilized by the relevant end user communities.<br /> </p> <p><em>Urban Meteorology</em> explains that users of urban meteorological information need high-quality information available in a wide variety of formats that foster its use and within time constraints set by users' decision processes. By advancing the science and technology related to urban meteorology with input from key end user communities, urban meteorologists can better meet the needs of diverse end users. To continue the advancement within the field of urban meteorology, there are both short-term needs-which might be addressed with small investments but promise large, quick returns-as well as future challenges that could require significant efforts and investments.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13328">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/DwZ0iE7ITvQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13328Ecosystem Services: Charting a Path to Sustainabilitytag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13331#final2012-04-20T10:19:56-04:002012-04-20T10:20:09-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Natural environments provide enormously valuable, but largely unappreciated, services that aid humans and other earthlings. It is becoming clear that these life-support systems are faltering and failing worldwide due to human actions that disrupt nature's ability to do its beneficial work.</p> <p><br /> <em>Ecosystem Services: Charting a Path to Sustainability </em>documents the National Academies' Keck Futures Initiative Conference on Ecosystem Services. At this conference, participants were divided into 14 interdisciplinary research teams to explore diverse challenges at the interface of science, engineering, and medicine. The teams needed to address the challenge of communicating and working together from a diversity of expertise and perspectives as they attempted to solve a complicated, interdisciplinary problem in a relatively short time. <em>Ecosystem Services: Charting a Path to Sustainability</em> describes how ecosystem services scientists work to document the direct and indirect links between humanity's well-being and the many benefits provided by the natural systems we occupy.</p> <p><br /> This report explains the specific topics the interdisciplinary research teams addressed at the conference, including the following:</p> <p><br /> -how ecosystem services affect infectious and chronic diseases<br /> -how to identify what resources can be produced renewably or recovered by developing intense technologies that can be applied on a massive scale<br /> -how to develop social and technical capabilities to respond to abrupt changes in ecosystem services<br /> -how to design agricultural and aquacultural systems that provide food security while maintaining the full set of ecosystem services needed from landscapes and seascapes<br /> -how to design production systems for ecosystem services that improve human outcomes related to food and nutrition<br /> -how to develop appropriate methods to accurately value natural capital and ecosystem services<br /> -how to design a federal policy to maintain or improve natural capital and ecosystem services within the United States, including measuring and documenting the effectiveness of the policy<br /> -how to design a system for international trade that accounts for impacts on ecosystem services<br /> -how to develop a program that increases the American public's appreciation of the basic principles of ecosystem services<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13331">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=375'>Sustainable Development</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/3KIvGKJCC2M" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13331New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciencestag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13236#final2012-03-26T00:00:00-04:002012-03-27T14:16:10-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The 2001 National Research Council (NRC) report <em>Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science</em> (BROES) described how basic research in the Earth sciences serves five national imperatives: (1) discovery, use, and conservation of natural resources; (2) characterization and mitigation of natural hazards; (3) geotechnical support of commercial and infrastructure development; (4) stewardship of the environment; and (5) terrestrial surveillance for global security and national defense. This perspective is even more pressing today, and will persist into the future, with ever-growing emphasis. Today's world-with headlines dominated by issues involving fossil fuel and water resources, earthquake and tsunami disasters claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, profound environmental changes associated with the evolving climate system, and nuclear weapons proliferation and testing-has many urgent societal issues that need to be informed by sound understanding of the Earth sciences. A national strategy to sustain basic research and training of expertise across the full spectrum of the Earth sciences is motivated by these national imperatives.</p> <p><em>New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences</em> identifies new and emerging research opportunities in the Earth sciences over the next decade, including surface and deep Earth processes and interdisciplinary research with fields such as ocean and atmospheric sciences, biology, engineering, computer science, and social and behavioral sciences. The report also identifies key instrumentation and facilities needed to support these new and emerging research opportunities. The report describes opportunities for increased cooperation in these new and emerging areas between EAR and other government agency programs, industry, and international programs, and suggests new ways that EAR can help train the next generation of Earth scientists, support young investigators, and increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the field.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13236">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/cQk9nbzsD4s" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13236Approaches for Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Gulf of Mexico After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Interim Reporttag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13141#final2012-02-17T00:00:00-05:002012-02-21T15:39:52-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon platform drilling the Macondo well in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (DWH) exploded, killing 11 workers and injuring another 17. The DWH oil spill resulted in nearly 5 million barrels (approximately 200 million gallons) of crude oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The full impacts of the spill on the GoM and the people who live and work there are unknown but expected to be considerable, and will be expressed over years to decades. In the short term, up to 80,000 square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were closed to fishing, resulting in loss of food, jobs and recreation.</p> <p>The DWH oil spill immediately triggered a process under the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) to determine the extent and severity of the "injury" (defined as an observable or measurable adverse change in a natural resource or impairment of a natural resource service) to the public trust, known as the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA). The assessment, undertaken by the trustees (designated technical experts who act on behalf of the public and who are tasked with assessing the nature and extent of site-related contamination and impacts), requires: (1) quantifying the extent of damage; (2) developing, implementing, and monitoring restoration plans; and (3) seeking compensation for the costs of assessment and restoration from those deemed responsible for the injury.</p> <p>This interim report provides options for expanding the current effort to include the analysis of ecosystem services to help address the unprecedented scale of this spill in U.S. waters and the challenges it presents to those charged with undertaking the damage assessment.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13141">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/KapciaTx4jI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13141The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring: A Retrospective Assessmenttag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13216#final2012-01-25T00:00:00-05:002012-01-25T16:58:59-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The Modernization and Associated Restructuring (MAR) of the National Weather Service (NWS) was a large and complex re-engineering of a federal agency. The process lasted a decade and cost an estimated $4.5 billion. The result was greater integration of science into weather service activities and improved outreach and coordination with users of weather information. The MAR created a new, modernized NWS, and, significantly, it created a framework that will allow the NWS to keep up with technological changes in a more evolutionary manner.</p> <p>The MAR was both necessary and generally well executed. However, it required revolutionary, often difficult, changes. The procurement of large, complex technical systems presented challenges in and of itself. The MAR also affected the career paths and personal lives of a large portion of the field office workforce. The MAR created a new, modernized NWS, and, significantly, it created a framework that will allow the NWS to keep up with technological changes in a more evolutionary manner.</p> <p><i>The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring</i> presents the first comprehensive assessment of the execution of the MAR and its impact on the provision of weather services in the United States. This report provides an assessment that addresses the past modernization as well as lessons learned to support future improvements to NWS capabilities.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13216">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/nTAXBdCNDJQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13216A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Strategic Plantag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13330#final2012-01-13T00:00:00-05:002012-01-11T11:09:33-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The U.S. government supports a large, diverse suite of activities that can be broadly characterized as "global change research." Such research offers a wide array of benefits to the nation, in terms of protecting public health and safety, enhancing economic strength and competitiveness, and protecting the natural systems upon which life depends. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which coordinates the efforts of numerous agencies and departments across the federal government, was officially established in 1990 through the U.S. Global Change Research Act (GCRA). In the subsequent years, the scope, structure, and priorities of the Program have evolved, (for example, it was referred to as the Climate Change<br /> Science Program [CCSP] for the years 2002-2008), but throughout, the Program has played an important role in shaping and coordinating our nation's global change research enterprise. This research enterprise, in turn, has played a crucial role in advancing understanding of our changing global environment and the countless ways in which human society affects and is affected by such changes. <br /> <br /> In mid-2011, a new NRC Committee to Advise the USGCRP was formed and charged to provide a centralized source of ongoing whole-program advice to the USGCRP. The first major task of this committee was to provide a review of the USGCRP draft Strategic Plan 2012-2021 (referred to herein as "the Plan"), which was made available for public comment on September 30, 2011. <em>A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Strategic Plan</em> addresses an array of suggestions for improving the Plan, ranging from relatively small edits to large questions about the Program's scope, goals, and capacity to meet those goals. <br /> <br /> The draft Plan proposes a significant broadening of the Program's scope from the form it took as the CCSP. Outlined in this report, issues of key importance are the need to identify initial steps the Program will take to actually achieve the proposed broadening of its scope, to develop critical science capacity that is now lacking, and to link the production of knowledge to its use; and the need to establish an overall governance structure that will allow the Program to move in the planned new directions.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13330">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Q3oxOKFEs1g" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13330Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Final Reporttag:nap.edu,2012:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13314#final2012-01-11T00:00:00-05:002012-01-12T11:13:27-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The St. Johns River Water Management District is responsible for managing water resources in the St. Johns River basin, which comprises 23 percent of Florida. Approximately 4.73 million people (one-quarter of Florida's population) live in the area served by the District, which contains the growing cities of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Gainesville. In order to meet the increasing water supply needs of the District's residents and other water users, the District is considering supplementing its historical supply of groundwater with water from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha Rivers. To better understand the potential ecological impacts of such withdrawals, in 2008 the District began a large scientific study called the Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS).</p> <p>In late 2008, the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) of the National Academies was asked to review the progress of the WSIS, including such scientific aspects as hydrologic and water quality modeling and how river withdrawals will affect wetlands, biogeochemical processes, plankton, benthos, the littoral zone, fish, and wetlands wildlife in the basin. For two and a half years, the WSTB Committee has followed the activities of eight District workgroups as they modeled the relevant river basins, determined the criteria to evaluate the environmental impacts of water withdrawals, evaluated the extent of those impacts, and coordinated with other ongoing projects. The first report of the Committee reviewed the Phase 1 hydrologic and environmental assessment tools and relevant data, and made recommendations regarding proposed work for the second phase of the WSIS. The Committee's second report focused on how the District was responding to the recommendations in its first report. The third Committee report primarily evaluated the hydrologic and hydrodynamic work being performed by the District. <em>Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study,</em> the fourth and final product of the Committee focuses on the ecological impact analyses conducted by the environmental workgroups, presents final thoughts about the hydrologic and hydrodynamic studies, and provides some overall perspectives on the WSIS.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13314">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/dWHzadh7B04" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13314Scientific Ocean Drilling: Accomplishments and Challengestag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13232#final2011-12-22T00:00:00-05:002011-12-22T17:02:42-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Through direct exploration of the subseafloor, U.S.-supported scientific ocean drilling programs have significantly contributed to a broad range of scientific accomplishments in Earth science disciplines, shaping understanding of Earth systems and enabling new fields of inquiry. <i>Scientific Ocean Drilling: Accomplishments and Challenges</i> reviews the scientific accomplishments of U.S.-supported scientific ocean drilling over the past four decades. The book evaluates how the programs (Deep Sea Drilling Project [DSDP], 1968-1983, Ocean Drilling Program [ODP], 1984-2003, and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program [IODP], 2003-2013) have shaped understanding of Earth systems and Earth history and assessed the role of scientific ocean drilling in enabling new fields of inquiry. This book also assesses the potential for transformative discoveries for the next proposed phase of scientific ocean drilling, which is scheduled to run from 2013 to 2023.<br /> The programs' technological innovations have played a strong role in these accomplishments. The science plan for the proposed 2013-2023 program presents a strong case for the continuation of scientific ocean drilling. Each of the plan's four themes identifies compelling challenges with potential for transformative science that could only be addressed through scientific ocean drilling, although some challenges appear to have greater potential than others. Prioritizing science plan challenges and integrating multiple objectives into single expeditions would help use resources more effectively, while encouraging technological innovations would continue to increase the potential for groundbreaking science.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13232">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/TfYGkx-qYl4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13232Climate Change Education: Goals, Audiences, and Strategies: A Workshop Summarytag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13224#final2011-12-12T00:00:00-05:002011-12-13T09:48:29-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The global scientific and policy community now unequivocally accepts that human activities cause global climate change. Although information on climate change is readily available, the nation still seems unprepared or unwilling to respond effectively to climate change, due partly to a general lack of public understanding of climate change issues and opportunities for effective responses. The reality of global climate change lends increasing urgency to the need for effective education on earth system science, as well as on the human and behavioral dimensions of climate change, from broad societal action to smart energy choices at the household level. <br /> <br /> The public's limited understanding of climate change is partly the result of four critical challenges that have slowed development and delivery of effective climate change education. As one response to these challenges, Congress, in its 2009 and 2010 appropriation process, requested that the National Science Foundation (NSF) create a program in climate change education to provide funding to external grantees to improve climate change education in the United States. To support and strengthen these education initiatives, the Board on Science Education of the National Research Council (NRC) created the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The Roundtable convened two workshops. <em>Climate Change Education Goals, Audiences, and Strategies</em> is a summary of the discussions and presentations from the first workshop, held October 21 and 22, 2010. This report focuses on two primary topics: public understanding and decision maker support. It should be viewed as an initial step in examining the research on climate change and applying it in specific policy circumstances.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13224">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=282'>Education</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=350'>Math and Science Education</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/1iM1330trpE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13224Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Oceantag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13169#final2011-11-28T00:00:00-05:002011-11-30T09:22:47-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean remains one of the world's last frontiers. Covering nearly 14 million km² (an area approximately 1.4 times the size of the United States), Antarctica is the coldest, driest, highest, and windiest continent on Earth. While it is challenging to live and work in this extreme environment, this region offers many opportunities for scientific research. Ever since the first humans set foot on Antarctica a little more than a century ago, the discoveries made there have advanced our scientific knowledge of the region, the world, and the Universe--but there is still much more to learn. However, conducting scientific research in the harsh environmental conditions of Antarctica is profoundly challenging. Substantial resources are needed to establish and maintain the infrastructure needed to provide heat, light, transportation, and drinking water, while at the same time minimizing pollution of the environment and ensuring the safety of researchers.</p> <p><i>Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean</i> suggests actions for the United States to achieve success for the next generation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science. The report highlights important areas of research by encapsulating each into a single, overarching question. The questions fall into two broad themes: (1) those related to global change, and (2) those related to fundamental discoveries. In addition, the report identified key science questions that will drive research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in coming decades, and highlighted opportunities to be leveraged to sustain and improve the U.S. research efforts in the region.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13169">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=339'>Polar Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id='></a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=286'>Explore Science</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/sjbQA3JN0Ac" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13169Global Change and Extreme Hydrology: Testing Conventional Wisdomtag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13211#final2011-11-17T00:00:00-05:002011-11-18T12:22:29-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate theory dictates that core elements of the climate system, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, and reservoirs of atmospheric and soil moisture, should change as the climate warms, both in their means and extremes. A major challenge that faces the climate and hydrologic science communities is understanding the nature of these ongoing changes in climate and hydrology and the apparent anomalies that exist in reconciling their extreme manifestations. <br /> <br /> The National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Hydrologic Science (COHS) held a workshop on January 5-6, 2010, that examined how climate warming translates into hydrologic extremes like floods and droughts. The workshop brought together three groups of experts. The first two groups consisted of atmospheric scientists and hydrologists focused on the scientific underpinnings and empirical evidence linking climate variability to hydrologic extremes. The third group consisted of water managers and decision-makers charged with the design and operation of water systems that in the future must be made resilient in light of a changing climate and an environment of hydrologic extremes. <br /> <br /> <em>Global Change and Extreme Hydrology</em> summarizes the proceedings of this workshop. This report presents an overview of the current state of the science in terms of climate change and extreme hydrologic events. It examines the "conventional wisdom" that climate change will "accelerate" the hydrologic cycle, fuel more evaporation, and generate more precipitation, based on an increased capacity of a warmer atmosphere to hold more water vapor. The report also includes descriptions of the changes in frequency and severity of extremes, the ability (or inability) to model these changes, and the problem of communicating the best science to water resources practitioners in useful forums.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13211">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/3EZ5bBDFATo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13211Assessing Requirements for Sustained Ocean Color Research and Operationstag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13127#final2011-11-15T00:00:00-05:002011-11-15T14:52:21-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The ocean is a fundamental component of the earth's biosphere. It covers roughly 70 percent of Earth's surface and plays a pivotal role in the cycling of life's building blocks, such as nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and sulfur. The ocean also contributes to regulating the climate system. Most of the primary producers in the ocean comprise of microscopic plants and some bacteria; and these photosynthetic organisms (phytoplankton) form the base of the ocean's food web. Monitoring the health of the ocean and its productivity is critical to understanding and managing the ocean's essential functions and living resources. Because the ocean is so vast and difficult for humans to explore, satellite remote sensing of ocean color is currently the only way to observe and monitor the biological state of the surface ocean globally on time scales of days to decades. <br /> <br /> Ocean color measurements reveal a wealth of ecologically important characteristics including: chlorophyll concentration, the rate of phytoplankton photosynthesis, sediment transport, dispersion of pollutants, and responses of oceanic biota to long-term climate changes. Continuity of satellite ocean color data and associated climate research products are presently at significant risk for the U.S. ocean color community. <em>Assessing Requirements for Sustained Ocean Color Research and Operations</em> aims to identify the ocean color data needs for a broad range of end users, develop a consensus for the minimum requirements, and outline options to meet these needs on a sustained basis. The report assesses lessons learned in global ocean color remote sensing from the SeaWiFS/MODIS era to guide planning for acquisition of future global ocean color radiance data to support U.S. research and operational needs.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13127">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/bN6rndJSPec" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13127National Water Resources Challenges Facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineerstag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13136#final2011-10-04T00:00:00-04:002011-10-24T10:59:34-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is responsible for construction, operations, and maintenance of much of the nation's water resources infrastructure. This infrastructure includes flood control levees, multi-purpose dams, locks, navigation channels, port and harbor facilities, and beach protection infrastructure. The Corps of Engineers also regulates the dredging and filling of wetlands subject to federal jurisdictions. Along with its programs for flood damage reduction and support of commercial navigation, ecosystem restoration was added as a primary Corps mission area in 1996.<br /> <br /> The National Research Council (NRC) Committee on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Water Resources Science, Engineering, and Planning was convened by the NRC at the request of the Corps of Engineers to provide independent advice to the Corps on an array of strategic and planning issues. <em>National Water Resources Challenges Facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</em> surveys the key water resources challenges facing the Corps, the limits of what might be expected today from the Corps, and future prospects for the agency. This report presents several findings, but no recommendations, to the Corps of Engineers based on initial investigations and discussions with Corps leadership.</p> <p><em>National Water Resources Challenges Facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</em> can serve as a foundational resource for the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and Corps project co-sponsors, among others.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13136">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Nr1TAoCqn70" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13136Grand Challenges in Earthquake Engineering Research: A Community Workshop Reporttag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13167#final2011-09-30T00:00:00-04:002011-10-04T10:47:59-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
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<p>As geological threats become more imminent, society must make a major commitment to increase the resilience of its communities, infrastructure, and citizens. Recent earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand, Haiti, and Chile provide stark reminders of the devastating impact major earthquakes have on the lives and economic stability of millions of people worldwide. The events in Haiti continue to show that poor planning and governance lead to long-term chaos, while nations like Chile demonstrate steady recovery due to modern earthquake planning and proper construction and mitigation activities. </p> <p>At the request of the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council hosted a two-day workshop to give members of the community an opportunity to identify "Grand Challenges" for earthquake engineering research that are needed to achieve an earthquake resilient society, as well as to describe networks of earthquake engineering experimental capabilities and cyberinfrastructure tools that could continue to address ongoing areas of concern. <em>Grand Challenges in Earthquake Engineering Research: A Community Workshop Report </em>explores the priorities and problems regions face in reducing consequent damage and spurring technological preparedness advances. </p> <p>Over the course of the <em>Grand Challenges in Earthquake Engineering Research </em>workshop, 13 grand challenge problems emerged and were summarized in terms of five overarching themes including: community resilience framework, decision making, simulation, mitigation, and design tools. Participants suggested 14 experimental facilities and cyberinfrastructure tools that would be needed to carry out testing, observations, and simulations, and to analyze the results. The report also reviews progressive steps that have been made in research and development, and considers what factors will accelerate transformative solutions.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13167">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=284'>Engineering and Technology</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=360'>Applications of Technology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/jl3SN_IrhcA" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13167Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementationtag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13131#final2011-09-26T00:00:00-04:002011-09-27T16:12:56-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
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<p>The Chesapeake Bay is North America's largest and most biologically diverse estuary, as well as an important commercial and recreational resource. However, excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from human activities and land development have disrupted the ecosystem, causing harmful algae blooms, degraded habitats, and diminished populations of many species of fish and shellfish. In 1983, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) was established, based on a cooperative partnership among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state of Maryland, and the commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the District of Columbia, to address the extent, complexity, and sources of pollutants entering the Bay. In 2008, the CBP launched a series of initiatives to increase the transparency of the program and heighten its accountability and in 2009 an executive order injected new energy into the restoration. In addition, as part of the effect to improve the pace of progress and increase accountability in the Bay restoration, a two-year milestone strategy was introduced aimed at reducing overall pollution in the Bay by focusing on incremental, short-term commitments from each of the Bay jurisdictions.</p> <p>The National Research Council (NRC) established the Committee on the Evaluation of Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation for Nutrient Reduction in Improve Water Quality in 2009 in response to a request from the EPA. The committee was charged to assess the framework used by the states and the CBP for tracking nutrient and sediment control practices that are implemented in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and to evaluate the two-year milestone strategy. The committee was also to assess existing adaptive management strategies and to recommend improvements that could help CBP to meet its nutrient and sediment reduction goals.</p> <p>The committee did not attempt to identify every possible strategy that could be implemented but instead focused on approaches that are not being implemented to their full potential or that may have substantial, unrealized potential in the Bay watershed. Because many of these strategies have policy or societal implications that could not be fully evaluated by the committee, the strategies are not prioritized but are offered to encourage further consideration and exploration among the CBP partners and stakeholders.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13131">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/CdQW0JHcij4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13131Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters: The Perspective from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi: Summary of a Workshoptag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13178#final2011-09-26T00:00:00-04:002011-09-27T15:56:30-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Natural disasters are having an increasing effect on the lives of people in the United States and throughout the world. Every decade, property damage caused by natural disasters and hazards doubles or triples in the United States. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and all Americans are at risk from such hazards as fires, earthquakes, floods, and wind. The year 2010 saw 950 natural catastrophes around the world--the second highest annual total ever--with overall losses estimated at $130 billion. The increasing impact of natural disasters and hazards points to increasing importance of resilience, the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, or more successfully adapt to actual or potential adverse events, at the individual , local, state, national, and global levels. </p> <p><em>Assessing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters</em> reviews the effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural and human-induced disasters on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi and to learn more about the resilience of those areas to future disasters. Topics explored in the workshop range from insurance, building codes, and critical infrastructure to private-sector issues, public health, nongovernmental organizations and governance. This workshop summary provides a rich foundation of information to help increase the nation's resilience through actionable recommendations and guidance on the best approaches to reduce adverse impacts from hazards and disasters.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13178">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/FD_1I4JTwdY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13178A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plantag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13148#final2011-08-19T00:00:00-04:002011-08-23T09:51:48-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
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<p>The San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary is a large, complex estuarine ecosystem in California. It has been substantially altered by dikes, levees, channelization, pumps, human development, introduced species, dams on its tributary streams and contaminants. The Delta supplies water from the state's wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions and also serves as habitat for many species, some of which are threatened and endangered. The restoration of water exacerbated tensions over water allocation in recent years, and have led to various attempts to develop comprehensive plans to provide reliable water supplies and to protect the ecosystem. One of these plans is the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).</p> <p>The report, <i>A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan,</i> determines that the plan is incomplete in a number of important areas and takes this opportunity to identify key scientific and structural gaps that, if addressed, could lead to a more successful and comprehensive final BDCP. The plan is missing the type of structure usually associated with current planning methods in which the goals and objectives are specified, alternative measure for achieving the objectives are introduced and analyzed, and a course of action in identified based on analytical optimization of economic, social, and environmental factors. Yet the panel underscores the importance of a credible and a robust BDCP in addressing the various water management problems that beset the Delta. A stronger, more complete, and more scientifically credible BDCP that effectively integrates and utilizes science could indeed pave the way toward the next generation of solutions to California's chronic water problems.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13148">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/cj0Wd1JGCdY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13148National Earthquake Resilience: Research, Implementation, and Outreachtag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13092#final2011-08-09T00:00:00-04:002011-08-10T15:08:11-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The United States will certainly be subject to damaging earthquakes in the future. Some of these earthquakes will occur in highly populated and vulnerable areas. Coping with moderate earthquakes is not a reliable indicator of preparedness for a major earthquake in a populated area. The recent, disastrous, magnitude-9 earthquake that struck northern Japan demonstrates the threat that earthquakes pose. Moreover, the cascading nature of impacts-the earthquake causing a tsunami, cutting electrical power supplies, and stopping the pumps needed to cool nuclear reactors-demonstrates the potential complexity of an earthquake disaster. Such compound disasters can strike any earthquake-prone populated area. <em>National Earthquake Resilience</em> presents a roadmap for increasing our national resilience to earthquakes.</p> <p>The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is the multi-agency program mandated by Congress to undertake activities to reduce the effects of future earthquakes in the United States. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-the lead NEHRP agency-commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to develop a roadmap for earthquake hazard and risk reduction in the United States that would be based on the goals and objectives for achieving national earthquake resilience described in the 2008 NEHRP Strategic Plan. National Earthquake Resilience does this by assessing the activities and costs that would be required for the nation to achieve earthquake resilience in 20 years.</p> <p><em>National Earthquake Resilience</em> interprets resilience broadly to incorporate engineering/science (physical), social/economic (behavioral), and institutional (governing) dimensions. Resilience encompasses both pre-disaster preparedness activities and post-disaster response. In combination, these will enhance the robustness of communities in all earthquake-vulnerable regions of our nation so that they can function adequately following damaging earthquakes. While <em>National Earthquake Resilience</em> is written primarily for the NEHRP, it also speaks to a broader audience of policy makers, earth scientists, and emergency managers.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13092">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/rDWR0JZmC48" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13092Understanding Earth's Deep Past: Lessons for Our Climate Futuretag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13111#final2011-08-02T00:00:00-04:002011-08-03T10:05:05-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>There is little dispute within the scientific community that humans are changing Earth's climate on a decadal to century time-scale. By the end of this century, without a reduction in emissions, atmospheric CO2 is projected to increase to levels that Earth has not experienced for more than 30 million years. As greenhouse gas emissions propel Earth toward a warmer climate state, an improved understanding of climate dynamics in warm environments is needed to inform public policy decisions. In <em>Understanding Earth's Deep Past</em>, the National Research Council reports that rocks and sediments that are millions of years old hold clues to how the Earth's future climate would respond in an environment with high levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases.<br /> <br /> <em>Understanding Earth's Deep Past</em> provides an assessment of both the demonstrated and underdeveloped potential of the deep-time geologic record to inform us about the dynamics of the global climate system. The report describes past climate changes, and discusses potential impacts of high levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases on regional climates, water resources, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and the cycling of life-sustaining elements. While revealing gaps in scientific knowledge of past climate states, the report highlights a range of high priority research issues with potential for major advances in the scientific understanding of climate processes. This proposed integrated, deep-time climate research program would study how climate responded over Earth's different climate states, examine how climate responds to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and clarify the processes that lead to anomalously warm polar and tropical regions and the impact on marine and terrestrial life. <br /> <br /> In addition to outlining a research agenda, <em>Understanding Earth's Deep Past </em>proposes an implementation strategy that will be an invaluable resource to decision-makers in the field, as well as the research community, advocacy organizations, government agencies, and college professors and students.<br /> <br /> <br /> </p> <p> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13111">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/0sVp2EUPvVM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13111Assessing the Relationship Between Propagule Pressure and Invasion Risk in Ballast Watertag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13184#final2011-07-27T00:00:00-04:002011-08-22T09:41:32-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
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<p>The human-mediated introduction of species to regions of the world they could never reach by natural means has had great impacts on the environment, the economy, and society. In the ocean, these invasions have long been mediated by the uptake and subsequent release of ballast water in ocean-going vessels. Increasing world trade and a concomitantly growing global shipping fleet composed of larger and faster vessels, combined with a series of prominent ballast-mediated invasions over the past two decades, have prompted active national and international interest in ballast water management. </p> <p><em>Assessing the Relationship Between Propagule Pressure and Invasion Risk in Ballast Water</em> informs the regulation of ballast water by helping the Environnmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) better understand the relationship between the concentration of living organisms in ballast water discharges and the probability of nonindigenous organisms successfully establishing populations in U.S. waters. The report evaluates the risk-release relationship in the context of differing environmental and ecological conditions,including estuarine and freshwater systems as well as the waters of the three-mile territorial sea. It recommends how various approaches can be used by regulatory agencies to best inform risk management decisions on the allowable concentrations of living organisms in discharged ballast water in order to safeguard against the establishment of new aquatic nonindigenous species, and to protect and preserve existing indigenous populations of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and other beneficial uses of the nation's waters. </p> <p><em>Assessing the Relationship Between Propagule Pressure and Invasion Risk in Ballast Water</em> provides valuable information that can be used by federal agencies, such as the EPA, policy makers, environmental scientists, and researchers.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13184">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=373'>Pollution Prevention</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/ZW7iNqDqc4M" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13184Critical Infrastructure for Ocean Research and Societal Needs in 2030tag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13081#final2011-06-24T00:00:00-04:002011-06-28T11:28:20-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
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<p>The United States has jurisdiction over 3.4 million square miles of ocean in its exclusive economic zone, a size exceeding the combined land area of the 50 states. This expansive marine area represents a prime national domain for activities such as maritime transportation, national security, energy and mineral extraction, fisheries and aquaculture, and tourism and recreation. However, it also carries with it the threat of damaging and outbreaks of waterborne pathogens. The 2010 Gulf of Mexico <i>Deepwater Horizon</i> oil spill and the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami are vivid reminders that ocean activities and processes have direct human implications both nationally and worldwide, understanding of the ocean system is still incomplete, and ocean research infrastructure is needed to support both fundamental research and societal priorities.</p> <p>Given current struggles to maintain, operate, and upgrade major infrastructure elements while maintaining a robust research portfolio, a strategic plan is needed for future investments to ensure that new facilities provide the greatest value, least redundancy, and highest efficiency in terms of operation and flexibility to incorporate new technological advances. <i>Critical Infrastructure for Ocean Research and Societal Needs in 2030</i> identifies major research questions anticipated to be at the forefront of ocean science in 2030 based on national and international assessments, input from the worldwide scientific community, and ongoing research planning activities. This report defines categories of infrastructure that should be included in planning for the nation's ocean research infrastructure of 2030 and that will be required to answer the major research questions of the future.</p> <p><i>Critical Infrastructure for Ocean Research and Societal Needs in 2030</i> provides advice on the criteria and processes that could be used to set priorities for the development of new ocean infrastructure or replacement of existing facilities. In addition, this report recommends ways in which the federal agencies can maximize the value of investments in ocean infrastructure.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13081">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/3Ljc5S9BdQI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13081Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Collaboration on Space and Earth Science Missionstag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13042#final2011-05-31T00:00:00-04:002011-12-29T17:19:38-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Through an examination of case studies, agency briefings, and existing reports, and drawing on personal knowledge and direct experience, the Committee on Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Cooperation on Space and Earth Science Missions found that candidate projects for multiagency collaboration in the development and implementation of Earth-observing or space science missions are often intrinsically complex and, therefore costly, and that a multiagency approach to developing these missions typically results in additional complexity and cost. Advocates of collaboration have sometimes underestimated the difficulties and associated costs and risks of dividing responsibility and accountability between two or more partners; they also discount the possibility that collaboration will increase the risk in meeting performance objectives.<br /> This committee's principal recommendation is that agencies should conduct Earth and space science projects independently unless:</p> <ul> <li>It is judged that cooperation will result in significant added scientific value to the project over what could be achieved by a single agency alone; or</li> <li>Unique capabilities reside within one agency that are necessary for the mission success of a project managed by another agency; or</li> <li>The project is intended to transfer from research to operations necessitating a change in responsibility from one agency to another during the project; or</li> <li>There are other compelling reasons to pursue collaboration, for example, a desire to build capacity at one of the cooperating agencies.</li> </ul> <p>Even when the total project cost may increase, parties may still find collaboration attractive if their share of a mission is more affordable than funding it alone. In these cases, alternatives to interdependent reliance on another government agency should be considered. For example, agencies may find that buying services from another agency or pursuing interagency coordination of spaceflight data collection is preferable to fully interdependent cooperation.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13042">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=418'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/1rEFSsOUEuY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13042America's Climate Choicestag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12781#final2011-05-12T12:45:01-04:002011-05-12T12:57:16-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further change and greater risks.</p> <p><em>America's Climate Choices</em> makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. Although there is some uncertainty about future risk, acting now will reduce the risks posed by climate change and the pressure to make larger, more rapid, and potentially more expensive reductions later. Most actions taken to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts are common sense investments that will offer protection against natural climate variations and extreme events. In addition, crucial investment decisions made now about equipment and infrastructure can "lock in" commitments to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come. Finally, while it may be possible to scale back or reverse many responses to climate change, it is difficult or impossible to "undo" climate change, once manifested.</p> <p>Current efforts of local, state, and private-sector actors are important, but not likely to yield progress comparable to what could be achieved with the addition of strong federal policies that establish coherent national goals and incentives, and that promote strong U.S. engagement in international-level response efforts. The inherent complexities and uncertainties of climate change are best met by applying an iterative risk management framework and making efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; prepare for adapting to impacts; invest in scientific research, technology development, and information systems; and facilitate engagement between scientific and technical experts and the many types of stakeholders making America's climate choices.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12781">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/4vVZSSZe2dw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12781Frontiers in Understanding Climate Change and Polar Ecosystems: Summary of a Workshoptag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13132#final2011-05-02T00:00:00-04:002011-05-03T15:35:47-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The polar regions are experiencing rapid changes in climate. These changes are causing observable ecological impacts of various types and degrees of severity at all ecosystem levels, including society. Even larger changes and more significant impacts are anticipated. As species respond to changing environments over time, their interactions with the physical world and other organisms can also change. This chain of interactions can trigger cascades of impacts throughout entire ecosystems. Evaluating the interrelated physical, chemical, biological, and societal components of polar ecosystems is essential to understanding their vulnerability and resilience to climate forcing.</p> <p>The Polar Research Board (PRB) organized a workshop to address these issues. Experts gathered from a variety of disciplines with knowledge of both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Participants were challenged to consider what is currently known about climate change and polar ecosystems and to identify the next big questions in the field. A set of interdisciplinary "frontier questions" emerged from the workshop discussions as important topics to be addressed in the coming decades. To begin to address these questions, workshop participants discussed the need for holistic, interdisciplinary systems approach to understanding polar ecosystem responses to climate change. As an outcome of the workshop, participants brainstormed methods and technologies that are crucial to advance the understanding of polar ecosystems and to promote the next generation of polar research. These include new and emerging technologies, sustained long-term observations, data synthesis and management, and data dissemination and outreach.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13132">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=339'>Polar Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=278'>Biology and Life Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=315'>Genetics</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/pA7aBm48wdA" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13132Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Third Biennial Review - 2010tag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12988#final2011-04-26T00:00:00-04:002011-04-27T12:39:41-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Although the progress of environmental restoration projects in the Florida Everglades remains slow overall, there have been improvements in the pace of restoration and in the relationship between the federal and state partners during the last two years. However, the importance of several challenges related to water quantity and quality have become clear, highlighting the difficulty in achieving restoration goals for all ecosystem components in all portions of the Everglades. <br /> <br /> <i>Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades</i> explores these challenges. The book stresses that rigorous scientific analyses of the tradeoffs between water quality and quantity and between the hydrologic requirements of Everglades features and species are needed to inform future prioritization and funding decisions.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12988">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/mpzDpxlsehM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12988Tsunami Warning and Preparedness: An Assessment of the U.S. Tsunami Program and the Nation's Preparedness Effortstag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12628#final2011-03-01T00:00:00-05:002011-04-01T14:00:28-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Many coastal areas of the United States are at risk for tsunamis. After the catastrophic 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, legislation was passed to expand U.S. tsunami warning capabilities. Since then, the nation has made progress in several related areas on both the federal and state levels. At the federal level, NOAA has improved the ability to detect and forecast tsunamis by expanding the sensor network. Other federal and state activities to increase tsunami safety include: improvements to tsunami hazard and evacuation maps for many coastal communities; vulnerability assessments of some coastal populations in several states; and new efforts to increase public awareness of the hazard and how to respond.</p> <p><em>Tsunami Warning and Preparedness </em>explores the advances made in tsunami detection and preparedness, and identifies the challenges that still remain. The book describes areas of research and development that would improve tsunami education, preparation, and detection, especially with tsunamis that arrive less than an hour after the triggering event. It asserts that seamless coordination between the two Tsunami Warning Centers and clear communications to local officials and the public could create a timely and effective response to coastal communities facing a pending tsuanami.</p> <p>According to <em>Tsunami Warning and Preparedness</em>, minimizing future losses to the nation from tsunamis requires persistent progress across the broad spectrum of efforts including: risk assessment, public education, government coordination, detection and forecasting, and warning-center operations. The book also suggests designing effective interagency exercises, using professional emergency-management standards to prepare communities, and prioritizing funding based on tsunami risk.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12628">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/2JhETA_aEjM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12628Missouri River Planning: Recognizing and Incorporating Sediment Managementtag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13019#final2011-02-24T00:00:00-05:002011-02-25T11:40:22-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Historically, the flow of sediment in the Missouri River has been as important as the flow of water for a variety of river functions. The sediment has helped form a dynamic network of islands, sandbars, and floodplains, and provided habitats for native species. Further downstream, sediment transported by the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers has helped build and sustain the coastal wetlands of the Mississippi River delta. The construction of dams and river bank control structures on the Missouri River and its tributaries, however, has markedly reduced the volume of sediment transported by the river. These projects have had several ecological impacts, most notably on some native fish and bird species that depended on habitats and landforms created by sediment flow. <br /> <br /> <i>Missouri River Planning</i> describes the historic role of sediment in the Missouri River, evaluates current habitat restoration strategies, and discusses possible sediment management alternatives. The book finds that a better understanding of the processes of sediment transport, erosion, and deposition in the Missouri River will be useful in furthering river management objectives, such as protection of endangered species and development of water quality standards.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13019">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=375'>Sustainable Development</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/41j7uouG578" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13019Building Community Disaster Resilience Through Private-Public Collaborationtag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13028#final2011-02-17T00:00:00-05:002011-02-18T13:44:02-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Natural disasters--including hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods--caused more than 220,000 deaths worldwide in the first half of 2010 and wreaked havoc on homes, buildings, and the environment. To withstand and recover from natural and human-caused disasters, it is essential that citizens and communities work together to anticipate threats, limit their effects, and rapidly restore functionality after a crisis. <br /> <br /> Increasing evidence indicates that collaboration between the private and public sectors could improve the ability of a community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Several previous National Research Council reports have identified specific examples of the private and public sectors working cooperatively to reduce the effects of a disaster by implementing building codes, retrofitting buildings, improving community education, or issuing extreme-weather warnings. State and federal governments have acknowledged the importance of collaboration between private and public organizations to develop planning for disaster preparedness and response. Despite growing ad hoc experience across the country, there is currently no comprehensive framework to guide private-public collaboration focused on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. <br /> <br /> <em>Building Community Disaster Resilience through Private-Public Collaboration</em> assesses the current state of private-public sector collaboration dedicated to strengthening community resilience, identifies gaps in knowledge and practice, and recommends research that could be targeted for investment. Specifically, the book finds that local-level private-public collaboration is essential to the development of community resilience. Sustainable and effective resilience-focused private-public collaboration is dependent on several basic principles that increase communication among all sectors of the community, incorporate flexibility into collaborative networks, and encourage regular reassessment of collaborative missions, goals, and practices.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13028">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/B8tz4mueeZQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13028Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millenniatag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12877#final2011-02-11T00:00:00-05:002011-04-13T12:28:02-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have ushered in a new epoch where human activities will largely determine the evolution of Earth's climate. Because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is long lived, it can effectively lock the Earth and future generations into a range of impacts, some of which could become very severe. Emissions reductions decisions made today matter in determining impacts experienced not just over the next few decades, but in the coming centuries and millennia.</p> <p>According to <em>Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts Over Decades to Millennia</em>, important policy decisions can be informed by recent advances in climate science that quantify the relationships between increases in carbon dioxide and global warming, related climate changes, and resulting impacts, such as changes in streamflow, wildfires, crop productivity, extreme hot summers, and sea level rise. One way to inform these choices is to consider the projected climate changes and impacts that would occur if greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were stabilized at a particular concentration level. The book quantifies the outcomes of different stabilization targets for greenhouse gas concentrations using analyses and information drawn from the scientific literature. Although it does not recommend or justify any particular stabilization target, it does provide important scientific insights about the relationships among emissions, greenhouse gas concentrations, temperatures, and impacts.</p> <p><em>Climate Stabilization Targets</em> emphasizes the importance of 21st century choices regarding long-term climate stabilization. It is a useful resource for scientists, educators and policy makers, among others.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12877">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/kAsZMTqrqv0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12877Letter Report Assessing the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program's Science Plantag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13094#final2011-01-28T08:45:02-05:002011-01-28T14:02:53-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey requested that the National Research Council (NRC) review and provide guidance on the direction and priorities of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. This review would include perspective on past accomplishments and the current and future design and scope of the program as it moves into its third decade of water quality assessment (Cycle 3). The NRC has continued that advisory role authoring a letter report on the initial Cycle 3 planning document, the Science Framework (Letter Report Assessing the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program's Science Framework). Based on advice contained in that letter report, input from stakeholders, and additional reflection from the NAWQA Cycle 3 Planning Team, the Science Framework evolved into the Cycle 3 Science Plan. The Science Plan is the high level planning document that will guide the NAWQA program through the next 10 years of water quality monitoring. <br /> <br /> The NAWQA program has matured over its two decades and is at a point where it should not simply continue its previous work but should do the dynamic water quality monitoring that is proposed for Cycle 3. This is a compelling plan for the program that the committee strongly supports; in Cycle 3 NAWQA will advance the understanding of the dynamics of water quality change and forecast likely future conditions. The committee supports the Cycle 3 priority of dynamic water quality monitoring. The Science Plan is technically sound and the NAWQA program has the scientific capability to achieve the Science Plan objectives. Yet the concept of dynamic water quality monitoring needs further development in the Science Plan. For example, a strong justification for why dynamic water quality monitoring is important, why now and why the USGS via NAWQA can achieve this remains unwritten. Further defining program outputs and potential outcomes will also help frame the significance of dynamic water quality monitoring. Moreover, thinking through a dynamic, question-driven sampling strategy to execute this concept will serve the program well.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13094">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Wseiy7MgYfI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13094Describing Socioeconomic Futures for Climate Change Research and Assessment: Report of a Workshoptag:nap.edu,2011:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13007#final2011-01-05T00:00:00-05:002011-01-07T16:48:43-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The implications of climate change for the environment and society depend on the rate and magnitude of climate change, but also on changes in technology, economics, lifestyles, and policy that will affect the capacity both for limiting and adapting to climate change. <em>Describing Socioeconomic Futures for Climate Change Research and Assessment </em>reviews the state of science for considering socioeconomic changes over long time frames and clarifies definitions and concepts to facilitate communication across research communities. The book also explores driving forces and key uncertainties that will affect impacts, adaptation, vulnerability and mitigation in the future. Furthermore, it considers research needs and the elements of a strategy for describing socioeconomic and environmental futures for climate change research and assessment.</p> <p><em>Describing Socioeconomic Futures for Climate Change Research and Assessment</em> explores the current state of science in scenario development and application, asserting that while little attention has been given to preparing quantitative and narrative socioeconomic information, advances in computing capacity are making development of such probabilistic scenarios a reality. It also addresses a number of specific methodological challenges and opportunities and discusses opportunities for a next round of assessments.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13007">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/bGVNDBk7kAU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13007Advancing the Science of Climate Changetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12782#final2010-12-10T00:00:00-05:002011-05-12T21:03:06-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for--and in many cases is already affecting--a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in <em>Advancing the Science of Climate Change</em>, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations.</p> <p>As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change.</p> <p><em>Advancing the Science of Climate Change</em> calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12782">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/2KNxoIycOnI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12782Informing an Effective Response to Climate Changetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12784#final2010-12-07T00:00:00-05:002011-05-12T21:43:13-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Global climate change is one of America's most significant long-term policy challenges. Human activity--especially the use of fossil fuels, industrial processes, livestock production, waste disposal, and land use change--is affecting global average temperatures, snow and ice cover, sea-level, ocean acidity, growing seasons and precipitation patterns, ecosystems, and human health. Climate-related decisions are being carried out by almost every agency of the federal government, as well as many state and local government leaders and agencies, businesses and individual citizens. Decision makers must contend with the availability and quality of information, the efficacy of proposed solutions, the unanticipated consequences resulting from decisions, the challenge of implementing chosen actions, and must consider how to sustain the action over time and respond to new information. <br /> <br /> <i>Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change,</i> a volume in the <i>America's Climate Choices</i> series, describes and assesses different activities, products, strategies, and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses. It discusses who is making decisions (on the local, state, and national levels), who should be providing information to make decisions, and how that information should be provided. It covers all levels of decision making, including international, state, and individual decision making. While most existing research has focused on the physical aspect of climate change, <i>Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change</i> employs theory and case study to describe the efforts undertaken so far, and to guide the development of future decision-making resources. <br /> <br /> <i>Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change</i> offers much-needed guidance to those creating public policy and assists in implementing that policy. The information presented in this book will be invaluable to the research community, especially social scientists studying climate change; practitioners of decision-making assistance, including advocacy organizations, non-profits, and government agencies; and college-level teachers and students.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12784">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/T_2Qp6pXYp4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12784Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Changetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12785#final2010-12-06T00:00:00-05:002011-05-12T21:52:06-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Climate change, driven by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, poses serious, wide-ranging threats to human societies and natural ecosystems around the world. The largest overall source of greenhouse gas emissions is the burning of fossil fuels. The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, the dominant greenhouse gas of concern, is increasing by roughly two parts per million per year, and the United States is currently the second-largest contributor to global emissions behind China.</p> <p><em>Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change</em>, part of the congressionally requested America's Climate Choices suite of studies, focuses on the role of the United States in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The book concludes that in order to ensure that all levels of government, the private sector, and millions of households and individuals are contributing to shared national goals, the United States should establish a "budget" that sets a limit on total domestic greenhouse emissions from 2010-2050. Meeting such a budget would require a major departure from business as usual in the way the nation produces and uses energy-and that the nation act now to aggressively deploy all available energy efficiencies and less carbon-intensive technologies and to develop new ones.</p> <p>With no financial incentives or regulatory pressure, the nation will continue to rely upon and "lock in" carbon-intensive technologies and systems unless a carbon pricing system is established-either cap-and-trade, a system of taxing emissions, or a combination of the two. Complementary policies are also needed to accelerate progress in key areas: developing more efficient, less carbon-intense energy sources in electricity and transportation; advancing full-scale development of new-generation nuclear power, carbon capture, and storage systems; and amending emissions-intensive energy infrastructure. Research and development of new technologies that could help reduce emissions more cost effectively than current options is also strongly recommended.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12785">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/7WD3TezYVwc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12785Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Changetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12783#final2010-12-06T00:00:00-05:002011-05-12T21:14:26-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Across the United States, impacts of climate change are already evident. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense, cold extremes have become less frequent, and patterns of rainfall are likely changing. The proportion of precipitation that falls as rain rather than snow has increased across the western United States and Arctic sea ice has been reduced significantly. Sea level has been rising faster than at any time in recent history, threatening the natural and built environments on the coasts. Even if emissions of greenhouse gases were substantially reduced now, climate change and its resulting impacts would continue for some time to come.</p> <p>To date, decisions related to the management and protection of the nation's people, resources, and infrastructure have been based on records in the recent past, when climate was relatively stable. <em>Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change</em>, part of the congressionally requested America's Climate Choices suite of studies, calls for a new paradigm-one that considers a range of possible future climate conditions and impacts that may be well outside the realm of past experience.</p> <p>Adaptation requires actions from many decision makers in federal, state, tribal, and local governments; the private sector; non-governmental organizations; and community groups. However, current efforts are hampered by a lack of solid information about the benefits, costs, and effectiveness of various adaptation options; climate information on regional and local scales; and a lack of coordination. <em>Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change </em>calls for a national adaptation strategy that provides needed technical and scientific resources, incentives to begin adaptation planning, guidance across jurisdictions, shared lessons learned, and support of scientific research to expand knowledge of impacts and adaptation. <br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12783">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/vPH5PD7NAU8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12783A Review of the Proposed Revisions to the Federal Principles and Guidelines Water Resources Planning Documenttag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13071#final2010-12-02T09:45:01-05:002012-03-08T11:25:42-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Since it was issued in 1983, the federal document Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies (the P&G) has guided water resources project planning for four federal agencies. Since the early 1980s, however, there have been many changes in the national water resources planning landscape. In light of these developments, many groups -- including committees of the National Research Council -- have recommended that the P&G be reviewed and modernized. In 2007 the U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of the Army to revise the P&G. Congress also directed the Secretary to consult with other entities, including the National Academy of Sciences. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released its "Proposed National Objectives, Principles and Standards for Water and Related Resources Implementation Studies" in December, 2009. The present report from the National Research Council constitutes a review of the 2009 document issued by the CEQ. <br /> <br /> An effort to modernize the P&G document so that it reflects contemporary planning methods and principles, and today's societal and economic priorities, is timely. However, as this report explains, the 2009 proposed revisions lack clarity and consistency in several respects. Given that the 2009 document represents only a partial revision to the P&G document, and given several areas of ambiguity and incompleteness in the 2009 proposed revisions, detailed advice on specific planning procedures at this point would be premature. As CEQ proceeds with further revisions to the P&G document, clarification and specification in these areas detailed below will be necessary for the document to be of value to CEQ and the federal agencies that will use the document in decision making.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13071">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Z7wuKLkstzw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13071Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 3tag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13052#final2010-11-29T10:45:20-05:002010-12-01T09:15:06-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The St. Johns River Water Management District in northeast Florida is studying the feasibility of withdrawing water from the St. Johns River for the purpose of augmenting future public water supply. The District requested that its Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS) be reviewed by a committee of the National Research Council (NRC) as it progresses. This third report from the NRC committee focuses on the hydrology and hydrodynamics workgroup.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13052">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/4_ouLyZUlMo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13052When Weather Matters: Science and Service to Meet Critical Societal Needstag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12888#final2010-11-09T00:00:00-05:002010-11-10T16:34:51-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The past 15 years have seen marked progress in observing, understanding, and predicting weather. At the same time, the United States has failed to match or surpass progress in operational numerical weather prediction achieved by other nations and failed to realize its prediction potential; as a result, the nation is not mitigating weather impacts to the extent possible. <br /> <br /> This book represents a sense of the weather community as guided by the discussions of a Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate community workshop held in summer 2009. The book puts forth the committee's judgment on the most pressing high level, weather-focused research challenges and research to operations needs, and makes corresponding recommendations. The book addresses issues including observations, global non-hydrostatic coupled modeling, data assimilation, probabilistic forecasting, and quantitative precipitation and hydrologic forecasting. The book also identifies three important, emerging issues--predictions of very high impact weather, urban meteorology, and renewable energy development--not recognized or emphasized in previous studies. Cutting across all of these challenges is a set of socioeconomic issues, whose importance and emphasis--while increasing--has been undervalued and underemphasized in the past and warrants greater recognition and priority today.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12888">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/7Sc7VNprgzc" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12888Facilitating Climate Change Responses: A Report of Two Workshops on Insights from the Social and Behavioral Sciencestag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12996#final2010-11-02T10:45:01-04:002010-11-02T10:45:15-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, understanding the need for policy makers at the national level to entrain the behavioral and social sciences in addressing the challenges of global climate change, called on the National Research Council to organize two workshops to showcase some of the decision-relevant contributions that these sciences have already made and can advance with future efforts. The workshops focused on two broad areas: (1) mitigation (behavioral elements of a strategy to reduce the net future human influence on climate) and (2) adaptation (behavioral and social determinants of societal capacity to minimize the damage from climate changes that are not avoided).</p> <p><em>Facilitating Climate Change Responses</em> documents the information presented in the workshop presentations and discussions. This material illustrates some of the ways the behavioral and social sciences can contribute to the new era of climate research.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12996">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/s8CFtW0vh_A" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12996Monitoring Climate Change Impacts: Metrics at the Intersection of the Human and Earth Systemstag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12965#final2010-10-27T00:00:00-04:002010-10-28T09:19:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The stresses associated with climate change are expected to be felt keenly as human population grows to a projected 9 billion by the middle of this century, increasing the demand for resources and supporting infrastructure. Therefore, information to assess vulnerabilities to climate change is needed to support policies and investments designed to increase resilience in human and Earth systems. <br /> <br /> There are currently many observing systems that capture elements of how climate is changing, for example, direct measurements of atmospheric and ocean temperature. Although those measurements are essential for understanding the scale and nature of climate change, they do not necessarily provide information about the impacts of climate change on humans that are especially relevant for political and economic planning and decision making. <br /> <br /> <em>Monitoring Climate Change Impacts</em> tackles the challenge of developing an illustrative suite of indicators, measurements (and the locations around the globe where the measurements can be applied), and metrics that are important for understanding global climate change and providing insight into environmental sustainability. Eight panels provided input on: cryosphere, land-surface and terrestrial ecosystems, hydrology and water resources, atmosphere, human health and other dimensions, oceans (both physical and biological/chemical), and natural disasters. The book also provides an illustrative set of metrics that are likely to be affected by climate change over the next 20-25 years and, when taken together, can potentially give advance warning of climate-related changes to the human and environment systems.</p> <p> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12965">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=371'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/5qObKBX3aYE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12965Precise Geodetic Infrastructure: National Requirements for a Shared Resourcetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12954#final2010-10-25T00:00:00-04:002010-10-26T11:26:41-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Geodesy is the science of accurately measuring and understanding three fundamental properties of Earth: its geometric shape, its orientation in space, and its gravity field, as well as the changes of these properties with time. Over the past half century, the United States, in cooperation with international partners, has led the development of geodetic techniques and instrumentation. Geodetic observing systems provide a significant benefit to society in a wide array of military, research, civil, and commercial areas, including sea level change monitoring, autonomous navigation, tighter low flying routes for strategic aircraft, precision agriculture, civil surveying, earthquake monitoring, forest structural mapping and biomass estimation, and improved floodplain mapping. <br /> <br /> Recognizing the growing reliance of a wide range of scientific and societal endeavors on infrastructure for precise geodesy, and recognizing geodetic infrastructure as a shared national resource, this book provides an independent assessment of the benefits provided by geodetic observations and networks, as well as a plan for the future development and support of the infrastructure needed to meet the demand for increasingly greater precision. Precise Geodetic Infrastructure makes a series of focused recommendations for upgrading and improving specific elements of the infrastructure, for enhancing the role of the United States in international geodetic services, for evaluating the requirements for a geodetic workforce for the coming decades, and for providing national coordination and advocacy for the various agencies and organizations that contribute to the geodetic infrastructure.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12954">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=420'>Space Systems and Hardware</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=284'>Engineering and Technology</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=360'>Applications of Technology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=335'>Geography and Mapping</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/cJ1QU4Pgypw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12954The Future of Air Traffic Control: Human Operators and Automationtag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6018#final2010-10-04T10:58:51-04:001969-12-31T19:00:00-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
Automation in air traffic control may increase efficiency, but it also raises questions about adequate human control over automated systems. Following on the panel's first volume on air traffic control automation, <I>Flight to the Future</I> (NRC, 1997), this book focuses on the interaction of pilots and air traffic controllers, with a growing network of automated functions in the airspace system.<br>The panel offers recommendations for development of human-centered automation, addressing key areas such as providing levels of automation that are appropriate to levels of risk, examining procedures for recovery from emergencies, free flight versus ground-based authority, and more.<br>The book explores ways in which technology can build on human strengths and compensate for human vulnerabilities, minimizing both mistrust of automation and complacency about its abilities. The panel presents an overview of emerging technologies and trends toward automation within the national airspace system--in areas such as global positioning and other aspects of surveillance, flight information provided to pilots an controllers, collision avoidance, strategic long-term planning, and systems for training and maintenance.<br>The book examines how to achieve better integration of research and development, including the importance of user involvement in air traffic control. It also discusses how to harmonize the wide range of functions in the national airspace system, with a detailed review of the free flight initiative.<br> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6018">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=294'>Transportation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=425'>Aviation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=277'>Behavioral and Social Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=404'>Human Factors</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/9pxXSFpCJNY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6018Flight to the Future: Human Factors in Air Traffic Controltag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5493#final2010-10-04T10:58:51-04:001969-12-31T19:00:00-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
This volume provides a baseline of knowledge about the capabilities and limitations of humans relative to the functions performed in air traffic control. It focuses on balancing safety with the expeditious flow of air traffic, identifying lessons from past air accidents. The book discusses the function of the national airspace system; procedures for hiring, training, and evaluating controllers; factors in controllers' performance; and more.<br> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5493">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=294'>Transportation</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=422'>Policy</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=277'>Behavioral and Social Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=404'>Human Factors</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/3kbI0dLK_2g" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5493Active Tectonics: Impact on Societytag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=624#final2010-10-04T10:58:51-04:001969-12-31T19:00:00-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
Over 250,000 people were killed in the Tangshan, China earthquake of 1976, and other less active tectonic processes can disrupt river channels or have a grave impact on repositories of radioactive wastes. Since tectonic processes can be critical to many human activities, the Geophysics Study Committee Panel on Active Tectonics has presented an evaluation of the current state of knowledge about tectonic events, which include not only earthquakes but volcanic eruptions and similar events. This book addresses three main topics: the tectonic processes and their rates, methods of identifying and evaluating active tectonics, and the effects of active tectonics on society.<br> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=624">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/f1qnqtRigfo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=624Understanding Climate Change Feedbackstag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10850#final2010-10-04T10:58:51-04:001969-12-31T19:00:00-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<P>During the past decade, scientists have learned much about the complex natural processes that influence climate variability and change, and our ability to model climate has increased significantly. We also have begun to better identify those parts of the climate system that are particularly important and not well understood and that therefore limit our ability to project the future evolution of Earth s climate. One of these critical areas is our understanding of the role of feedbacks in the climate system and their role in determining climate sensitivity. Feedbacks are processes in the climate system that can either amplify or dampen the system s response to changed forcings. This study looks at what is known and not known about climate change feedbacks and seeks to identify the feedback processes most in need of improved understanding. It identifies key observations needed to monitor and understand climate feedbacks, discusses ways to evaluate progress in understanding climate feedbacks, recommends ways to improve climate modeling and analysis for climate feedbacks research, and identifies priority areas for research.</P> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10850">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/kbtHYYid3mQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10850Snow Avalanche Hazards and Mitigation in the United Statestag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1571#final2010-10-04T10:58:51-04:001969-12-31T19:00:00-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
The present mortality as a result of snow avalanches exceeds the average mortality caused by earthquakes as well as all other forms of slope failure combined. Snow avalanches can range from small amounts of loose snow moving rapidly down a slope to slab avalanches, in which large chunks of snow break off and destroy everything in their path. Although considered a hazard in the United States since the westward expansion in the nineteenth century, in modern times snow avalanches are an increasing concern in recreational mountainous areas. However, programs for snow avalanche hazard mitigation in other countries are far ahead of those in the United States.<br>The book identifies several steps that should be taken by the United States in order to establish guidelines for research, technology transfer, and avalanche legislation and zoning.<br> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1571">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/O8HFXUffutE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1571Advancing Aeronautical Safety: A Review of NASA's Aviation Safety-Related Research Programstag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12950#final2010-09-29T00:00:00-04:002010-09-30T17:49:29-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Advancing the state of aviation safety is a central mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Congress requested this review of NASA's aviation safety-related research programs, seeking an assessment of whether the programs have well-defined, prioritized, and appropriate research objectives; whether resources have been allocated appropriately among these objectives; whether the programs are well coordinated with the safety research programs of the Federal Aviation Administration; and whether suitable mechanisms are in place for transitioning the research results into operational technologies and procedures and certification activities in a timely manner. <br /> <br /> <i>Advancing Aeronautical Safety</i> contains findings and recommendations with respect to each of the main aspects of the review sought by Congress. These findings indicate that NASA's aeronautics research enterprise has made, and continues to make, valuable contributions to aviation system safety but it is falling short and needs improvement in some key respects.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12950">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=293'>Space and Aeronautics</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=416'>Aircraft and Flight</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/CAXygrCAatQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12950Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Oceantag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12904#final2010-09-14T00:00:00-04:002012-10-09T16:14:38-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. This benefits human society by moderating the rate of climate change, but also causes unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry. Carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean decreases the pH of the water and leads to a suite of chemical changes collectively known as ocean acidification. The long term consequences of ocean acidification are not known, but are expected to result in changes to many ecosystems and the services they provide to society. <i>Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean</i> reviews the current state of knowledge, explores gaps in understanding, and identifies several key findings. <br><br> Like climate change, ocean acidification is a growing global problem that will intensify with continued CO2 emissions and has the potential to change marine ecosystems and affect benefits to society. The federal government has taken positive initial steps by developing a national ocean acidification program, but more information is needed to fully understand and address the threat that ocean acidification may pose to marine ecosystems and the services they provide. In addition, a global observation network of chemical and biological sensors is needed to monitor changes in ocean conditions attributable to acidification. <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12904">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/yGWeJI-i784" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12904Assessment of Intraseasonal to Interannual Climate Prediction and Predictabilitytag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12878#final2010-09-08T10:45:02-04:002010-09-09T12:10:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>More accurate forecasts of climate conditions over time periods of weeks to a few years could help people plan agricultural activities, mitigate drought, and manage energy resources, amongst other activities; however, current forecast systems have limited ability on these time- scales. Models for such climate forecasts must take into account complex interactions among the ocean, atmosphere, and land surface. Such processes can be difficult to represent realistically. To improve the quality of forecasts, this book makes recommendations about the development of the tools used in forecasting and about specific research goals for improving understanding of sources of predictability. To improve the accessibility of these forecasts to decision-makers and researchers, this book also suggests best practices to improve how forecasts are made and disseminated.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12878">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/81OoEF9nfwM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12878Assessment of Sea-Turtle Status and Trends: Integrating Demography and Abundancetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12889#final2010-09-07T00:00:00-04:002010-09-09T11:55:45-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>All six species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as endangered or threatened, but the exact population sizes of these species are unknown due to a lack of key information regarding birth and survival rates. The U.S. Endangered Species Act prohibits the hunting of sea turtles and reduces incidental losses from activities such as shrimp trawling and development on beaches used for nesting. However, current monitoring does not provide enough information on sea turtle populations to evaluate the effectiveness of these protective measures. </p> <p><em>Sea Turtle Status and Trends </em>reviews current methods for assessing sea turtle populations and finds that although counts of sea turtles are essential, more detailed information on sea turtle biology, such as survival rates and breeding patterns, is needed to predict and understand changes in populations in order to develop successful management and conservation plans.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12889">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/8R73L8zYXT4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12889A Scientific Assessment of Alternatives for Reducing Water Management Effects on Threatened and Endangered Fishes in California's Bay Deltatag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12881#final2010-07-13T00:00:00-04:002010-07-15T11:04:20-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>California's Bay-Delta estuary is a biologically diverse estuarine ecosystem that plays a central role in the distribution of California's water from the state's wetter northern regions to its southern, arid, and populous cities and agricultural areas. Recently, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service required changes (reasonable and prudent alternatives, or RPAs) in water operations and related actions to avoid jeopardizing the continued existence and potential for recovery of threatened species of fish. Those changes have reduced the amount of water available for other uses, and the tensions that resulted have been exacerbated by recent dry years. <br /> <br /> The complexity of the problem of the decline of the listed species and the difficulty of identifying viable solutions have led to disagreements, including concerns that some of the actions in the RPAs might be ineffective and might cause harm and economic disruptions to water users, and that some of the actions specified in the RPAs to help one or more of the listed species might harm others. In addition, some have suggested that the agencies might be able to meet their legal obligation to protect species with less economic disruptions to other water users. <br /> <br /> The National Research Council examines the issue in the present volume to conclude that most of the actions proposed by two federal agencies to protect endangered and threatened fish species through water diversions in the California Bay-Delta are "scientifically justified." But less well-supported by scientific analyses is the basis for the specific environmental triggers that would indicate when to reduce the water diversions required by the actions.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12881">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/M1GXJ2IRMlU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12881NOAA's Education Program: Review and Critiquetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12867#final2010-06-23T00:00:00-04:002010-03-03T10:45:01-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>There is a national need to educate the public about the ocean, coastal resources, atmosphere and climate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency responsible for understanding and predicting changes in the Earth's environment and conserving and managing coastal and marine resources to meet the nation's economic, social and environmental needs, has a broad mandate to engage and coordinate education initiatives on these topics. Since its creation in 1970, the NOAA has supported a variety of education projects that cover a range of topics related to the agency's scientific and stewardship mission.<br /> <br /> NOAA uses formal and informal learning environments to enhance understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to advance environmental education. The work of this agency overlaps and compliments the missions of other federal agencies, institutions of higher education, private and nonprofit organizations. Coordination among these agencies and organizations has been challenging. Limited education resources and the inherently global nature of NOAA's mission make strategic partnerships critical in order for the agency to accomplish its goals. Additionally, clear education goals, planning, and strategic use of resources are critical aspects for effective partnerships.<br /> <br /> <em>NOAA's Education Program: Review and Critique</em> provides a summary of the national education context for NOAA's role in education which is twofold: first is to advance the environmental literacy of the nation, and second is to promote a diverse workforce in ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, atmospheric and climate sciences. The book also describes the strengths and weaknesses of the education strategic plan, the education evaluation approach of the agency and strategies for improving the evaluation process.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12867">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=282'>Education</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=350'>Math and Science Education</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/3xM93l2rLM8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12867Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciencestag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12860#final2010-06-23T00:00:00-04:002010-08-13T10:39:03-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>From the oceans to continental heartlands, human activities have altered the physical characteristics of Earth's surface. With Earth's population projected to peak at 8 to 12 billion people by 2050 and the additional stress of climate change, it is more important than ever to understand how and where these changes are happening. Innovation in the geographical sciences has the potential to advance knowledge of place-based environmental change, sustainability, and the impacts of a rapidly changing economy and society. <br /> <br /> <i>Understanding the Changing Planet</i> outlines eleven strategic directions to focus research and leverage new technologies to harness the potential that the geographical sciences offer.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12860">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=282'>Education</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=350'>Math and Science Education</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/qcvhN51NhII" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12860Review of the WATERS Network Science Plantag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12898#final2010-06-07T00:00:00-04:002010-04-30T09:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>One of the most critical issues facing the United States today is the proper management of our water resources. Water availability and quality are changing due to increasing population, urbanization, and land use and climate change, and shortages in water supply have been increasing in frequency in many parts of the country. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has entertained the Water and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network as one possible initiative whereby NSF could provide the advances in the basic science needed to respond effectively to the challenge of managing water resources. <br /> <br /> The WATERS Network, a joint initiative of the Engineering, the Geosciences, and the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorates at NSF, is envisioned as an integrated national network of observatories and experimental facilities supporting research, outreach, and education on large-scale, water-related environmental problems. The proposed observatories would provide researchers with access to linked sensing networks, data repositories, and computational tools connected through high-performance computing and telecommunications networks. <br /> <br /> This book, the final of a series about the WATERS project, provides a more detailed review of the Science Plan and provides advice on collaborating with other federal agencies.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12898">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/xhdVGlQazJY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12898Landscapes on the Edge: New Horizons for Research on Earth's Surfacetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12700#final2010-03-25T00:00:00-04:002009-11-18T10:45:01-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>During geologic spans of time, Earth's shifting tectonic plates, atmosphere, freezing water, thawing ice, flowing rivers, and evolving life have shaped Earth's surface features. The resulting hills, mountains, valleys, and plains shelter ecosystems that interact with all life and provide a record of Earth surface processes that extend back through Earth's history. Despite rapidly growing scientific knowledge of Earth surface interactions, and the increasing availability of new monitoring technologies, there is still little understanding of how these processes generate and degrade landscapes.<br /> <br /> <i>Landscapes on the Edge</i> identifies nine grand challenges in this emerging field of study and proposes four high-priority research initiatives. The book poses questions about how our planet's past can tell us about its future, how landscapes record climate and tectonics, and how Earth surface science can contribute to developing a sustainable living surface for future generations.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12700">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=336'>Geology and Landforms</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/hczLbmvXPpQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12700Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculturetag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12802#final2010-03-18T00:00:00-04:002010-02-17T15:45:01-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>U.S. mariculture production of bivalve molluscs-those cultivated in the marine environment-has roughly doubled over the last 25 years. Although mariculture operations may expand the production of seafood without additional exploitation of wild populations, they still depend upon and affect natural ecosystems and ecosystem services. Every additional animal has an incremental effect arising from food extraction and waste excretion. Increasing domestic seafood production in the United States in an environmentally and socially responsible way will likely require the use of policy tools, such as best management practices (BMPs) and performance standards.</p> <p>BMPs represent one approach to protecting against undesirable consequences of mariculture. An alternative approach to voluntary or mandatory BMPs is the establishment of performance standards for mariculture. Variability in environmental conditions makes it difficult to develop BMPs that are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to protect ecosystem integrity across a broad range of locations and conditions. An alternative that measures performance in sustaining key indicators of ecosystem state and function may be more effective. Because BMPs address mariculture methods rather than monitoring actual ecosystem responses, they do not guarantee that detrimental ecosystem impacts will be controlled or that unacceptable impact will be avoided.</p> <p><em>Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture </em>finds that while performance standards can be applied for some broad ecosystem indicators, BMPs may be more appropriate for addressing parameters that change from site to site, such as the species being cultured, different culture methods, and various environmental conditions. This book takes an in-depth look at the environmental, social, and economic issues to present recommendations for sustainable bivalve mariculture.</p> <p><br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12802">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=276'>Agriculture</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=297'>Aquaculture and Fisheries</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/PQVqWCHk57s" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12802Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolutiontag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12825#final2010-03-17T00:00:00-04:002010-03-03T10:45:39-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The hominin fossil record documents a history of critical evolutionary events that have ultimately shaped and defined what it means to be human, including the origins of bipedalism; the emergence of our genus Homo; the first use of stone tools; increases in brain size; and the emergence of Homo sapiens, tools, and culture. The Earth's geological record suggests that some evolutionary events were coincident with substantial changes in African and Eurasian climate, raising the possibility that critical junctures in human evolution and behavioral development may have been affected by the environmental characteristics of the areas where hominins evolved. <em>Understanding Climate's Change on Human Evolution </em>explores the opportunities of using scientific research to improve our understanding of how climate may have helped shape our species.<br /> <br /> Improved climate records for specific regions will be required before it is possible to evaluate how critical resources for hominins, especially water and vegetation, would have been distributed on the landscape during key intervals of hominin history. Existing records contain substantial temporal gaps. The book's initiatives are presented in two major research themes: first, determining the impacts of climate change and climate variability on human evolution and dispersal; and second, integrating climate modeling, environmental records, and biotic responses.<br /> <br /> <em>Understanding Climate's Change on Human Evolution </em>suggests a new scientific program for international climate and human evolution studies that involve an exploration initiative to locate new fossil sites and to broaden the geographic and temporal sampling of the fossil and archeological record; a comprehensive and integrative scientific drilling program in lakes, lake bed outcrops, and ocean basins surrounding the regions where hominins evolved and a major investment in climate modeling experiments for key time intervals and regions that are critical to understanding human evolution.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12825">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=278'>Biology and Life Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=312'>Biodiversity</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/J-r6EvdQsIs" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12825Private-Public Sector Collaboration to Enhance Community Disaster Resilience: A Workshop Reporttag:nap.edu,2010:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12864#final2010-02-23T00:00:00-05:002010-02-22T09:45:01-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) on the United States prompted a rethinking of how the United States prepares for disasters. Federal policy documents written since 9/11 have stressed that the private and public sectors share equal responsibility for the security of the nation's critical infrastructure and key assets. Private sector entities have a role in the safety, security, and resilience of the communities in which they operate. Incentivizing the private sector to expend resources on community efforts remains challenging. Disasters in the United States since 9/11 (e.g., Hurricane Katrina in 2005) indicate that the nation has not yet been successful in making its communities resilient to disaster.<br /> <br /> In this book, the National Research Council assesses the current states of the art and practice in private-public sector collaboration dedicated to strengthening community disaster resilience.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12864">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=423'>Policy for Science and Technology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/lZo8BSB5qvo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12864Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 2tag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12827#final2009-12-17T10:45:01-05:002009-12-17T10:45:01-05:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
This report is the second in a series providing ongoing advice to the St. Johns River Water Management District (the District) as it considers withdrawing additional water from the St. Johns River in east-central Florida for future public supply. The first report included a series of recommendations, some broad and others specific to the seven scientific workgroups that are conducting the Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS).<br><br> A major focus of the present report is the District's responses to those recommendations. This report expresses thoughts and opinions on the District's efforts in that regard and is targeted at the District scientists that have conducted the WSIS. Much of this report focuses on particular areas where the committee concludes that additional or continued attention and work are warranted. <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12827">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/MMZ5fQyuSkk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12827Science at Sea: Meeting Future Oceanographic Goals with a Robust Academic Research Fleettag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12775#final2009-11-23T00:00:00-05:002009-10-13T12:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The U.S. academic research fleet is an essential national resource, and it is likely that scientific demands on the fleet will increase. Oceanographers are embracing a host of remote technologies that can facilitate the collection of data, but will continue to require capable, adaptable research vessels for access to the sea for the foreseeable future. Maintaining U.S. leadership in ocean research will require investing in larger and more capable general purpose Global and Regional class ships; involving the scientific community in all phases of ship design and acquisition; and improving coordination between agencies that operate research fleets.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12775">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=338'>Ocean Studies</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=373'>Pollution Prevention</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/hbz8jW3wAlk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12775Final Report from the NRC Committee on the Review of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LACPR) Programtag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12708#final2009-10-16T00:00:00-04:002009-07-17T10:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LACPR) draft final technical report in March, 2009. In response to federal legislation, the Corps had to analyze hurricane protection, and design and present a full range of measures to protect against a storm equivalent to a category 5 hurricane. The request included measures for flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection, and stipulated close coordination with the State of Louisiana and its appropriate agencies. <br /> <br /> This is the second and final report from the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on the Review of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LACPR) Program. The committee was charged to review two draft reports from the LACPR team and to assess the hurricane risk reduction framework, alternatives for flood control, storm protection, coastal restoration, and risk analysis. This report presents this committee's review and advice for improvements of the LACPR March 2009 draft final technical report.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12708">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=332'>Earthquakes, Floods and Natural Disasters</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=340'>Policy, Reviews and Evaluations</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/6esyEAkyBxk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12708Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health: Workshop Summarytag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12658#final2009-09-25T08:45:02-04:002009-09-25T08:45:02-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>As the human population grows--tripling in the past century while, simultaneously, quadrupling its demand for water--Earth's finite freshwater supplies are increasingly strained, and also increasingly contaminated by domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastes. Today, approximately one-third of the world's population lives in areas with scarce water resources. Nearly one billion people currently lack access to an adequate water supply, and more than twice as many lack access to basic sanitation services. It is projected that by 2025 water scarcity will affect nearly two-thirds of all people on the planet. <br /> <br /> Recognizing that water availability, water quality, and sanitation are fundamental issues underlying infectious disease emergence and spread, the Institute of Medicine held a two-day public workshop, summarized in this volume. Through invited presentations and discussions, participants explored global and local connections between water, sanitation, and health; the spectrum of water-related disease transmission processes as they inform intervention design; lessons learned from water-related disease outbreaks; vulnerabilities in water and sanitation infrastructure in both industrialized and developing countries; and opportunities to improve water and sanitation infrastructure so as to reduce the risk of water-related infectious disease.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12658">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=288'>Health and Medicine</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=390'>Global Health</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/jE2Uab0jjPE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12658Uncertainty Management in Remote Sensing of Climate Data: Summary of a Workshoptag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12677#final2009-09-10T09:45:01-04:002009-09-10T09:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
Great advances have been made in our understanding of the climate system over the past few decades, and remotely sensed data have played a key role in supporting many of these advances. Improvements in satellites and in computational and data-handling techniques have yielded high quality, readily accessible data. However, rapid increases in data volume have also led to large and complex datasets that pose significant challenges in data analysis. Uncertainty characterization is needed for every satellite mission and scientists continue to be challenged by the need to reduce the uncertainty in remotely sensed climate records and projections. The approaches currently used to quantify the uncertainty in remotely sensed data lack an overall mathematically based framework. An additional challenge is characterizing uncertainty in ways that are useful to a broad spectrum of end-users. <br /><br /> In December 2008, the National Academies held a workshop, summarized in this volume, to survey how statisticians, climate scientists, and remote sensing experts might address the challenges of uncertainty management in remote sensing of climate data. The workshop emphasized raising and discussing issues that could be studied more intently by individual researchers or teams of researchers, and setting the stage for possible future collaborative activities. <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12677">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=367'>Climate Change</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/21o9EiaC1G4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12677Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 1tag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12733#final2009-09-08T00:00:00-04:002009-08-06T10:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida, containing extensive freshwater wetlands, numerous large lakes, a wide estuarine channel, and a correspondingly diverse array of native flora and fauna. Water resource management in the river's watershed is the responsibility of the St. Johns River Water Management District (the District). The District must provide water for the region's 4.4 million residents as well as numerous industrial and agricultural users, all while protecting natural systems within the river basin.<br /> With population growth in the watershed expected to surpass 7.2 million in 2030, the District, through its water resources planning process, has begun to identify alternative sources of water beyond its traditional groundwater sources, including the potential withdrawal of 262 million gallons per day from the St. Johns River. To more comprehensively evaluate the environmental impacts of withdrawing this water from the river, the District embarked on a two-year Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS), and requested the involvement of the National Research Council. The present volume reviews the Phase I work of the WSIS and provides recommendations for improving Phase II. <br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12733">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=368'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/Np_VpNYY5qM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12733Toward a Sustainable and Secure Water Future: A Leadership Role for the U.S. Geological Surveytag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12672#final2009-09-03T00:00:00-04:002009-05-19T10:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>Water is our most fundamental natural resource, a resource that is limited. Challenges to our nation's water resources continue to grow, driven by population growth, ecological needs, climate change, and other pressures. The nation needs more and improved water science and information to meet these challenges. <br /> <br /> Toward a Sustainable and Secure Water Future reviews the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Resource Discipline (WRD), one of the nation's foremost water science organizations. This book provides constructive advice to help the WRD meet the nation's water needs over the coming decades. Of interest primarily to the leadership of the USGS WRD, many findings and recommendations also target the USGS leadership and the Department of Interior (DOI), because their support is necessary for the WRD to respond to the water needs of the nation.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12672">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=285'>Environment and Environmental Studies</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=377'>Water Quality</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=342'>Water and Hydrology</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=337'>Natural Resources and Conservation</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/TSRd9-ivNjU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12672Frontiers in Soil Science Research: Report of a Workshoptag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12666#final2009-08-26T10:45:01-04:002009-08-26T10:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>There has been renewed interest in soil and soil science in recent years as the recognition that biogeochemical processes that occur at the Earth's surface influence global climate change, land degradation and remediation, the fate and transport of nutrients and contaminants, soil and water conservation, soil and water quality, food sufficiency and safety, and many other issues pertinent to the stewardship and conservation of land and water resources. In some areas of the Earth we have approached near irreversible soil conditions that may threaten the existence of future generations. Understanding the long-term implications of decreased soil quality and addressing the aforementioned challenges will require new information based on advances and breakthroughs in soil science research that need to be effectively communicated to stakeholders, policy makers, and the general public.<br /> <br /> On December 12-14, 2005, the National Academies convened the Frontiers in Soil Science Research Workshop, summarized in this volume, to identify emerging areas for research in soil science by addressing the interaction of soil science subdisciplines, collaborative research with other disciplines, and the use of new technologies in research. The workshop focused around seven key questions addressing research frontiers for the individual soil science disciplines, and also addressing the need for integration across soil science with other disciplines.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12666">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=341'>Soil Science</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/cpqaC79Doh0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12666Letter Report on the Orbiting Carbon Observatorytag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12723#final2009-07-31T08:46:07-04:002009-07-31T08:46:07-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>A National Research Council committee is conducting a study on how well greenhouse gas emissions can be measured for treaty monitoring and verification. The committee's analysis suggests that NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), which failed on launch in February 2009, would have provided proof of concept for spaceborne technologies to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, as well as baseline emissions data. This letter focuses on the capabilities of an OCO and currently deployed satellites that measure atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and their potential role in monitoring and verifying a greenhouse gas treaty.</p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12723">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=331'>Climate, Weather and Meteorology</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/ftBa75IrjIY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12723Shellfish Mariculture in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore, Californiatag:nap.edu,2009:http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12667#final2009-07-17T00:00:00-04:002009-05-05T11:45:01-04:00The National Academies Presshttp://www.nap.edu
<p><strong>Final Book Now Available</strong></p>
<p>When Drakes Estero, which lies within the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) about 25 miles northwest of San Francisco, California, was designated by Congress in 1976 as Potential Wilderness, it contained a commercial shellfish mariculture operation. Oyster mariculture began in Drakes Estero with the introduction of the nonnative Pacific oyster in 1932, and has been conducted continuously from that date forward. Hence, the cultural history of oyster farming predates the designation of Point Reyes as a National Seashore in 1962. <br /> <br /> Nevertheless, with the approach of the 2012 expiration date of the current National Park Service (NPS) Reservation of Use and Occupancy (RUO) and Special Use Permit (SUP) that allows Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC) to operate within the estero, NPS has expressed concern over the scope and intensity of impacts of the shellfish culture operations on the estero's ecosystem. Public debate over whether scientific information justifies closing the oyster farm led to the request for this study to help clarify the scientific issues raised with regard to the shellfish mariculture activities in Drakes Estero.<br /> </p> <p>[<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12667">Read the full report</a>]</p> <p><strong>Topics:</strong> <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=281'>Earth Sciences</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=333'>Ecology and Ecosystems</a> | <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=276'>Agriculture</a> » <a href='http://www.nap.edu/topics.php?id=297'>Aquaculture and Fisheries</a></p><br />
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nap/new/topic/281/~4/SeB8U41qpgU" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12667