Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) in Support of National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Missions

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) provides a locus for National Research Council (NRC) activities on major atmosphere, weather, and climate-related science, engineering, and policy issues. BASC provides guidance to many federal agencies, offers a venue for advancing science and policy related to these topics, oversees development and oversight of ad hoc NRC studies on relevant subjects, and conducts outreach, education, and international engagement activities. The Board provides oversight to the NRC Committee to Advise the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and serves as the US National Committee to the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). It strives overall to help atmospheric science remain vibrant and have a broader impact on society. This award provides support for the core functions of the Board for a three-year period. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provide additional funds toward BASC's core operations and activities. This base level support is essential for enabling BASC to quickly respond to emerging needs from the sponsor community, draw attention to new issues identified by the scientific community, and engage broadly in the national and international discourse related to atmospheric and climate science. In addition it will enable the Board to hold two "summer study" workshops on topics of emerging interest. The award also supports the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship, a 10-12 week educational and training opportunity for early career scientists. Mirzayan fellows support a range of Board activities, including background research for BASC studies and helping to organize the board meetings. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.