THE SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED UNDER THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT REQUIRES THE INTEGRATION OF THE NECESSARY EXPERTISE REQUIRED TO TACKLE MULTIDISCIPLINARY MULTIFACETED PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE OBSERVATION AND MODELING OF THE EARTH'S CLIMATE SYSTEM INCLUDING CLIMATE VARIABILITY LONG-TERM CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCIENTISTS AT THE GODDARD INSTITUTE FOR SPACE STUDIES AND THE CENTER FOR CLIMATE SYSTEMS RESEARCH (GISS/CCSR) FULFILLS THIS SCOPE IN LARGE PART THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF COMPLEX COMPUTATIONAL EARTH SYSTEM MODELS. CCSR PERSONNEL EMPLOY OBSERVATIONS AND SIMULATION RESULTS TO ADVANCE THE STUDY OF CLIMATE SENSITIVITY TO BOTH NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC FORCINGS. THEY CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS PROVIDING AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHYSICAL BASIS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AS WELL AS RESEARCH INTO THE AREA OF CLIMATE IMPACTS AS THEY RELATE TO SOCIETAL VULNERABILITIES FUTURE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AND MITIGATION POTENTIAL. GISS/CCSR WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF PROVIDING AN ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTH'S CLIMATE SENSITIVITY CLIMATE VARIABILITY AS WELL AS THE FORCING AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS THAT CONTROL THEM. HOWEVER THE CENTER'S OBJECTIVES ALSO INCLUDE RESEARCH ON THE TYPES OF CLIMATE-RELATED CHANGES THAT SOCIETIES WILL FACE DURING THE COMING DECADES TO HELP DETERMINE THE SEVERITY OF THE IMPACTS ACROSS DIVERSE SECTORS SUCH AS AGRICULTURE PUBLIC HEALTH AND TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. IN ADDITION TO BASIC RESEARCH GISS/CCSR SCIENTISTS WORK INTERACTIVELY WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO GENERATE ACTIONABLE INFORMATION THAT WILL HELP THE PUBLIC BECOME MORE AWARE OF CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO THE IMPACTS OF FUTURE CLIMATE-RELATED PROBLEMS AND TO INCREASE THE NATION'S CAPACITY TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE PRESENTED IF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES CAN BE RENDERED MORE PREDICTABLE.