The 1997 Conference on the World Climate Research Programme to the Third Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded that the global capacity to observe the Earth's climate system is inadequate and is deteriorating worldwide. As a result, the chair of the subcommittee of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) requested a National Research Council study to assess the current status of the climate observing capabilities of the United States. This report focuses on existing observing systems for detection and attribution of climate change, with special emphasis on those systems with long time series.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1 Questions and Answers
2 Findings and Recommendations
3 Concluding Remarks
References
Appendix A Message from the 1997 Conference on the WCRP
Appendix B Framework Convention on Climate Change
Appendix C Statement of Task
Appendix D Letter to Thomas Karl
Appendix E Decision 14/CP.4
Appendix F Acronyms