Eyes in the sky grow dim (BBC) {US not funding climate satellites}

[eppur_se_muova]

By Molly Bentley
San Francisco

At a time when climate change impacts are accelerating, our ability to observe those impacts from space is deteriorating.

Cuts in US government funding for Nasa programmes will dramatically weaken scientists' capacity to monitor and understand the planet's climate; at least, so says a major study from the National Research Council (NRC), published earlier this year.

If present trends continue, they conclude, by 2015 the number of US Earth-observing satellite missions will be reduced by half, putting the scientific systems they support "at risk of collapse."

They warn that such a loss would severely hamper the ability of scientists to collect basic information about the Earth's climate system, to monitor changes - including those that directly affect human health, such as disease outbreaks and water contamination - and provide accurate weather forecasts.

Programmes involving measurements of temperature, ozone, ocean winds, water vapour, and solar radiation are among those expected to be curtailed.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6590333.stm

ETA: This is kind of a long article; BBC authors tend to write longer pieces than, say, CNN. But it's worth reading for the whole depressing story.

[Joanne98]

1. CALLING BARBARA BOXER!

[youngdem]

2. Is everything Oedipal with these guys?

It's like Bushco is Oedipus and the Earth itself is Laius, so Bushco is gouging our eyes out in disgust at having killed it.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Don't worry, they'll get to other tragedies eventually. nt

[seasat]

3. But but but we spend billions on climate research...

and scientists are getting rich off of it.

Bah, this story illustrates what a load of crap those two lies told by neoluddites are. They now claim that research into nuclear power is climate change research under funding. Shub Inc purposely gave NASA a mission to go to the Moon and Mars (with no additional funding) just to pull funds from the EOS program. The satellite system was providing too much evidence on global warming, deforestation, and pollution to name a few. The financial backers of Shrub inc knew it had to be destroyed.

I'm a scientist working in this area and the field was booming during the Clinton years. Satellite data is much greater utility than going out and taking samples. With a sample you're looking at a single pixel, but with a satellite, you see the whole picture. Ir has more application than just climiate research.

Many folks in this field that have tenure are going into administration. Those of us with recent PhDs may have to teach high school science instead of research. Fortunately, the Europeans and Asian groups are now moving to take up some of the slack. Unfortunately, in the near future, we may see a brain drain from the US. We used to be the leaders in this area and now the idiots in charge are killing it.

[OneBlueSky]

5. has anyone noticed that BushCo's priorities are bass-ackwards on EVERYTHING? . . . n//t

.