PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Mary A. Hardin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 1996
ATMOSPHERIC CONFERENCE WILL EXPLORE GLOBAL WATER ISSUES
More than 300 scientists representing 30 countries,
including members of government, scientific and
international organizations, are expected to attend the
"Second International Scientific Conference on the Global
Energy and Water Cycle" at the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences in Washington, DC. , on June 17-21.
Under the auspices of the National Research Council's
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Panel and
the World Climate Research Programme, the conference will
bring together scientists involved in the study of
measurements, modeling and theory of processes affecting
Earth’s energy and water cycle from small to global scales.
“The key to all climate problems is the redistribution
of the Sun's energy over the Earth and its loss into space,”
said Dr. Moustafa T. Chahine, chief scientist at NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and chair of the GEWEX Scientific
Steering Group. “Energy cannot be separated from water in
Earth's climate system.”
While major uncertainties in scientists’ understanding
of Earth’s hydrological cycle still remain, progress is
being made.
“The prediction of precipitation and fresh water
resources is of the utmost importance in terms of its impact
on human beings,” Chahine emphasized. “This is a major goal
of the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment effort.”
Topics to be covered during the conference include:
- Flood and Drought Prediction: Global modeling of
the coupled land-atmosphere system. Impact on regional
precipitation and the water cycle.
- Regional Water Resources and Climate: Use of
climate information for managing water resources.
Determining continental-scale water budgets, runoff,
precipitation and land surface characteristics.
- Cloud, Water Vapor, Aerosol and Precipitation
Interactions: Measurement and modeling of the cloud and
radiative elements contributing to climate variation.
- The Water and Carbon Cycle Connection: Influence of
precipitation and radiation on the biogeochemical processes
affecting climate.
- Ocean-Atmosphere-Ice Exchanges: Measurement and
incorporation of ocean, snow and sea ice characteristics
into energy and water budget studies.
Results from field experiments, new developments in
theory, modeling and observational capability are expected
to be reported. Particular emphasis will be given to linking
disciplines such as coupled atmospheric and land-surface
models or cross disciplinary studies connecting the water
and carbon cycle. Advances in scientific knowledge will
provide scientists with new information to assess the impact
of these processes on water resource management. The
conference will focus on GEWEX scientific interests
involving the climate feedback associated with cloud,
radiation and hydrological processes.
The conference will conclude with a panel discussion
entitled “Direction of Research on the Global Energy and
Water Cycle, and the Impact of Space Systems/Measurements.”
Panelists will include agency heads from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the U.S.
Department of Energy, the American Meteorological Society,
the World Climate Research Program and Japan.
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[Note to Editors: Media are invited to attend the opening
sessions on the first day of the conference and the panel
discussion at the conclusion of the conference. For agendas
or additional information, please contact Dawn Erlich at
301-427-2089, ext. 33.]
6/13/96 MAH
#9642