In a report released last week, ?Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program?, the U.S. National Academy questioned the policy decisions to delay or cancel many exisiting and planned observing systems. On-line Report The report, commissioned by the National Research Council to evaluate the CCSP, concluded, (amongst other things), that ?Science quality observation systems have fueled advances in climate change science and applications, but many existing and planned observing systems have been cancelled, delayed, or degraded, which threatens future progress.? The council gave a stark warning: ?Without a wide array of continuous satellite and in situ observations, the U.S. capability to monitor trends, document the impacts of future climate change, and further improve prediction and assimilation models through comparison with observations will decline even as the urgency of addressing climate change increases.? The academy recognizes the importance of global observation systems and hopefully will encourage greater support in the future.

See also New York Times Article