1. NSIDC—Enhancing NASA’s Contribution to Polar Science A response to the NRC Polar Research Board’s review of NASA’s polar geophysical data sets Mark Parsons 26 April 2001

2. PoDAG XVIII NSIDC Attention to “Data Gaps” n polar precipitation n surface albedo n all-sky surface temperature n surface turbulent fluxes n permafrost n ocean surface salinity n ice sheet mass flux n freshwater discharge from terrestrial regions n land surface characteristics n sea ice thickness currently outside NSIDC purview some work at NSIDC active at NSIDC

3. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII General Comments on Data Gaps n Some gaps easily addressed with current technology if NASA allows (e.g., surface temp, albedo) n May need to reconsider DAAC foci. Should NSIDC (and ASF) cover more disciplines or is it better for other data centers to increase their consideration of polar needs and applications?

4. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII NRC on NASA's General Strategy n Integrate polar data sets and global data sets in the NASA data distribution system. n Systematic comparisons of different versions of the same product n Give higher priority to sensor optimization for polar applications. n Explore alternative measurement approaches from a cost-benefit perspective. n Strengthen the connection between modeling and its remote-sensing strategy for the polar regions.

5. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII NRC on NASA's General Strategy n Support research to determine optimum uses of polar remote sensing measurements in re- analyses. n Foster the development of spatially and temporally coherent, internally consistent polar geophysical data sets. n DAACs are the natural vehicles for long-term archival.

6. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII NSIDC on NASA's General Strategy n Need better scientific coordination across DAACs, ISPs, instrument teams, and NewDISS elements. n Not solely a polar science or polar DAAC issue. n NASA needs to rethink their EOS baseline products. n NASA shouldn't focus only on EOS at the cost of important heritage data. n Clarify who's role it is to “evaluate and document the accuracy of existing data sets”. n Consider work in other agencies.

7. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII Specifics on LTA Recommendation n Some DAACs may be “natural vehicles” for LTA but not all. n NSIDC could be a good LTA but would need long term funding commitment. n LTA outside NASA’s traditional mission.

8. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Redundancies n Some duplication in response to user needs. n Do some intercomparison but could do more if funded. n NSIDC researchers are already working some validation and could do more if funded n Have begun explanation of differences with DEM and Sea Ice pages. n How much is it NSIDC's role to evaluate or recommend data sets?

9. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Outreach n Need to see survey to understand audiences missed. n NASA focus partially intentional. n Did the committee recognize that there is more to NSIDC than the DAAC? n Consider membership of PoDAG who are mostly “involved in large NASA programs”. n Need more data set promotion. n New web site should help. n Focus for Outreach Coordinator/Committee

10. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Outreach to Modelers n Provide more grid options on demand. n Need closer ties to the modeling community and maybe modelers in house. n Possibly develop an outreach program to the modeling community. n Follow up on the data assimilation workshop from a few years ago.

11. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Links n We do this already. Just call. n We could do more to organize and present the links (web and other). n We can’t provide information on the “quality and limitations” of outside sources without major additional effort. Could provide more references. n Who are we to judge potential partners/competitors?

12. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Improvements in Tools n What does “document...individual holdings more effectively” mean? n Through several web efforts we are trying to help users better understand our data sets. n More browse would be helpful. We are incorporating more sample images and locator maps in catalog entries. n We can and do provide data access tools, but there are limits to what we can provide and support.

13. 26 April 2001 PoDAG XVIII DAACs: Feedback and PI Sites n A bulletin board is a good idea, but needs active moderation. n We are doing this with the PARCA data and it highlights the limitations of this approach.