NOAA announces new National Climate Service, taps Asheville’s Karl to lead

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday announced a plan to create a new Climate Service to meet an ever-increasing demand for information about climate change, and officials tapped Thomas R. Karl, the director of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, to work as “transitional director.”

A climate service, which would be fashioned the same line’s as the government’s National Weather Service, has been discussed for a number of years and in an August 2009 interview with Xpress, Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, told Xpress that it’s creation was “an idea whose time has come.” Lubchenco added that there was active discussion about how such an organization would be structured.

Lubchenco was in Asheville to help celebrate the creation of the North Carolina home of the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites. The new research institute, will bring together academic, nonprofit and community organizations that will use satellite data to detect and forecast climate change. It will initially employ about 20 people in Asheville.

In a press release, the NOAA said there’s a greater need than ever for giving people accessible information to deal with climate change.

“More and more, Americans are witnessing the impacts of climate change in their own backyards, including sea-level rise, longer growing seasons, changes in river flows, increases in heavy downpours, earlier snowmelt and extended ice-free seasons in our waters. People are searching for relevant and timely information about these changes to inform decision-making about virtually all aspects of their lives.

‘By providing critical planning information that our businesses and our communities need, NOAA Climate Service will help tackle head-on the challenges of mitigating and adapting to climate change,’ said (U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary) Locke. ‘In the process, we’ll discover new technologies, build new businesses and create new jobs.’

Carol Browner, assistant to the president for energy and climate change, said in the news release that “Businesses, communities and governments will rely even more on its expertise and the critical information it provides to make informed decisions based on the best science available. Through NOAA’s improved climate services we will be better able to confront climate change, and the many challenges it presents for our environment, security, and economy.”

In a story today, the Washington Post notes that the announcement of a climate service “comes at a time when climate skeptics have become increasingly effective in attacking the credibility of global warming forecasts.” The story goes on to quote Locke as saying that the new service would be able to provide advice on everything from where ski operators might want to refocus their activities in light of changing snowfall patterns to what farm crops will need increased irrigation. “In the same way businesses such as the Weather Channel and AccuWeather.com have taken advantage of the National Weather Service’s predictions, Locke said, ‘You’ll see much of the private sector will want to build on this one-stop shop of climate services.’” Locke adds that the U.S. House and Senate committees that oversee NOAA will have to agree to the creation of the climate service.

NOAA announced a new Web site, www.climate.gov. It will be the site for NOAA’s climate information, data, products and services, it said in its news release.

— Jason Sandford, multimedia editor

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9 thoughts on “NOAA announces new National Climate Service, taps Asheville’s Karl to lead

  1. Earth Changes as predicted by many Ancient Spiritual texts…. when will we start considering there are other proofs for what is happening all around the World today. When will we start combining Scientific and Spiritual proof to find the answers?

    video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7518522098537507442#

  2. Look at the “Bible” of any religion and it speaks of end times. Match these up to scientific facts and we will see the corolation.

    These predictions we can ignore or we can use them to survive the increasing Earth changes.

    A new World awaits the forming is all around. Why are there seashells on the mountain tops? Because the World has changes forms many times before!

  3. garx

    Man made Global Warming is a HOAX / Lie / Scam Al Gore is a lier IPCC is a Group of Liers Weather has always changed on this Earth this planet we live on Earth about a million years ago was a Snow Ball and it melted. No SUVs no coal fired stoves no fossil fuel burning China got snow last year for the first time ever and by the way In 1972 there was 2.500 polar bears today There is close to 25.000 Polar Bears the only reason they are dieing off is because they are eating their own to servive. Wake up People This Hoax is a way for Big Government to control you and redistribute the wealth Just like the Abomination and the Demoncrats are trying to shove down our throughs. Stop this and lets get back to Our Constitution And Bill of Rights and lets save this Great Country For Our Kids and Grand Kids. Please forgive my spelling did not have spell check. I do think HOAX / SCAM / LIE / was spelled right. PEOPLE PLEASE WAKE UP This Great Country The Best Country IN The World Depends on us to save it for future Generations

  4. TroubleMaker

    All the facts are documented here http://www.nokoolaid.com/climate3/ in an easy to read format, if they don’t get it after seeing the most simple PROOF ever then they are part of the problem.

    I can’t believe anyone still thinks we are the cause of global warming. If KoolAid drinkers ever did their own research they would realize they are being scammed into ANOTHER one of the largest transfers of wealth, w/o war, in recent history.

  5. But then can the general public handle the truth?
    OH yeah that’s right they will be part of rapture so the scared to death is part of the plan too.

    We are Not the most intelligent life force in this Solar system. We are constantly being surrounded by other such entities but most are too blind to see.

    What heavy aircraft was flying in Brevard, NC at 10:45 pm on Feb 4, 2010 during a winter storm? Would that be like the Chinese salting a storm a few months back?

    The control of people will continue to get easier till we all learn to come together in Love or die.

  6. http://www.shiftoftheages.com/

    The Shift of the Ages film shares the Mayan Cosmo-Vision and Prophecy through the wisdom and teachings of Grandfather Cirilo Perez Oxlaj, also known as Wandering Wolf, Grand Elder of the living Maya.

    The National Mayan Council of Indigenous Elders in Guatemala has an important message for the world. Their leader, Grandfather Cirilo, the protagonist of the Shift of the Ages film, discloses previously unavailable visions, concepts and ancient prophecies.

    Many people know that a grand cycle of the famous Mayan Long Count Calendar ends in the 2011-2012 time frame, but they may be misinformed about its meaning.

  7. Jim Shura

    “What heavy aircraft was flying in Brevard, NC at 10:45 pm on Feb 4, 2010 during a winter storm?”

    Please tell us what you think that was.

  8. That’s what I would like to know….what was that noise like a heavy aircraft…. will it show up on the audio and video I took that night also? The reports that I checked said all air flights were canceled…. Military flights anyone?

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