In the News

Keeping our focus on what matters most

Thursday, March 15, 2007
(Originally published in The Oregonian)

EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITES

Fish don't recognize state lines, but it's in part because of them that the Pacific Ocean binds Washington, Oregon and California together with the two states of Baja, Mexico.

The major north-south flow called the California Current originates on the West Coast near the latitude of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, then proceeds southward. The current is a diverse ecosystem that is home to marine creatures ranging from salmon to scallops that are vital to the economies of all these states. It influences our climate as well.

An array of Earth-observing satellites that measure ocean winds, temperatures and productivity have greatly advanced what we know about this current. For instance, the QuikSCAT satellite provides a history of wind speed and direction that is essential for understanding its circulation. The SeaWiFS sensor has measured the abundance of phytoplankton off the West coast for nearly a decade, and a series of ocean altimeters has measured ocean currents there for more than 15 years.

Before these satellite systems, we had a primitive understanding of the interplay of events that govern the health of fisheries. With better information about these complex processes, we can better understand the current's ecosystem and develop more effective management strategies.

But there's a problem. QuikSCAT is already past the expected end of its service life. We don't know how much longer it will last. Realistically, a successor is 10 years away.

Similarly, phytoplankton measurements may not be continued with sufficient accuracy to detect the subtle interplay between ocean circulation and productivity. Science programs including the proposed Pacific Coast Ocean Observing System will lose a major part of their ability to see the California Current from space.

A recent report by the National Research Council noted that our satellite observing system is in danger of collapse. NASA, the operator of many of these satellites, is turning away from Earth to focus funding on moon and Mars missions. Already the agency's budget for science missions has declined 30 percent. That trend will continue unless we change course.

We're entering a period in which we need satellites more than ever to know what's happening in nature. The West is threatened by rising sea levels, strains on water stored in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada snowpacks, and climate shifts that could turn fertile farmland barren.

But other developments give cause for hope. The three governors of the West Coast states aren't waiting to take action against the threat of climate change. Washington's Chris Gregoire, California's Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oregon's Ted Kulongoski have already united on several environmental initiatives. With Arizona and New Mexico leaders, they are attempting to set regional emissions reduction targets.

Western states are leading the nation in a regional response to climate change. They should also take the lead in calling for continued federal investment so that our eyes in space continue to focus on our home planet, and not neglect Earth in favor of space missions that, while inspiring, are not urgent.

The climate change we're experiencing is the most critical problem planet Earth has ever faced. The West needs to deliver that message with one voice.

Tony Haymet is director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego. Mark Abbott is dean of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.