The Economics and Social Benefits

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NOAA climate data and products are accessed by a wide audience of data users (e.g. business sectors, general public, government agencies) to enhance decision-making and often create economic benefits for our Nation's economy. It has been loosely estimated that at least 1/3 of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is weather & climate sensitive, a potential impact of $4 trillion/year (in 2008 dollars), after inflation adjustment (Dutton, 2002). Another study (Larsen et al., 2007) examined 24 years of state level super-sector economic data and historical weather observations and found that U.S. economic output could vary by about 3.4% ($260 billion) a year of the 2000 GDP due to weather variability. Sectors of the economy that employ NOAA climate data in decision-making include: energy, agriculture, transportation, insurance, engineering, manufacturing, health care and tourism, among others.

As NOAA continues to develop increasingly sophisticated data observing systems, the value of climate data and products, for policy and business decision-making will increase. The insurance industry, for example, recognizes that identifying the risks associated with extreme events in a non-stationary climate is a growing area of concern with clients. To help address this data need and many others, NOAA diligently works to develop new atmospheric, oceanic and land-based data sets, in higher space/time resolution, so that society may better understand the complexity of our global climate system.

The information in this goal is organized into three categories:

• Data Users
• Extreme Events
• Observing Systems

NOAA Climate Goal Performance Objectives:

• Describe and understand the state of the climate system through integrated observations, analysis, and data stewardship
• Improve climate predictive capability from weeks to decades, with an increased range of applicability for management and policy decisions
• Reduce uncertainty in climate projections through timely information on the forcing and feedbacks contributing to changes in the Earth's climate
• Understand and predict the consequences of climate variability and change on marine ecosystems
• Increase number and use of climate products and services to enhance public and private sector decision making