Science Goals for Research on Seasonal to Interannual Climate Fluctuations and Related Events

• Observe and document the trends and patterns of changes in ocean temperature and circulation, ocean/atmosphere interactions, snow cover, sea ice, vegetation, and other factors that contribute to climate anomalies and related extreme events such as droughts, floods, and heat waves.

• Understand the controlling processes relevant to climate on seasonal to interannual time scales and regional to global scales, and develop predictive climate models that represent these processes.

• Forecast seasonal to interannual climate fluctuations and associated extreme events and simulate the potential economic impacts on agricultural, water resource, and other socio-economic systems.