Science Goals for Research on Climate Change over the Next Few Decades

• Observe and document the trends and patterns of change in the Earth's climate system, including the atmosphere, oceans, glaciers, sea ice, and the biosphere.

• Understand Earth system processes relevant to the regulation and radiative forcing of climate, and develop predictive models of regional to global climate change over time scales from a decade to a century.

• Assess the vulnerability of Earth systems, including economic, human health, and ecological systems, to the predicted rates and magnitudes of climate change.

• Support national and international science and technology assessments of the climate system that bring research results from natural and social sciences into a framework for evaluating and communicating the likelihood of significant climate change, and society's potential for mitigating, adapting, or responding to change.