The new NASA scientist will focus on Earth, climate change

"This is a big deal for us": Katherine Calvin promises a plan to revitalize the organization's Earth observation satellite vessels to document climate change.

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- NASA's growing emphasis on Earth and climate science took sharper focus this week with the appointment of an Earth scientist, Katherine Calvin, to the agency's chief scientist position.

Calvin will also serve as chief climate officer, a new topic for the organization, NASA chief Bill Nelson said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"This is a big deal for us ... We have chosen to elevate the position of senior climate advisor" to reflect the new emphasis on climate change for Biden management, Nelson said.

Calvin has contributed to a number of major books on climate change, including the U.S. Third National Climate Assessment and two special reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Calvin will help guide NASA as it prepares to launch a series of new Earth observation satellites that are expected to provide complete, accurate and integrated data on how and why climate change, he said at a press conference.

The first of these machines, called NISAR, is scheduled to be launched in January 2023 in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organization.RELATEDHarris says space technology has played a major role in tackling climate change.

Those machines "will work together to create a 3-D, complete view of the earth ... to help measure the changes in the Earth's surface that will help us understand things like snowfall and landslides," Calvin said. "There's a lot planned, and I'm looking forward to learning all that as I live at NASA."

NASA introduces and uses satellites that monitor climate, climate and other Earth processes. Some agencies such as the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency use data from such a spacecraft, Nelson notes.

Calvin "will bring to him his ingenuity to mimic the integrated human-Earth system to help ensure that the Biden Administration has the information needed to achieve the important goal of protecting our planet," Nelson said.

He plans to focus on linking climate science research with all other NASA research portfolios.

Among the projects Calvin will consider is how the water recycling system onboard the International Space Station could help communities on Earth struggling with drought and whether ISS carbon capture technologies might also apply to needs on the ground.