Skip to main content
Standing Committee

Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

The issues addressed by BASC are at the forefront of contemporary concerns. BASC's interests include advancing methodologies and technologies for supporting weather and climate science, improving understanding and prediction of weather and climate variability and related impacts on society, understanding atmospheric composition and chemistry, facilitating research on interactions between the atmosphere and land, ocean, and cryosphere, improving understanding of atmospheric and climate sciences and helping make this understanding relevant to national needs.

In progress

News and Updates

U.S. Needs New Drought Assessment Framework as Droughts Become More Severe and Unpredictable

News Release

As droughts in the United States become more frequent and longer-lasting, new assessment tools are needed. A new National Academies report examines how the field of drought assessment can better account for shifting drought conditions and proposes a framework to support drought monitoring, planning, and decision-making to meet future challenges.

Jun 30, 2026
Low water levels at Oroville Lake during a drought in Oroville, California

From Forecast to Action: Closing the Gap in Extreme Event Response

Update

May 29, 2026
Ohio Flood

Paleoenvironmental Data 101: Using Earth’s Past to Prepare for the Future

Announcement

While data collected by modern instruments can provide information on decades of Earth’s extreme events, paleoenvironmental data found in natural archives such as ice cores and tree rings can extend that record by hundreds, thousands, or millions of years into the past. Drawing on a new National Academies report, this interactive webpage offers an introduction to different paleoenvironmental archives and how they are being used to develop a deeper understanding of disasters in the past and plan for a more resilient future.

May 4, 2026
Rock core samples at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland.

Used on the cover of: A Synthesis Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events

Projects

Showing 1–32 of 88 items
Sort by:

The Future of Drought in the United States

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Recently Completed
BASC-WSTB_Drought_banner-corn.jpg | https://nasemoceprodcomm-nationalacademies.cec.ocp.oraclecloud.com/content/published/api/v1.1/assets/CONTEFDFD265C3674841A42FE2C6E5057CC7/native?cb=_cache_daba&format=webp&channelToken=d2dc71410b56f1d61406108f1738d0f4

Functions and Criteria for a New Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Recently Completed

Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and their Impacts

Consensus/Advisory Activity

In Progress

Agriculture, Food Systems and Climate Security: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Macroeconomic Implications of Decarbonization Policies and Actions: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Developing a Strategy to Evaluate the 5th National Climate Assessment

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

The Dynamics of Climate and the Macroeconomy: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Urban Systems and Climate Security: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Advancing Risk Communication with Decision-Makers for Extreme Tropical Cyclones: Learning from Extreme and Unprecedented Weather Events -- A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Workshop on Climate Change and Human Migration: An Earth Systems Science Perspective

Workshop

Completed
Human Migration_UW Banner.png | https://nasemoceprodcomm-nationalacademies.cec.ocp.oraclecloud.com/content/published/api/v1.1/assets/CONT8A71BF10AD4347FDA7445C0B4292C323/native?cb=_cache_daba&format=webp&channelToken=d2dc71410b56f1d61406108f1738d0f4

Workshop on Macroeconomics and Climate-related Risks and Opportunities

Workshop

Completed

Climate Security Risk in Central America: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Atmospheric Methane Removal: Development of a Research Agenda

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wildland Fires: Toward Improved Monitoring, Modeling, and Management--A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Climate Security Risk in South Asia: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Modernizing Probable Maximum Precipitation Estimation

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Review of the Draft 5th National Climate Assessment

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Independent Study on Potential Environmental Effects of Nuclear War

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Climate Intervention in an Earth Systems Science Framework: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Foundational Research Gaps and Future Directions for Digital Twins

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Sustainability Implications of the Ukraine Conflict and Global Food Security: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity - A New Vision

Workshop

Completed

Workshop on Tipping Points, Cascading Impacts, and Interacting Risks in the Earth System

Workshop

Completed
Calving Glacier Alaska - Hubbard Glacier - a huge iceberg calves into Disenchantment Bay - St. Elias Alaska. Taken from an Alaska cruise ship - near Yukon, Canada

Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity - State Level Implementation

Workshop

Completed

Development of a Framework for Evaluating Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision Making

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Technology Developments to Advance Antarctic Research: A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Integrating Public and Ecosystem Health Systems to Foster Resilience: A Workshop to Identify Research to Bridge the Knowledge-To-Action Gap

Workshop

Completed

Climate Security Roundtable

Roundtable/Forum

Recently Completed

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to Advance Earth System Science: Opportunities and Challenges – A Workshop

Workshop

Completed

Leading Practices for Improving Accessibility and Inclusion in Field and Laboratory Science: A Conversation Series

Workshop

Completed

Review of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action White Paper on Building a Scientific Roadmap to a Carbon Negative Agricultural System

Consensus/Advisory Activity

Completed

Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity -- A Workshop Series

Workshop

Completed
Page 1 of 3
Subscribe to Emails from the National Academies
Stay up to date on activities, publications, and events by subscribing to email updates.