Benefits of GEOSS in North Carolina

In North Carolina, Earth Observations will:

Expand the ability to track and model natural disasters (such as hurricanes and storms). Through earth observations, North Carolina can have near real-time monitoring that will improve storm and hurricane forecasts and help to dramatically reduce the cost of damage to property and loss of life.

Average annual damage from tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods nationally is $11.4 billion, of which:

hurricanes average $5.1 billion and 20 deaths per year;

floods account for $5.2 billion, and average over 80 deaths per year; and

tornadoes cause $1.1 billion in damages.¹

Give us information on flooding, road loss, and extent of property damage, as well as facilitate clean-up activities. Ground monitors, models, and satellite images give emergency responders and relief crews ways to respond faster (with more geographic precision) and avoid hazards themselves.

Average annual damage from floods is $5.2 billion and over 80 deaths per year.²

Deliver a large volume and variety of data and datasets into the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) model which, in turn, will allow city and county planners to determine a desired balance in their planning activities between protecting air, water, land, or natural resources. ReVA is currently being used in Charlotte, NC.

Integrate satellite images and water quality models that will help pinpoint beach areas impacted by environmental pollutants such as aquatic blooms and oil spills.

Economic impact of harmful algal blooms in United States average annually $49 million but individual outbreaks can cause economic damage that exceeds the annual average.³

Help track plant diseases and invasive species such as tobacco blue mold, and predict where the disease/species will spread based on our knowledge of the climate, soil, and the mold itself.

Help farmers determine the best rate application of fertilizers and placement of seeds by use of detailed sampling of fields to characterize yields, variable soils and variable fertility.

Monitor soil moisture and meteorology through satellite technology to evaluate drought stress in crops for agriculture and forestry.

Promote reduction of erosion and other non-point sources of pollution in many watersheds, and help to reduce sediment, urban contributions, and fecal coliform bacteria contributions to rivers, lakes, streams and other waters, and potentially reduce phosphorus and nitrogen contributions to waters.

Pollution has rendered 44 percent of tested US estuaries and 12 percent of ocean shoreline waters unfit for uses such as swimming, fishing, or supporting aquatic life.⁴

Monitor wetlands to locate places that are good candidates to promote additional wetlands - monitor wetland conservation programs to help increase the quantity, variety, and functions of wetlands.

Monitor beaches and evaluate swimming and recreational waters on a daily basis to identify conditions that could cause sickness.

Travel and tourism is the Nation's largest employer and second largest contributor to the GDP, generating over $700 billion annually. Beaches are the leading tourist destination, with coastal states earning 85 percent of all U.S. tourism revenues. Approximately 180 million people vacation and recreate along U.S. coasts every year.⁵

¹ National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Environmental and Societal Impacts Group, and the Atmospheric Policy Program of the American Meteorological Society, 2001, Extreme Weather Sourcebook 2001: Economic and Other Societal Impacts Related to Hurricanes, Floods, Tornadoes, Lightning, and Other U.S. Weather Phenomena, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo. Available only online at http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/sourcebook/data.html

² Ibid

³ Hoagland, D.M. Anderson, Y. Kaoru and A.W. White. August 2002. The economic effects of harmful algal blooms in the United States: estimates, assessment issues, and information needs. Estuaries 25 (4b): 819- 837.

⁴ Health of the Oceans Report 2002, The Ocean Conservancy, http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

⁵ Leeworthy, Vernon R., Preliminary Estimates from Versions 1-6:Coastal Recreation Participation, National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE) 2000, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Oceans and Coasts, Special Projects Office. Website: http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov.

Benefits of GEOSS in North Carolina

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