Dr Emily Michaud

Current research, under the direction of Dr. James Hansen emphasizes a broad study of Global Change, which is an interdisciplinary research initiative addressing natural and man-made changes in our environment that occur on various time scales (from the seasonal effects of volcanic explosions to the millennia of ice ages) and affect the habitability of our planet. Program areas at GISS may be roughly divided into global Earth observations which includes the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program [ISCCP]), climate impacts, planetary atmospheres, paleoclimate, radiation, atmospheric chemistry, and, other disciplines. However, due to the interconnectedness of these topics, most of the GISS staff engages in research in more than one of these areas. A key objective of GISS research is prediction of atmospheric and climate changes in the 1990s and early 21st century. The research combines analysis of comprehensive global datasets derived mainly from spacecraft observations with global models of atmospheric, land surface, and oceanic processes. The research approach includes study of past changes on Earth such as paleoclimate changes and study of other planets as an aid to prediction of future evolution of the Earth on a planetary scale.