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Benefits of GEOSS in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, Earth Observations will:
Enable state and local air quality forecasters to issue to the public more timely, accurate, and site-specific warnings about episodes of poor air quality so that people (especially the sensitive population) may take prudent actions to protect their health. By 2005, ozone forecasts will be made available along the entire East Coast and by 2009, particulate matter forecasts will be made available.
It is estimated that 31 million Americans including 9 million children have asthma. Ground level ozone in the summer time is the chief cause for poor air quality warnings and human exposure to ozone is known to aggravate asthma. Another component of air, airborne particulate matter, is associated with increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits for people with heart and lung disease and increased work and school absences.1
Children with asthma miss more than 14 million school days annually and asthma accounts for an estimated 14.5 million lost work days per year.2
In 2000, the 15 states with the highest rates of current asthma prevalence were Arizona, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.3
Track effects of global change. It has been predicted that if the temperature warms, New Hampshire's maple syrup production would be adversely affected because warmer temperatures reduce the sap flow. Integration of various sources of information would help predict the rate of change and thus position maple syrup farmers to adjust their production estimates and plan for additional or alternative crops.
Weather and climate sensitive industries, both directly and indirectly, account for about one-third of the Nations' GDP, or $3 trillion, ranging from finance, insurance, and real estate to services, retail and wholesale trade and manufacturing.4
Help expand the ability to track storms and precipitation. Through Earth observations, New Hampshire can have near real-time monitoring that will improve storm forecasts and help to dramatically reduce the cost of damage to property and human life.
Average annual damage from hurricanes and floods is $10.2 billion nationally, 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.5
Benefit forestry management through tracking of plant diseases and invasive species, as well as soil moisture and meteorology. Ground-based measures coupled with satellite data can help New Hampshire's foresters more accurately predict, plan, and manage.
Help protect the fish and wildlife by tracking water quality in New Hampshire's waters. Recreational fishing tops $20 billion each year.
The economic value added to the national economy by the commercial fishing industry is approximately $28.5 billion yearly. Approximately 17 million Americans engage in marine fishing as a recreational activity and spend approximately $25 billion per year on fishing related activities.6
Track water temperatures, harmful algal blooms, invasive species, and other environmental factors affecting New Hampshire's lakes and streams.
Provide more accurate weather forecasting and save New Hampshire residents millions of dollars in heating and cooling costs.
The value of understanding the interrelationships between weather variables and electric load can save a small utility at least $0.5 M annually through improved temperature forecasts.7
Analyze land cover and land use changes that may affect vegetation, forestry, and agriculture in New Hampshire.
Protect watersheds through water quality monitoring and mapping of land cover changes; thereby, protecting sources of water for agriculture, forestry, and human uses.
Aid in aquifer protection and prevent contamination of drinking water sources in states like New Hampshire that rely partly on groundwater as a drinking water supply. Furthermore, monitoring local ground water supplies and surrounding facilities protects groundwater resources.
1 U.S. Centers for Disease Control
2 CDC. Surveillance for asthma: United States, 1980-1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2002;51(SS01):1-13
3 CDC. Self-reported asthma prevalence among adults: United States, 2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. August 17, 2001;50(32):682-686.
4 Dutton, John A., Opportunities and priorities in a new era for weather and climate services, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, September 2002, volume 83, no. 9, pp 1303-1311.
5 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
6 Fisheries of the United States, 2000, 2001, 2002, http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/. Marine Angler Expenditures in the Northeast Region 1998. NOAA Tech Memo No. NMFS-F/SPO-47.
7 Tribble, A.N., 2003: The relationship between weather variables and electricity demand to improve short-term load forecasting. Ph. D. dissertation, School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, 221 pp., from Building The National Cooperative Mesonet: Program Development Plan For COOP Modernization dated October 2003.