[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 200 (Thursday, October 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65433-65435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22729]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[NOTICE: (20-082)]
Request for Public Nominations for Authors and Scientific/
Technical Inputs and Notice of Planned Public Engagement Opportunities
for the Fifth National Climate Assessment
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Request for public nominations for authors and scientific/
technical inputs and notice of planned public engagement opportunities.
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SUMMARY: NASA, on behalf of the U.S. Global Change Research Program
(USGCRP), is soliciting nominations for authors and scientific/
technical inputs for the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5).
Refer to the NCA5 Draft Prospectus (presented in a previous Federal
Register Notice and accessible via www.globalchange.gov/notices) for
further information on the scope, topics, and overarching themes for
the report. This document also serves as a notice of planned public
engagement opportunities. NCA5 will adhere to the Global Change
Research Act (GCRA), Information Quality Act, and Evidence Act
requirements for quality, transparency, and accessibility as
appropriate for a Highly Influential Scientific Assessment.
DATES: Nominations should be submitted via the web address specified
below and must be received by the close of this notice (30 days after
publication). For best consideration, scientific/technical inputs
should be submitted by the close of this notice but will be accepted on
an ongoing basis throughout the planned 12-month initial report
development process.
ADDRESSES: Nominations for authors must be submitted electronically
using a web form accessible via https://www.globalchange.gov/notices. A
short Curriculum Vitae (CV) of no more than four (4) pages must be
included. Scientific/technical inputs should also be submitted
electronically using a web form accessible via https://www.globalchange.gov/notices.
Instructions: Response to this notice is voluntary. Responses to
this notice may be used by the Government for program planning on a
non-attribution basis. NASA therefore requests that no business
proprietary information or copyrighted information be submitted in
response to this notice. Please note that the U.S. Government will not
pay for response preparation or for the use of any information
contained in the response.
[[Page 65434]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Avery, U.S. Global Change
Research Program, (202) 419-3474, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of
1990 mandates that the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
deliver a National Climate Assessment (NCA) to Congress and the
President not less frequently than every four years that ``(1)
integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the Program; (2)
analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment,
agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources,
transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and
biological diversity; and (3) analyzes current trends in global change,
both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the
subsequent 25 to 100 years.''
To date, four NCAs have been released. The first NCA was published
in 2000, and the second was published in 2009. The third NCA was
published in 2014, and the most recent assessment, NCA4, was released
in two volumes and completed in November 2018.
NCA5 development will be transparent and inclusive, offering
opportunities for public participation throughout the process. The
production and review processes are designed to result in a report that
is authoritative, timely, relevant, and policy neutral; valued by
authors and users; accessible to the widest possible audience; and
fully compliant with the GCRA. In July 2020, comments were solicited
through a 30-day request for information on the draft Fifth National
Climate Assessment (NCA5) Prospectus (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/07/10/2020/14904/request-for-comment-on-the-draft-prospectus-of-the-fifth-national-climate-assessment). Comments received
on the draft Prospectus informed the list of potential topics included
in Section I of the current request.
Author nominees may be invited to serve as Chapter Lead Authors,
Authors, or Technical Contributors to NCA5. Both federal and non-
federal experts may serve as Chapter Lead Authors. Chapter Lead Authors
will, with input and guidance from the Federal Steering Committee
(FSC), establish author teams comprising federal and non-federal
experts. A Federal Coordinating Lead Author selected by the FSC will
serve as a liaison between the author team and federal agencies. For
more information on author roles, see www.globalchange.gov/nca5.
In addition, this request presents an opportunity to submit
relevant scientific/technical inputs to inform the assessment. This
request also outlines planned opportunities for the public to engage in
the NCA5 development process.
Additional details and instructions for submitting nominations for
authors and scientific/technical inputs are available at
www.globalchange.gov/notices. For the responsibilities and expectations
of the different types of authors and contributors, please see
www.globalchange.gov/nca5. For more information about the NCA and for
access to previous NCA reports and activities, please see
www.globalchange.gov/nca5.
All participation in and contributions to the NCA will be without
compensation and will be potentially included in the publicly released
NCA. By voluntarily participating in the NCA, you acknowledge the
following understandings:
1. Participation in the NCA means facilitating the development of
the NCA, contributing new work to the NCA, or contributing preexisting
work for the NCA. Any such work will be incorporated into the NCA at
the Federal Government's discretion, including the possibility of
modification, without any compensation and without redaction under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or otherwise.
2. All contributions to the NCA of text and original figures (those
newly created for NCA and not previously published) will be released
under the Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0
1.0). Such contributions will not be protected by copyright or other
intellectual property rights. Data, algorithms/models, and software
code used to create or support the creation of text and original
figures will also be publicly released in connection with the NCA. In
some cases, such data, algorithms/models, and software code may be
subject to copyright restrictions prohibiting both their use for
commercial purposes and the creation of derivative works, such as CC
BY-NC-ND 4.0, but any such restrictions may not prohibit their use for
the purpose of reproducing results.
3. Participants assume any and all risks associated with
participation in the NCA. By participating, participants inherently
waive all claims against the Federal Government and its related
entities, except for claims based on willful misconduct, for any
injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits
(whether direct, indirect, or consequential) arising from participation
in the NCA.
4. By participating, participants agree to indemnify the Federal
Government in the event that it suffers liability or damages as a
result of its use of the contribution.
I. Call for Nominations for Authors
Nominations are sought for authors with pertinent subject matter
expertise and background in the natural or social sciences. Nominees
should be accomplished scholarly writers with a demonstrated history of
scientific and technical expertise and academic proficiency in at least
one of the regions/climate-related topics delineated below. Nominations
are encouraged from all non-governmental sectors (academia, not-for-
profit, and private). Submissions must document that nominees have
demonstrated technical backgrounds such that they could contribute to
the development of a robust scientific and technical assessment as
subject matter experts in one or more of the listed topics. In
addition, individuals interested in being considered for chapter
leadership positions should have experience with leading collaborative
teams under deadlines. Authors volunteering to assist in writing NCA5
are providing an important service to the United States. The Global
Change Research Act of 1990 calls for the preparation of this
quadrennial report and directs that it be delivered to the President
and the Congress. Author roles allow these volunteers to contribute to
the premier national assessment of the state of the science regarding
global change. In addition to providing an opportunity to inform
policy, participation in NCA5 will allow authors to expand their
professional networks and visibility, and to explore opportunities to
create derivative products. The Federal Government will not provide
financial compensation for these roles. The Federal Government is
expected to provide travel costs to authors to attend meetings
requested for NCA5. USGCRP is working to streamline processes in order
to make the author role as easy and satisfying as possible. Formal
acknowledgment will be provided to each author's institution.
Responses to this request for nominations for authors must be
submitted by 30 days from the opening of this notice. The nominations
forms can be accessed via www.globalchange.gov/notices. Interested
persons may nominate themselves or third parties for these roles, and
individuals may submit multiple nominations. Each nomination
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must include (1) the nominee's full name, title, institutional
affiliation, and contact information; (2) the nominee's area(s) of
expertise; (3) the proposed NCA5 topic(s) (see below) for which the
nominee is qualified; (4) a short description of the nominee's
qualifications relative to contributing to the report; and (5) a
current CV [maximum length four (4) pages]. Nominations with missing
information, or for nominees who do not meet the eligibility
requirements above, may not be considered.
NCA5 will attempt to address the full breadth of each topic and
seeks a suitably diverse author pool, including experts representing
the natural and social sciences, as well as traditionally
underrepresented groups. Selection criteria for all author positions
will consider technical expertise, disciplinary background, career
status, and geographic representation. Nominees may be invited to serve
as Chapter Lead Authors, Authors, or Technical Contributors to NCA5.
Persons selected as Chapter Lead Authors will be informed after the
close of the nominations window. Eligible nominees not selected as
Chapter Lead Authors will be considered for roles as Authors or
Technical Contributors.
In accordance with statutory language in the GCRA, NCA5 seeks
authors with expertise in the areas of climate/earth system science, as
well as sectoral, issue-specific, and regional impacts. This includes
expertise in the following broad topic areas (subject to change):
Climate/earth system science expertise to integrate,
evaluate, and interpret the latest scientific findings; discuss the
associated uncertainties; analyze current trends in global change; and
project major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years.
Sectoral and issue-specific impacts expertise, including
in the social sciences, to analyze the effects of global change on the
natural environment (including terrestrial, aquatic, and marine
ecosystems); agriculture (including food); energy production and use;
land and water resources (including land cover/land-use change,
forests, coasts, oceans, and terrestrial/marine resources);
transportation; human health and welfare (including air quality); human
social systems (including the built environment, urban/rural systems,
cities, and economics); biological diversity; tribes and Indigenous
peoples; and response.
Regional expertise that integrates across relevant natural
and social science areas for the NCA regions (available at https://www.globalchange.gov/nca5).
Further, authors are welcome to nominate themselves for topics not
listed above that are consistent with the GCRA mandate.
II. Call for Relevant Scientific/Technical Inputs To Inform NCA5
Submissions of scientific/technical inputs are sought for NCA5.
Relevant scientific and/or technical research studies--including
observed, modeled, and/or projected global change and climate science
information, as well as societal drivers, vulnerability, impacts, and
responses--are requested. Scientific/technical inputs that are peer-
reviewed and published, or accepted for publication, in journals and/or
government reports are welcome. Please refer to the NCA5 topics list
above to target submissions. Submissions of regional information and
information for cross-cutting or new topics since NCA4 are encouraged.
For best consideration, please submit by the close of this notice.
Submissions must be uploaded electronically via the link provided
at www.globalchange.gov/notices.
III. Notice of Planned Public Engagement Opportunities for NCA5
Multiple opportunities for public engagement to inform NCA5 will be
presented throughout the report's development. The following planned
public engagement schedule is presented to notify the public of these
coming opportunities. We note that the time ranges proposed are
tentative and subject to change based on the timing of various
development stages for NCA5.
Public comment on NCA5 annotated outline (Q2 2021)
Public engagement workshops and webinars (Q2 2021 through Q3
2021)
Public call for Review Editors (Q2 2022)
Public comment on NCA5 Third Order Draft (Q3 & Q4 2022)
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine peer
review of NCA5 Third Order Draft (Q3 & Q4 2022)
Interested parties are invited to participate in these public
engagement opportunities to ensure robust public input to NCA5.
Specific dates and locations for all engagements will be provided on
www.globalchange.gov/notices as they are determined. Members of the
public may also sign up to receive updates through USGCRP's bimonthly
newsletter at www.globalchange.gov/newsletter-signup.
Karen St Germain,
Director of Earth Science.
[FR Doc. 2020-22729 Filed 10-14-20; 8:45 am]
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