The new top scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wants the famed space agency to become a leading voice on climate change sc

New chief scientist wants NASA to be about climate science, not just space

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2022-01-14 12:00:12

The new top scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wants the famed space agency to become a leading voice on climate change science, too.

"When people hear NASA, I want them to think of climate science alongside planetary science," said Katherine Calvin, who was appointed as NASA's chief scientist on Monday.

"All of the chief scientists of NASA have had specialty areas. Mine is climate," Calvin told CNBC, speaking from NASA headquarters in Washington DC.

The agency already does a lot of scientific work that ties into climate change. Calvin's role will be to connect NASA scientists with other scientists and to communicate their science outside of the agency.

"NASA is already a world leader in climate," Calvin told CNBC. "And so I'm just communicating that science and connecting it to other agencies, to the public."

NASA has more than two dozen satellites orbiting the Earth observing and measuring climate change variables, like changes in the oceans, clouds, and carbon dioxide levels. NASA uses this data to do climate modeling and prediction.