National Climate Effects Network

Climate Effects Network (CEN) is a consortium of observation and research programs that collect, share, and use data, models, and related information to assess climate impacts on ecosystems, resources, and society. CEN provides network coordination, data management, enhanced funding for existing monitoring programs, and new data collection to create a national scientific capacity that is "greater than the sum of the parts." The CEN makes ecosystem data, models, and related information freely available to empower scientists, resource managers, policy makers, and the public to make scientifically-informed decisions. The result is an "early warning system" for forecasting changes in the Nations environmental resources as a result of climate change.
Learn more about the Climate Effects Network

To track changes in climate we need to monitor many components of natural ecosystems for long periods of time. If we established a new monitoring network it would take many years to begin to see changes in those ecosystems. more

Several long-standing programs within the federal government are partnering with the Climate Effects Network to provide data and support for network activities. In addition new programs within the Global Change Program Office have also been established. For details visit the following websites:

Long-standing Programs

• Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets
• The Hydrologic Benchmark Network
• National Water-Quality Assessment Program
• NOAA Climate Program Office
• Forest Inventory and Analysis

New Programs

• The USA National Phenology Network
• The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center

CEN organizes existing and new observation, research, and modeling capabilities into 4 categories of data collection with research and modeling acting to integrate monitoring across those scales.

To learn more click on the framework triangle.

The CEN has been implemented by assessing specific research topics related to climate change or focusing on regions that are particularly sensitive to the effects of climate change. These "topical assessments" are conducted by examining data at all four levels of the CEN framework. more

• The Yukon River Basin
• Biologic Carbon Sequestration
• Water Census