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Introduction

The Purpose and Scope of this Report

The purpose of this document is to provide an initial research strategy to guide planning and conduct of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This strategy will be expanded into a more detailed and comprehensive U.S. Global Change Research Program plan in 1989.

The comprehensive research plan will present the details of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, including evaluating how well the current activities address the key scientific questions and program goals, identifying the gaps in knowledge and the priorities among research needs, and defining individual Federal agency roles. 

Specifically, this research strategy report will:

• present the overall program goals, objectives, budget, and key scientific questions;

• identify the important national and international global change studies and organizations;

• summarize the research plan and implementation strategy; and 

• inventory the current U.S. Federal agencies' research activities. 

This research strategy has been developed in close collaboration with other national and international planning groups and activities, including the National Academy of Sciences, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and the programs outlined in the five year plan of the National Climate Program. 

What is Global Change?

Manifestations of global change are numerous and complex: volcanic activity, widespread desertification on some continents, the dramatic changes in many mid-latitude forests