EDITOR'S LETTER

Most of us have heard the slogan, "Think globally, act locally." We may have even tried to take such an approach on a professional or volunteer project. Very likely, we found that, while global thinking may be a challenge, the far more difficult task is translating a global picture into local issues and actions.

Climate change is kind of like that. Looked at from a global perspective and over many decades, the dimensions and potential consequences of the warming of our planet are becoming fairly clear. There is broad consensus among scientists that observed warming of our planet is real, unprecedented in recent history, and will continue for many decades. There is also consensus that greenhouse gases, which warm the Earth, are accumulating in the atmosphere due, in significant part, to human activities.

However, scientists' understanding of climate change is rather like viewing a low-resolution image of Earth. When you try to zoom in to see a particular region there aren't enough pixels to show the details. But, it is precisely these still fuzzy "local" details that are of the greatest interest to most of us.

The good news is that new research is constantly adding "pixels" of knowledge to the climate change picture. University of Maryland experts in earth science, policy and technology are among the leaders in producing this research, and in this issue we share with you stories of some of those who are helping to resolve the uncertainties of global climate change.

The university has a long tradition of atmospheric, climate and earth science research in its departments of meteorology, geology and geography. In recent years, Maryland has built on these strengths to become a leading center for climate change research by developing major new partnerships with federal agencies in the areas of earth science, remote imaging, climate change and energy research. Two of the recent partnerships--the university's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and its Joint Global Change Research Institute--are the subjects of features in this issue. A third feature looks at the pioneering weather and climate forecasting work of meteorology professor Eugenia Kalnay.

To loosely paraphrase Winston Churchill, it could be said about global climate change that rarely in human history have the lives of so many stood to be changed so much, by something understood by so few. In presenting these articles we've sought to shed light on this complex issue and on Maryland researchers who are working to help us all understand it better.