The ARID Scoping Study Final Report

This dataset provides the final report from the Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID) scoping study. ARID is one of the two scoping studies funded by NASA in 2023 to identify the scientific questions and develop the initial study design and implementation concept for a new NASA Terrestrial Ecology field campaign. This report emphasizes a prioritized research agenda and an initial implementation plan, focusing on the western U.S. to deepen our understanding of national dryland processes and resources. ARID is also leveraging an extensive network of international sites and collaborators in Africa, Australia, Mexico, and South America. This global approach facilitates the evaluation, monitoring, and forecasting of drylands worldwide, ensuring a coordinated effort to address and inform solutions for the challenges facing these critical ecosystems. ARID will use cutting-edge approaches to address four Science Themes: 1) Climate Variability and Drought, 2) Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Biodiversity, 3) Carbon Cycle Interannual Variability and Long-Term Trends, and 4) Social-Ecological Systems. The scoping study performed extensive outreach, conducting over 160 meetings and events with hundreds of scientists and decision-makers across six continents, which translated to the ARID science plan being co-created with a wide range of contributors and perspectives, including remote sensing, modeling, and dryland scientists; Tribal Nations; and a range of U.S. federal entities. This report outlines a targeted plan to deploy field and NASA airborne instruments to vastly augment data derived from satellite observations that, when joined, will substantially advance quantification of drylands' large and changing role in the U.S. and in the Earth system.