• Background
• Location
• Our Philosophy
• Organization and Staff
• Usage Statistics

In operation since 1982, CDIAC:

1. obtains, evaluates, and archives data,
2. compiles and distributes digital numeric data packages and computer model packages,
3. provides data management support to global-change related scientific projects including AmeriFlux, FACE, and NARSTO,
4. distributes related reports,
5. produces the newsletter, CDIAC Communications, and
6. in general acts as the information focus for U.S. DOE global change research

Location

CDIAC is located within the Environmental Sciences Division (Gary K. Jacobs, Director) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. CDIAC is co-located with Environmental Sciences Division researchers investigating global-change topics such as the global carbon cycle and the effects of carbon dioxide on vegetation. And CDIAC staff are connected with current Oak Ridge National Laboratory research on related topics such as renewable energy and supercomputing technologies.

Our Philosophy

Focus on the data and information products that are most in demand by our diverse user community of researchers, educators, students, policy makers, corporate officials, and the interested lay public, such as the landmark record of rising atmospheric CO₂ at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, high-quality and long-term U.S. climate data and global climate data, and global, regional, and national CO₂ emissions from fossil-fuel combustion.

Emphasize data quality, so that our understanding of global climate change is based on the best possible information.

Thoroughly document important data bases, so that 20 years from now users - especially those who are not experts in the particular disciplinary area - will be able to understand how a data base was produced and what the data mean.

Provide proper credit to data contributors, so that our users will understand that the data they receive from us originated not with CDIAC but, rather, with the investigators who so generously chose to share their data with CDIAC.

Offer data and information to all users without restriction or charge, so that society receives the greatest possible benefit from the originating research programs.

Take advantage of current developments in computing technologies for data archival and distribution, so that we provide a secure home for important data and provide the information to our users in the format most appropriate for them. At the same time, CDIAC appreciates that many users still prefer to receive information in more traditional formats, and we do our best to accommodate the diversity in the needs of our user community.

See also: CDIAC's General Guidance on Data Usage and Management

Organization and Staff

CDIAC is divided into three functional groups - Global Climate Change Data, Computing Systems, and Information Services. CDIAC's staff includes environmental scientists, computer scientists, and information scientists (staff listing).

CDIAC
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

(865) 574-0390
(865) 574-2232 (FAX)
cdiac@ornl.gov

Data and Information Requests: (865) 574-3645