American Astronomical Society (AAS)
The American Astronomical Society (AAS), established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the largest professional organization in North America dedicated to the advancement of astronomy and related sciences. With approximately 8,200 members, the AAS encompasses a diverse array of scientists, including physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, geologists, and engineers. The society's mission includes promoting research, awarding grants and prizes, publishing journals, and organizing conferences to foster discussion on astronomical topics. Notably, the AAS plays a significant role in researching climate change, both on Earth and other planets, addressing how solar energy output affects planetary warming. The organization publishes key findings related to climate science, emphasizing the complexities of human impacts on climate systems and the need for ongoing peer-reviewed research. Governed by a council and supported by various committees, the AAS also sponsors several influential journals, including The Astronomical Journal and The Astrophysical Journal. By advocating for improved scientific observations and modeling, the AAS aims to provide a foundation for governmental decision-making in mitigating climate change effects and assisting communities in adaptation strategies.
American Astronomical Society (AAS)
- DATE: Established 1899
Mission
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) fosters research into climate change both on Earth and on other planets. It also researches the role of the Sun in global warming. The AAS was established in 1899 and is based in Washington, DC. It is the largest professional organization in North America for scientists who conduct research in astronomy and related sciences. Among its approximately eighty-two hundred members are physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, geologists, and engineers. Its mission is to promote the advancement of knowledge by awarding grants and prizes for research, publishing journals, arranging conferences, fostering debate and discussion on its website, posting news items, and issuing public policy statements on educational and political issues related to astronomy and planetary science.
The Council of the AAS governs the organization and considers recommendations from its forty-five committees and working groups to support research, award prizes, and set policy. The society comprises the Division for Planetary Science, Division on Dynamical Astronomy, High Energy Astrophysics Division, Historical Astronomy Division, and Solar Physics Division. It sponsors The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, Bulletin of the AAS, and Icarus, as well as departmental newsletters.
Significance for Climate Change
Among AAS members are planetary scientists studying climate change on Earth and other planets in the solar system. AAS publications present the scientists' findings. Of particular pertinence are investigations into how variations in the Sun’s energy output affect planetary warming on Earth and other bodies, such as Venus and Saturn’s moon Triton.
On June 2, 2004, the AAS website posted its endorsement of “Human Impacts on Climate,” the policy statement of a sister organization, the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Acknowledging the closer involvement of the AGU in scientific subdisciplines directly addressing terrestrial climate change, the AAS endorsement notes that
…the human impacts on the climate system include increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is significantly contributing to the warming of the global climate. The climate system is complex, however, making it difficult to predict detailed outcomes of human-induced change: there is, as yet, no definitive theory for translating greenhouse gas emissions into forecasts of regional weather, hydrology, or response of the biosphere.
Accordingly, the AAS calls for further peer-reviewed research. It especially cites the need for improved observations and computer modeling in order to provide governments with a solid basis for making decisions about how best to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change and to help communities adapt to such change.
Bibliography
"About the AAS." American Astronomical Society, www.aas.org/about-aas. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
"American Astronomical Society." Space.com, www.space.com/topics/american-astronomical-society. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
"The Planetary Science Journal Publishes 1,000th Article." American Astronomical Society, 25 June 2024, aas.org/press/planetary-science-journal-publishes-its-1000th-article. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.