"Sequestration Could Shut Off Or Delay Climate and Weather Data"

"For Jesslyn Brown, sequestration could not come at a worse time of the year."

"Brown, a geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Interior Department, heads the Remote Sensing Phenology project, an effort to track changes in vegetation. Springtime is critical for Brown and her colleagues, as plants and crops exit their winter dormancy and the landscape turns from brown to green.

The data culled and organized by the Remote Sensing Phenology staff track the timing of the growing season for vegetation. The information can be used to study invasive species, the diets of wild animals, and the extent and severity of drought, among other applications.

But this April, Brown, along with thousands of federal employees, is awaiting furloughs as the sequester triggers an automatic $1.2 trillion budget cut over 10 years across almost all federal agencies Friday. The freeze in staff and forced time off will delay the delivery of data to academic researchers, scientists and government workers who track changes in the landscape."

Stephanie Ogburn and Tiffany Stecker report for ClimateWire February 28, 2013.