Whether or not the closure is a major problem depends on who you ask. There are doubts that the CIA is really a good leader in climate research, and it's safe to say that the organization typically has its hands full with the espionage business. However, there are also concerns that officials are cutting off access to accurate info at the very moment when things are getting complicated -- researchers need more data, not less. That may not be as much of an issue in the long run as non-classified satellites provide increasingly valuable findings, but the loss is still bound to hurt for at least a while.

[Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Flickr]