I posted some links earlier with like 180 reasons why a moon base would be useful. There are levels to everything. You can do lots of research into climate with the space station but you would be able to do more on the moon. Here are a some:
"Conduct sky surveys from the lunar surface to detect NEOs [near earth objects], determine their orbits, assess their physical characteristics, and evaluate the potential hazard to Earth and the Moon."
"Collect simultaneous observations of the earthshine (photometry and spectra), particle flux, and solar irradiance covering the electromagnetic and charged particle spectrum. The earthshine gives an instantaneous measure of the Earth's reflectance, and over a month, the total reflectance (Bond albedo) of Earth can be measured. The irradiance plus Bond albedo gives the net sunlight reaching Earth, and sun-directed hardware gives a broad spectrum of near-Earth measurements of solar activity."
"Monitor variability of solar energy output for century to millennium time scales in borehole with temperature string."
"Assess flow velocity of major ice bodies (Greenland, Antarctica) with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Monitor sea ice extent and concentration in the polar regions."
"Perform multispectral thermal infrared observations (2 - 14 microns) of the whole Earth disc with lunar-based sensors. These observation are not dependent on local "day/night" conditions. With 1km/pixel spatial resolution, observations could provide near instananeous detection and monitoring of volcanic eruptions and fires."
"Perform continuous monitoring of lightning of the Earth disk presented to the Moon. Use this data to develop a complete lightning climatology, i.e. an understanding of lightning as a function of time of day, season, and location."
"This research aims to understand the longterm effects of the lunar environment on materials. Unique aspects of the lunar environment to be studied include fractional gravity, radiation bombardment, thermal cycling, and dust. Understand the individual as well as cumulative effects of each of these variables, such that results can be extrapolated to the Mars case."
"Use the lunar environment, specifically 1/6 g and ultra-high vacuum, to develop new types of materials foruse in space or on Earth. Investigate the use of lunar resources in materials processing."
Click the link for 172 more.
https://www.businessinsider.com/180...12-1#discover-threats-to-the-earth-and-moon-8
the full pdf which provides more details such as value here
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/163560main_LunarExplorationObjectives.pdf