Up-date on the GCOS activities

13 January 2011, WMO, Geneva, Switzerland Dr Carolin Richter, Director, Global Climate Observing System Secretariat

Inaugural Meeting of the GCOS Scientific & Technical Steering Committee April 13 – 15, 1992, at the World Meteorological Organization

Back row: T. Maruyama (Japan), Worth Nowlin, Jr. (* USA), Yukio Haruyama (* Japan), Douglas Whelpdale (* Canada), Lennart Bengtsson (* Germany), DSG David Axford (WMO, sponsor), Phillip Goldsmith (* UK), Alex Alusa (UNEP, sponsor), Ichtaque Rasool (WCRP), Su Jilan (*, China), Francois Martin (GCOS, JPO), Jurgen Meincke (*, Germany) Shizuo Tsunogai (*, Japan) Middle row: Alexandre Vasiliev (* Russian Federation), Shelby Tilford (*, First Vice-chairman, USA), Claudio Caponi (*, Second Vice chairman,Venezuela), Sir John Houghton (*, Chairman, UK), Thomas Spence (Director, Joint Planning Office for GCOS), Angus McEwan (* Australia), Albert Tolkachev (IOC, sponsor) Front Row: Arthur Dahl (UNEP, sponsor), Pierre Morel (ICSU, sponsor), Ekundayo Balogun (* Nigeria), Andre LeBeau (* France), S. Kalombratsos (GCOS Joint Planning Office), Fredric DelSol (WMO, AREP)

The Composition and Scope of the Main Global Observing Systems

SYSTEMS OCEAN ATMOSPHERE GOOS LAND GEOSS WIGOS GCOS

(GOS AND GAW)

GTOS

1. Implementation Plan – up-date August 2010



Up-dated Implementation Plan: in brief:

new ECVs, now 50 (before 44 )  reflection on ecosystems (biodiversity)  additional focus on reference and super site networks (measurements of several ECVs at one site for a more comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem)  cost estimation (additional costs and costs for existing systems)

GCOS Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)

Global observations feasible (practical, cost-effective) High impact on needs of UNFCCC, climate research (WCRP), climate change assessments (IPCC) 

Priority list of variables to be observed systematically

 Initiated in 1995 in The GCOS Plan, then called «principal observations»     Submitted first time 1998 in 1st Adequacy Report to the UNFCCC, Buenos Aires Global observations feasible (practical, cost-effective) High impact on needs of UNFCCC, climate change assessments (IPCC) Term « ECV » promoted in 2003, 2 nd Adequacy Report to the UNFCCC

GCOS Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)

  

Atmospheric

•

Surface –

Air temperature,

Precipitation

, Pressure, Surface radiation budget,

Wind speed and direction

, Water vapour •

Upper Air – Earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance), Temperature, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour, Cloud properties

•

Composition – Carbon dioxide, Methane and other long-lived greenhouse gases (N2O, CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, SF6 and PFCs), Ozone and Aerosol, supported by their precursors (NO2, SO2, HCHO and CO)

.

Oceanic

•

Surface – Sea-surface temperature, Sea-surface salinity, Sea level, Sea state, Sea ice, Surface Current, Ocean colour

, Carbon dioxide partial pressure, Ocean acidity , Phytoplankton. •

Sub-surface:

Temperature, Salinity, Current, Nutrients, Carbon dioxide partial pressure, Ocean acidity , Oxygen , Tracers.

Terrestrial

• River discharge, Water use, Ground water,

Lakes, Snow cover, Glaciers and ice caps

,

Ice sheets

, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground,

radiation (FAPAR), Leaf area index (LAI), Albedo, Land cover (including vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active Above ground biomass , Soil carbon , Fire disturbance, Soil moisture .

Blue/bold =

largely space-based

2. Satellite Supplement – up-date in January 2011

2. Satellite Supplement – up-date in January 2011

Update 2006 Satellite Supplement to the GCOS IP (GCOS-107)  Update detailed GCOS requirements for FCDRs and ECV products in terms of  accuracy,     stability, temporal/spatial resolution, calibration and validation needs and opportunities, relevant international working groups.

for Atmosphere, Ocean, Land and Cross-Cutting actions.

   Expert Meeting, January 10 – 12, 2011, Geneva improvements on most of the ECVs, extra sections, e.g., GHGs, precursors, « pressure » emerges now also as space-based observed ECV. Open for public review, March 2011 Finalising draft, 2 nd Qrt 2011.

3. GCOS Progress Report 2004-2008

GCOS Progress Report 2004-2008 - Summary 

Developed Countries:



improved climate observation capabilities,



limited progress in resolving financial issues related to long-term continuity



Developing Countries:



limited (in-situ) progress, with decline in some regions,



capacity building support remains small in relation to needs



Satellite agencies:



improved mission continuity and capability



increasingly meeting climate needs



Progress made, but:

 

Many gaps persist, Continued engagement needed for coordinated implementation and long-term continuity Summary of progress on all 131 Actions in 2004 GCOS IP

Monitoring and Generating Climate Data

 

GCOS Guideline for generation of ECV datasets and products, May 2010 (GCOS-143)

Responds to increasing demand by producers to ensure climate quality / meeting GCOS requirements; Ensure transparency.

   

GCOS Climate Monitoring Principles (Annex II, GCOS-143)

Requirements for the operation of observing systems Ensure continuity of missions; Ensure stability of instruments and orbits; Ensure traceability

4. Continuous Improvement and Assessment Cycle GCOS – an all domain system

5.

System improvement through all domains (atmosphere, ocean and land)

Systematic observation requirements for in-situ based products for climate  Needed for validation and ground truth.



In-situ data supplement to the Implementation Plan needed.

GCOS as building block: Global Framework for Climate Service – GFCS as the major outcome of the WCC-3, 2009.

Adaptation Mitigation Climate- sensitive Sectors Interface Prediction & Information UNFCCC IPCC World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)