Transcript Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Ensuring the Availability of Global Observations for Climate Goal and Structure of GCOS  The Goal of GCOS is to.

Global Climate
Observing System
(GCOS)
Ensuring the Availability of Global
Observations for Climate
Goal and Structure of GCOS
 The Goal of GCOS is to provide continuous, reliable,
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comprehensive data and information on the state of the
global climate system
GCOS consists of the climate-relevant components of
existing atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial observing
systems and their enhancement to meet the totality of
national and international user needs for climate
observations
GCOS is sponsored by WMO, UNEP, IOC and ICSU
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 National support is provided by GCOS National
Coordinators and Focal Points
GCOS as a System of Climate
Observing Systems
ICSU
IOC
WMO
UNEP
GEO
GCOS
Ocean
Observing
Systems
Atmospheric
Observing
Systems
GEOSS
Terrestrial
Observing
Systems
GCOS Vision
An integrated global
system of groundbased, airborne and
space-based systems
providing
comprehensive
information about the
global climate system.
Examples of GCOS Observing
Networks
 Atmosphere
 GCOS Upper Air Network (GUAN) (~ 160 stations)
 GCOS Surface Network (GSN) (~ 1000 stations)
 Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) (22 global and 300 regional stations)
 Ocean
 Voluntary Observing Ships (~ 7000 ships, 52 countries)
 Global Sea-Level Observing System (~300 global sea-level stations)
 Argo ( ~ 3000 profiling floats, 14 countries)
 Terrestrial
 Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G) (~750 glaciers monitored)
 Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) (300 boreholes, 15 states)
 Global Terrestrial Network for Hydrology (GTN-H) ( GTN-R, GTN-L)
 Space-based Observations
 Crucial for observation of 26 essential climate variables such as atmospheric
temperature, precipitation, sea level, sea ice, etc.
GCOS Atmosphere Networks
GCOS Surface Network (GSN)
1016 Stations (January 2007)
CLIMATE reports
received at
Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)
and Japan
Meteorological
Agency (JMA)
in 2006
GCOS Atmosphere Networks
GCOS Upper Air Network (GUAN)
164 Stations (January 2007)
GCOS Atmosphere Networks
GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN)
GCOS Implementation Plan (Action Item A16)
“Parties need to […] establish a high-quality reference network of about
30 precision radiosonde stations and other collocated observations”
 Motivation
 Problems for climate in accuracy, long-term stability and height
 Inevitable changes in measurement systems
 Lack of quality observations at high altitude
 Objectives
 Provide long-term, high-quality climate records
 Constrain and calibrate data from more spatially-comprehensive
global observing systems (including satellites and current radiosonde
networks)
 Fully characterize the properties of the atmospheric column
 Initiation Meeting of GRUAN in Lindenberg, 26-28 February 2008
GCOS Ocean Networks
Argo Network
3006 free-drifting profiling floats (October 2007)
GCOS Ocean Networks
Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS)
290 sea-level monitoring stations worldwide (July 2007)
GCOS Terrestrial Networks
Global Terrestrial Network for River (GTN-R)
380 river discharge reference stations on the river
outlet (July 2006)
GCOS Terrestrial Networks
Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G)
Vernagtferner glacier (Eastern European Alps) is one of the glaciers
monitored in the GTN-G (Weber, 2006)
Space-based Observing Systems in
Support of GCOS
Observation of Terrestrial Variables from Space
Land Cover Properties from Satellites
(European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra)
GCOS Serving Users’ Needs
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Climate system monitoring
Applications and services for sustainable development
Operational climate prediction, especially on seasonal to
inter-annual time scales
Research to improve understanding, modelling and
prediction of the climate system
Climate change detection and attribution
Assessing impacts of, vulnerability and adaptation to,
climate variability and change
Meeting the requirements of the UNFCCC and other
international conventions and agreements
Major Achievements of GCOS
 Implementation Plan in Support of the UNFCCC
(2004) and Satellite Supplement (2006):
the roadmap for the global climate observing system
in the next 5-10 years
 Designation of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs):
44 key geophysical variables
 Regional Workshop Programme and 10 Regional
Action Plans (RAPs)
 Promotion of “Climate for Development in Africa”
Programme (ClimDev Africa)
Major Achievements of GCOS
 Implementation of GCOS Surface (GSN) and Upper
Air (GUAN) baseline networks
 GCOS as the climate observation component of
the Global Earth Observation
System of Systems (GEOSS)
 GCOS contributes to the work of UNFCCC and
provides an essential input to the
UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme
on Impacts, Vulnerability and
Adaptation to Climate Change
GCOS Implementation Plan
(October 2004)
 Builds on requirements in the ‘Second Adequacy Report’
(2003)
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Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)
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Integrated global analysis products
 Uses existing global, regional and national plans
 Defines indicators for measuring its implementation
 Sets implementation priorities, agents and resource
requirements
 131 Actions
 Estimated USD 631M additional annually recurring cost
 Major satellite component
Essential Climate Variables
(ECVs)
Domain
Atmospheric
(over land,
sea and
ice)
Essential Climate Variables
Surface:
Air temperature, Precipitation, Air pressure, Surface
radiation budget, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour.
Upper-air:
Earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance), Upperair temperature, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour,
Cloud properties.
Composition:
Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone,
greenhouse gases, Aerosol properties.
Surface:
Sea-surface temperature, Sea-surface salinity, Sea level,
Sea state, Sea Ice, Current, Ocean colour (for biological
activity), Carbon dioxide partial pressure.
Sub-surface:
Temperature, Salinity, Current, Nutrients, Carbon, Ocean
tracers, Phytoplankton.
Oceanic
Terrestrial
Other
long-lived
River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lake levels, Snow cover, Glaciers
and ice caps, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground, Albedo, Land cover
(including vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active
radiation (FAPAR), Leaf area index (LAI), Biomass, Fire disturbance, Soil
moisture.
Global Climate Monitoring
Principles and Data Exchange
GCOS Climate Monitoring Principles (GCMPs)
 Endorsed in their basic form by the UNFCCC in 1999
 Completed by satellite specific monitoring principles in 2003
 Provide overall guidance for the design and implementation of
GCOS observing systems
Data Exchange
 Aim to ensure the free and unrestricted availability of data
from all observing networks (WMO Resolutions 25 and 40)
 Unrestricted exchange of all GCOS data as a global public
good
Regional Workshop
Programme
Requested by UNFCCC COP-5 (1999)
“… to identify the priority capacity building needs
related to participation in systematic observation….”
The objectives for each workshop were to:
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Assess contribution of the region to the GCOS Baseline
Networks
Identify national/regional needs and deficiencies in climate
data
Initiate development of Regional Action Plans for improving
observing systems
Understand guidelines for reporting to the UNFCCC
Highlight GCOS objectives and needs in the regions
Regional Workshop
Programme
 GCOS has led the completion of all ten regional
workshops in the Programme (10 Workshops from 2000
to 2005)
 …and of all ten Regional Action Plans
 Promotion of follow-up
implementation activities including
the evolving “Climate for
Development in Africa”
Programme (ClimDev Africa)
 Additional implementation activites
planned in other regions, e.g.
Central America
Climate for Development in
Africa (ClimDev Africa)
 An integrated, multipartner programme addressing
 climate observations,
 climate services,
 climate risk management, and
 climate policy needs in Africa
 Programme will support efforts to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals
 Opportunity for substantial funding support for observations and climate
service provision programmes of African NMHSs
 Principal partners are: African Union, African Development Bank, UN
Economic Commission for Africa, WMO and GCOS
 Potential donors include UK Department for International Development,
European Commission, African Development Bank
GCOS at the National Level
 Climate observing networks are mainly funded, managed
and operated by national entities
 National GCOS Coordinators and National GCOS
Committees provide effective coordination of national and
local institutions
 National Focal Points in more
than 130 countries
Report of the national climate
observing system in Switzerland,
including a complete inventory of
Swiss climate measurement series
GCOS Switzerland, December 2007
System Improvement
Programme
GCOS provides
support needed
from the scientific,
donor and host
communities to
implement
selected
improvements,
especially for
GUAN and GSN
stations.
First launch of a ballon at Gan, Maldives
(Photo: UK MetOffice)
Thank you
For more information about the GCOS programme
please visit our website
www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index.php
Contact Information
GCOS Secretariat
c/o World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
7 bis, Avenue de la Paix
P.O. Box 2300
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 730 80 67
Fax: +41 22 730 80 52
E-mail: [email protected]