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ICG-WIGOS 4
“GCOS: next plans 2015-2016”
Carolin Richter
Director, GCOS Secretariat
17 – 20 February 2015, WMO, Geneva
Sponsors and Partners
•
the WMO observing systems (e.g. WIGOS – GOS, GCW, GAW)
•
the IOC-led co-sponsored Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
•
the FAO-led co-sponsored Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS)
•
observational elements of research programmes (WCRP, IGBP, etc.)
•
network systems contributing climate observations, data management or products (GTNs, GOFC-GOLD, etc.)
•
which together form our overall global observing system for climate, and the climate-observing component of the
Group on Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
GCOS Expert Panels
List of Actions (excerpt):
Promoting and strengthening GSN and
GUAN: changes to be reflected in the
Regulatory material (Manual of the GOS);
Reference Climate Stations: WG to
establish criteria (CCl, CBS and CAS)
Certification Criteria: to be developed in
cooperation with WIGOS;
Network definitions (reference, baseline,
comprehensive): to be discussed in
cooperation with WIGOS:
GCOS Expert Panels
Co-sponsored by FAO, Secretariat of GTOS is non-functional at FAO; new arrangements are needed
• How can WIGOS help to re-establish a terrestrial observation framework?
Strong partnerships with the Global Terrestrial Networks (GTNs) on lakes, permafrost, glaciers, rivers,
and hydrological issues.
TOPC link to OOPC on requirements focusing on
observations in the coastal zone.
AOPC link to OOPC on observations required to calculate
air-sea fluxes and governing/influencing processes.
New Implementation Plan in 2016
Next Status Report and New Implementation Plan
GCOS Continuous Improvement & Assessment Cycle
The GCOS programme has started the process for:
• a 2015 report on the progress and status of climate observation
• a new “Implementation Plan” in 2016, which should identify:
− continuing and new requirements, including a restatement of the rationale
for the list of ECVs and possible amendment of the list
− the adequacy of present arrangements for meeting the requirements
− the additional actions needed, with indicative costs, performance indicators
and potential agents for implementation
• statements of specific requirements for products
− from both in situ networks and the space-based component
− and from integration of the data provided by both
either embedded in the main Plan or as separate supplement(s)
GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services
Observations for Adaptation to Climate Variability and
Change
Information and products are inadequate for
adaptation:
-more relevance to users; need of close
consultation with practitioners.
Adaptation is local:
-Neither global climate models nor satellite-based
forecasting systems are yet good enough to
support decisions made at the local level;
-Need to invest in the ground-based network of
primary hydro-meteorological observations;
-Need to establish and improve mechanisms to
provide data access and data descriptions.
Observation Requirements
Common themes regarding observation requirements:
- Need for higher spatial and temporal resolution (“smallest pixel is too
large”);
- Need to focus on regions where climate change will have significant
sector effects and where there are vulnerable populations;
- Need to develop infrastructure and governance to support sustained
data rescue (historical data is highly valuable, but data rescue is very
expensive);
- Need to support research initiatives such as PROVIA and Future Earth.
GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services
Observations for Climate Change Mitigation
Mitigation
Atmospheric Composition: CO2,
methane (CH4), NO2, other
long-lived GHGs, ozone,
aerosols,
including estimation of net
sources and sinks, fluxes,
Land-Use and Land-Cover, Fires
GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services
Assessment of Needs – GCOS with UNFCCC and IPCC
“Enhancing observations to support preparedness and adaptation in a
changing climate – Learning from the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report (AR5)”
10-12 February 2015
UNFCCC, Bonn, Germany
Addressing needs in the priority areas
of the Global Framework for Climate
Services (GFCS):
Support of:
Based on IPCC AR5:
Some of the Outcomes of the Bonn Workshop
It is essential to generate good, publicly available and standardized data, in particular at
regional, national and local levels, on the vulnerability of key sectors to the impacts of climate
change including:
• improve climate observations systems with a special emphasis on Terrestrial and Ocean and where the two
meet.
Guidance and guidelines (or references to other sources of advice) on data and sources of
products, as well as their limitations, are needed. In particular:
• Establishing and maintaining requirements for the collection and dissemination of national observations to
specified quality standards with understood and quantified uncertainties is a key role of GCOS
• High-resolution data, required for adaption planning, needs to be documented (especially for nonmeteorological data).
•
GCOS should identify international data centres for all ECVs.
• The experience of developing adaptation plans and assessments should be carefully documented and
recorded to enable transferable expertise and improvements to observation systems,
•
Requirements for data latency, timeliness and availability are critical and should be clearly specified.
Upcoming GCOS event
Tentative Title: Global Climate Observations – the Road to the Future
GCOS Science Conference
End of Feb (24-26 Feb 2016)/ Beginning of March 2016
Royal Academy of Sciences, Amsterdam, NL
• Status of the Global Observation Systems for Climate
• ECVs in the context of scientific challenges
• Conference will launch the New Implementation Plan
Review of the GCOS Programme - Outcome
18 Recommendations addressing:
Balance & Relevance of GCOS MoU
GCOS Programme Achievements
Relationship of GCOS to international and
national organizations
GCOS Programme Functions, Mechanism
and Governance
Vision for the Future
Finalized in March 2014,
Updated MoU to be reviewed by all
partners, ready by Cg-17.
http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/Publications/gcos-181.pdf