Coordination with GCOS and GEO – Cryosphere Observations

Jeff KeyNOAA/NESDIS

(Agenda item 4.5)

Disappearing glaciers menace water supplies

Inuit say spring in the Arctic is becoming more dangerous

Polar bears could face extinction as global climate change warms the Arctic

Tourism at risk

Thawing permafrost, GHG emission and coastal erosion

Floods feared as glaciers melt

Melting Ice sheets, glaciers and global sea level rise

Socio-economic Impacts

Relevance to GEO SBAs:

The IGOS Cryosphere Theme developed the information (assessment of observational capabilities, requirements, and gaps) needed for a robust contribution to GCOS and GEOSS.

Accomplishments & Activities

• The IGOS Cryosphere Theme assessment resulted in improved coverage of cryospheric elements in the GCOS Implementation Plan and contributed to the GCOS-CEOS plan for satellite-based products.

• Began efforts to ensure an IPY legacy through the GEO Work Plan (AR-09-03b).

• Influenced the satellite mission planning process resulting in:– Approval of three orbital cycles of coordinated, experimental inter-satellite (ERS-SAR and Envisat ASAR) SAR

interferometry. – Approval of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Sentinel-1A C-band SAR mission. – Approval of the GMES Sentinel-3A SAR altimeter mission that will provide sea-ice thickness measurements.– Approval of RADARSAT MiniMAMM (Modified Antarctic Mapping Mission) SAR mapping of Antarctica.– Approval of CryoSat-2 with a re-launch in 2009.

• Developed new satellite products for real-time applications, e.g., sea ice concentration, thickness, and motion from MODIS. New acquisitions through GIIPSY.

• Contributed to the planning of ongoing SCAR scientific research projects (ISMASS, ASPeCT, PPE, and AGCS).

Fed directly into SAON (Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks) and the Arctic Council’s SWIPA project (Snow, Water, Ice, and Permafrost in the Arctic).

Inspired the WMO Global Cryosphere Watch.

The community involvement in CryOS gave it the credibility needed for these accomplishments…the first time this has been done internationally for the cryosphere. The community that started with CliC and SCAR expanded through CryOS.

GEO Task AR-09-03b, “Legacy of the International Polar Year 2007-08”

“Coordinate with the projects involved in the International Polar Year (IPY) to enhance the production and utilization of Earth observations in the realm of cryosphere. Advocate for an appropriate legacy for IPY projects and the continuation of relevant efforts beyond the duration of the IPY.”

Area: Climate

Relevant Committee: Architecture & Data Committee

Point of Contact: WCRP

GEO Committee Interaction

User Interface Committee: Participate in UIC meetings at least annually. Discussions revolve around communities of practice.

Science and Technology Committee: Currently contributing to a STC report that will review the GEO Work Plan with respect to the integration of science activity and the integration of IGOS themes, and to identify underlying critical research needs.

The Cryosphere Community of Practice

Weather prediction (NCEP, ECMWF, ...)

Weather forecast offices

National ice centers (NIC, NAIS)

River forecast centers

Climate prediction centers

GCOS, IASC, IPA, WMO, etc.

Space agencies (NOAA, ESA, JAXA, …)

National surface station operators

Research scientists

NSIDC, NCDC, WIS, …

The cryosphere community was established through WCRP CliC and ICSU SCAR. It was expanded through the IGOS Cryosphere Theme, one of the last themes to be established. It is being expanded further through GCW and (potentially) GEO with increased emphasis on societal benefits.

The 15th WMO Congress (May 2007) welcomed the proposal of Canada that WMO will create a Global Cryosphere Watch which would be an important component of the IPY legacy. Congress requested the WMO Inter-commission Task Group on IPY to establish an ad-hoc expert group to explore the possibility of creation of such global system and prepare recommendations for its development.

The Global Cryosphere Watch

A legacy of IPY

A component of WIGOS

A legacy of WCRP/CliC in the area of observations

A contribution to GEOSS

(Note: These are not official logos!)

CliC and GCOS Interaction

• Recommendation from WOAP-3:

WOAP recommends that CliC and the GCOS panels examine the list of cryosphere essential climate variables (ECVs) for completeness, and evaluate the compatibility of the GCOS and IGOS Cryosphere observational requirements for snow and ice. It is suggested that in the near term this be done in part through the revision of the GCOS Implementation Plan. In the longer term, the WMO Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) should be the integrator of input and actions from the three GCOS panels.

• GCOS lists GCW as an implementation agent, so CliC interaction with GCOS will

also be through GCW (if approved by WMO in 2011).

• GCOS Implementation Plan contains numerous actions relevant to CliC. CliC has submitted comments to the plan.

Action O18 [IP-04 O21]Action: Document the status of global sea ice analysis and reanalysis product uncertainty (via a quantitative summary comparison of sea-ice products), to prepare a plan to improve the products.Who: Parties’ national agencies supported by WCRP/CliC and JCOMM ETSI.

Action O19 [IP-04 O22]Action: Plan, establish and sustain systematic in situ observations from sea-ice buoys, visual surveys (SOOP and Aircraft), and ULS in the Arctic & Antarctic.Who: Arctic Party research agencies, supported by the Arctic Council; Party research agencies, supported by CLIVAR Southern Ocean Panel; JCOMM, working with CliC and OOPC.

Action O20 [IP-04 O23] Action: Ensure sustained satellite-based (microwave, SAR, visible and IR) sea-ice products.Who: Parties’ national services, research programmes and space agencies, coordinated through the WMO Space Programme and Global Cryosphere Watch, CGMS, and CEOS; National services for in situ systems coordinated through WCRP/CliC and JCOMM.

2010 GCOS Implementation Plan Update: Cryosphere-specific actions

Action O38 [IP-04 O39]Action: Develop plans for and coordinate work on data assembly and analyses.Who: JCOMM, in collaboration with CLIVAR, CliC, WOAP, GODAE, and other relevant research and data management activities.

Action T13 [IP-04 T10]Action: Strengthen and maintain existing snow-cover, snowfall observing sites; ensure that sites exchange snow data internationally, and establish global monitoring of that data on the GTS; recover historical data.Who: National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and research agencies, in cooperation with WMO and WCRP, with advice from TOPC and AOPC and GTN-H.

Action T14 [IP-04 T11]Action: Obtain integrated analyses of snow cover over both hemispheres.Who: Space agencies and research agencies in cooperation with CliC, with advice from TOPC, AOPC and IACS

2010 GCOS Implementation Plan Update: Cryosphere-specific actions

Action T15 [IP-04 T13]Action: Maintain current glacier observing sites and add additional sites and infrastructure in South America, Africa, the Himalayas and New Zealand; attribute quality levels to long-term mass balance measurements; complete satellite-based glacier inventories in key areas.Who: Parties’ national services and agencies coordinated by GTN-G partners, WGMS, GLIMS, NSIDC.

Action T16 [IP-04 T14]Action: Ensure continuity of laser, altimetry and gravity satellite missions adequate to monitor ice masses over decadal timeframe.Who: Space agencies, in cooperation with WCRP/CliC, TOPC

Action T17Action: Ensure continuity of in situ ice sheet measurements and fill critical measurement gaps.Who: Parties, working with WCRP/CliC, IACS and SCAR.

2010 GCOS Implementation Plan Update: Cryosphere-specific actions