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.

Next Status Report and New Implementation Plan

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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

Some of the Outcomes of the Bonn WorkshopIt 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 non-meteorological 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