William Westermeyer

15th Meeting of the GCOS-GOOS-WCRPOcean Observations Panel for Climate

2 April 2011

Comments from the GCOS Secretariat

GCOS Implementation Plan – Actions for OOPC

OOPC, in consultation with/supporting/in coordination with Parties, JCOMM, WCRP, IOCCP, etc.

O2: Establish Plans to monitor coastal regions, support adaptation O13: Develop strategy to measure surface pCO2

O17: Establish group to make global estimates of current, etc. O18: Establish systematic sea ice observations O21: Establish continuous plankton recorder surveys O22: Develop technology for underway plankton surveys O23: Establish network of long-term observation sites for ocean

habitats O40: Undertake pilot projects of reanalysis of ocean data

Systematic Observation Requirements for Satellite-Based Products for Climate

The Satellite Supplement to IP-10

Open Review: 9 May through 1 July, 2011 Publication of document: September 2011 To be submitted to UNFCCC as INF document

for COP-17 Action: OOPC Members requested to review

GCOS Cooperation Mechanism

Potential for funding of needed improvements in ocean observing systems in developing countries

Funding dependent on voluntary contributions Annual one-day meeting, either linked to GCOS

SC session or to SBSTA Action: GCOS encourages development and

maintenance of a shopping list of high priority needs

DFID-DECC Opportunity?

New Intl Climate Fund (ICF), for supporting developing countries, could be used to support climate observations in developing countries

Up to £20 million available GCOS requested to develop a Concept Note for UK’s

DECC and DFID. Wish to include activities in all domains Priority countries in Africa, South Asia, Caribbean Action: Prepare brief proposals for inclusion in Concept

Note: 1) (five) moored buoys for the Western Indian Ocean, 2) regular maintenance of 15 tide gauges in Africa

Advisory Group on Ocean Obs?

AOPC has a subsidiary body, the AGG, that considers setting priorities for GSN and GUAN needs.

Is there a need for creating something similar for the oceans domain?

OceanSITES

Is Ocean Sites a GRUAN for the oceans, i.e., a comprehensive network??

Can GCOS do anything to promote the further development of OceanSites?

GRUAN: GCOS Reference Upper Air Network

To provide long-term, high quality upper-air climate records, with complete estimates of measurement accuracy

Measuring a large suite of co-related climate variables with deliberate measurement redundancy

30-40 sites to start

Ocean ECVs

Standardization issues? A la terrestrial ECVs…ISO to terrestrial ECVs Is there a need? Is a similar approach wanted? WMO stds for MM are as good as ISO std