GCOS Implementation Plan - WMO

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC
(2010 Update)
the basis of the country-by-country summary statistics, such as those published by the FAO in their
Forest Resource Assessments.
Progress toward creating global gridded biomass datasets can be achieved by appropriately-designed
satellite and aircraft missions, notably active microwave and laser systems. Space agencies should
plan for such missions.
Action T32
Action: Develop demonstration datasets of above ground biomass across all biomes.
Who: Parties, space agencies, national institutes, research organizations, FAO in association with
GTOS, TOPC, and the GOFC-GOLD Biomass Working Group.
Time frame: 2012.
Performance Indicator: Availability of global gridded estimates of above ground biomass and
associated carbon content.
Annual Cost Implications: 1-10M US$ (20% in non-Annex-I Parties).
ECV - Soil Carbon
Soils represent the largest terrestrial carbon pool. On seasonal to decadal time scales, carbon sinks
may be explained by changes in above-ground biomass, but on longer time scales soil carbon stocks
become more relevant. Globally, the largest soil carbon stocks are primarily located in wetlands and
peatlands, most of which are located on permafrost and in the Tropics. This soil carbon is vulnerable
to changes in the hydrological cycle as well as to changes in permafrost dynamics (in the boreal
zone), while tropical peatlands are severely threatened by deforestation and the transformation of
primary forest to plantations. The total amount of carbon stored in soils and its distribution is still
highly uncertain, and new estimates of carbon content at various depths are urgently needed.
The change in soil organic carbon is largely influenced by anthropogenic activities, particularly
through the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural land. The soil organic carbon is
contained within micro-aggregates, and a part is lost through respiration and erosion after their
destruction. Soil organic carbon varies as a function of the texture, bulk density, microbiologic activity,
and organic matter contained in the vegetation. Many authors have proposed quantification of the
carbon stored in soils and study of the role of soils as both a source and sink of carbon.
Comprehensive measurements of soil organic carbon involve identifying the different soil types and
extracting soil samples. Since this is particularly labour-intensive and costly, a composite sampling
method is necessary.
Action T33
Action: Develop a global database of soil carbon measurements and techniques for extrapolation to
global gridded products of soil carbon.
Who: Parties, national institutes, research organisations, and FAO, in association with GTOS and
TOPC.
Time frame 2012-2014.
Performance Indicator: Completeness of database and availability of prototype soil carbon maps.
Annual Cost Implications: 1-10M US$ (10% in non-Annex-I Parties).
The identification of changes in soil carbon may be possible over long time scales at a limited number
of sites identified under Action T33, e.g., those selected under Action T3, but additional and perhaps
more accurate information on changes in soil carbon may be inferred from measurements of the
annual cycle of carbon flux at these sites.
Such understanding and monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and sinks is a fundamental step
toward avoiding dangerous climate change. Obtaining verifiable and agreed estimates of regional CO 2
sources and sinks is very important in the ongoing UNFCCC negotiation cycle to define emission
reductions after the Kyoto Protocol. The consensus is that data assimilation systems that use both
terrestrial and atmospheric data (i.e., GAW concentration data) will ultimately provide the required
carbon fluxes at the required accuracy. Such systems are under development.
126