GCOS Implementation Plan - WMO

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC
(2010 Update)
GCOS is a system of observing systems built on the climate-relevant components of the established
global observing systems for the atmosphere, ocean, land and surface water. The main component
observing systems on which it is based are:
• WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS);
o WWW Global Observing System (GOS) for atmospheric physical and dynamical
properties;
o Global Atmospheric Watch for atmospheric constituent and chemical properties; and
o other WMO climate related observing systems;
• IOC/WMO/UNEP/ICSU Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) for physical, chemical and
biological properties of the ocean;
• FAO/UNEP/UNESCO/WMO/ICSU Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) for land surface
ecosystem, hydrosphere, and cryosphere measurements; and
• IGBP and WCRP and other research observing networks.
The international climate programs and mechanisms which it supports, and through which it meets its
objectives, include:
• The World Climate Programme (WCP);
• The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and related earth system research
programmes including the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the
International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) and DIVERSITAS;
• The WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other
international environmental conventions and agreements.
Planning and implementation
The planning, implementation and further development of GCOS are carried out by the sponsoring
and participating organisations with scientific and technical advice and guidance from the joint
WMO/IOC/UNEP/ICSU Steering Committee for GCOS. The Steering Committee carries out much of
its work through three co-sponsored domain-based Panels, the Atmospheric Observation Panel for
Climate (AOPC), the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC) and the Terrestrial Observation
Panel for Climate (TOPC). The interface with the WMO/IOC/ICSU World Climate Research
Programme (WCRP) is co-ordinated through the jointly-sponsored WCRP/GCOS Observations and
Assimilation Panel (WOAP). The Steering Committee is supported by the GCOS Secretariat located
at WMO Headquarters in Geneva.
The initial plan for GCOS (GCOS-14), which was issued in 1995, set down the overall strategy and
implementation framework. A series of Regional Action Plans for ten developing country regions
provided guidance for key regional needs and a GCOS Co-operation Mechanism (GCM) was put in
place to provide for a co-ordinated multi-government approach to funding the key implementation
activities in developing countries.
The Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate In Support of the
UNFCCC (IP-04)
Through its Articles 4 and 5, the UNFCCC commits Parties to support international efforts to
strengthen systematic observation capacities and capabilities, particularly in developing countries,
and to promote access to, and the exchange of, data and analysis from areas beyond national
jurisdictions. In 1997, the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) called for an assessment of the
adequacy of global observations to meet the needs of the Convention. This lead to the First (1998)
and Second (2003) Adequacy Reports with the Second Adequacy Report (GCOS-82) identifying a set
of “Essential Climate Variables” (ECVs) “that are both currently feasible for global implementation and
have a high impact on UNFCCC requirements.” Through its Decision 11, the Ninth (2003) Session of
the COP requested the “development of a phased 5- to 10-year implementation plan for the integrated
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