GCOS Implementation Plan - WMO

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC
(2010 Update)
• WMO Commission for Climatology (WMO CCl) – Lead Commission for coordinating international
technical activities under the World Climate Applications and Services Programme (focussing on
the application of climate information in support of socio-economic development) and the World
Climate Data and Monitoring Programme (focussing on data archaeology),.
Scientific Programmes and Advisory/Steering committees to the intergovernmental bodies:
• World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) – sponsored by ICSU, WMO and IOC of UNESCO
– comprehensive climate research programme, in particular through the WCRP/GCOS
Observation and Assimilation Panel (WOAP)
• International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) – sponsored by ICSU – programme to
understand the interactive physical, chemical and biological processes regulating the total Earth
system, the changes in this system, and influences from human actions.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – sponsored by UNEP and WMO –-
assesses scientific, technical and socio-economic information for understanding climate change
and its potential impacts.
• GCOS Steering Committee – sponsored by WMO, UNEP, UNESCO, and ICSU – provides
scientific, technical and implementation guidance to the GCOS Sponsors and has established 3
domain-based scientific Panels and associated Working Groups:
o Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (AOPC);
o Ocean Observation Panel for Climate (OOPC);
o Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC); and
o The AOPC Working Group on Atmospheric Reference Observations (WG-ARO);
o The AOPC/OOPC Working Group on Surface Pressure (WG-SP);
o The AOPC/OOPC Working Group on Sea-Surface Temperature and Sea Ice (WG
SST/SI);
o The AOPC/TOPC Working Group on Land-Surface/Atmosphere Issues (WG-LSA);
o The WOAP/AOPC Working Group on Observational Datasets for Reanalysis.
Climate observing systems; GCOS made up of contributions from:
• WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS);
o World Weather Watch Global Observing System (GOS) - comprehensive system for
observing meteorological variables used in weather forecasting and other related
applications;
o Global Atmospheric Watch comprehensive observations of atmospheric constituent and
chemical properties on global and regional scales; and
o other WMO climate related observing systems;
• IOC/WMO/UNEP/ICSU Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) – permanent global system for
observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables to support operational ocean
services world-wide.
• FAO/UNEP/UNESCO/WMO/ICSU Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) – programme for
observations, modelling, and analysis of terrestrial ecosystems, for facilitated access to terrestrial
ecosystem information, and to support sustainable development.
• IGBP and WCRP and other research observing networks.
Coordination mechanisms and partnerships supporting observational objectives:
• Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) – international coordinating mechanism
charged with coordinating international civil spaceborne missions designed to observe and study
planet Earth, including the CEOS Virtual Constellation Teams.
• Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) – provides a forum in which the space
agencies have studied jointly with the WMO technical operational aspects of the global network,
so as to ensure maximum efficiency and usefulness through proper coordination in the design of
the satellites and in the procedures for data acquisition and dissemination.
• Sustained Coordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Climate Monitoring
(SCOPE-CM) – international coordination mechanism designed to guide the generation of a set of
meteorological long-term fundamental climate data records and ECV satellite products
• Group on Earth Observations (GEO) – international framework on a voluntary basis working
towards coordinated comprehensive and sustained observations of the Earth system within the
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) in order to improve monitoring of the
changing state of the planet, increase understanding of complex Earth processes, and enhance
the prediction of the impacts of environmental change, including climate change.
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