GCOS Implementation Plan - WMO

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC
(2010 Update)
benefits, in particular in improving regional and local understanding of the impacts of climate change
and to inform decisions on adaptation. This is especially true as littoral zones support about a quarter
of the world’s population and are potentially subject to impacts from sea-level rise, coastal erosion
and harmful changes to coastal marine ecosystems. Work under the UNFCCC Nairobi Work
Programme has begun to address the need for sustained observations to improve Parties’
understanding of climate impacts and vulnerability, and to support their adaptation decisions. For the
oceanic domain, this primarily means monitoring and analyses for shallow seas and coastal waters. In
this connection, there is a particular need to improve coastal ocean observations in many non-Annex-I
Parties, both for improved understanding of climate impacts, but also to ensure coastal ecosystem
services are protected from direct human stresses.
National and regional participation in the coastal module of GOOS provides one framework for
coordinated development and operation of observing efforts in coastal waters. The OOPC and the
GOOS Panel for Integrated Coastal Observations (PICO), through the GOOS Scientific Steering
Committee, must ensure that the requirements for coastal observations of certain ECVs, including
sea-surface temperature, sea level, sea state are fully taken into account in the implementation plan
of the coastal GOOS. It is equally important that the I-GOOS and the GOOS Regional Alliances
(GRA) encourage and ensure that regional and coastal observing contributions and associated
products are responsive to the Actions in this Plan and thus to the needs of the UNFCCC. GOOS
Regional Alliances have been established for most regional seas; effective planning and
implementation in the Arctic Ocean would be facilitated by establishment of an Arctic GRA, but has
been hampered by political considerations.
Action O2 [IP-04 O5]
Action: Establish prioritized national and regional plans that address the needs to monitor the coastal
regions and support adaptation and understanding of vulnerabilities.
Who: All coastal Parties, in consultation with PICO and OOPC.
Time-Frame: Continuing.
Performance Indicator: Publications by regions (e.g., GRAs) and nations of their plans for coastal
climate observing systems, and reporting their progress against performance measures established
by technical advisory bodies, including PICO and OOPC.
Annual Cost Implications: 1-10M US$ (Mainly by Annex-I Parties).
5.1. Oceanic Domain – Surface
5.1.1. General
Table 11 lists the components of the oceanic domain surface observing system. The absence of
global coverage and the lack of sufficient high-quality observations remain the key weaknesses in the
surface ocean network. For a few variables such as sea-surface temperature (SST) and mean sealevel
pressure, cost-effective technologies are available to address this weakness. For other
variables, further investment and additional research and development are required (see Action O41).
Table 11: Implementation of the Oceanic Domain – Surface composite network components
and ECVs observed, their associated coordinating bodies and International Data Centres and
Archives
Component Network ECVs Coordinating Body
International Data
Centres and Archives
Global surface drifting buoy
array on 5x5 degree resolution
(1250)
SST, SLP, position-changebased
Current
JCOMM DBCP
RNODC/DB: ISDM
Global tropical moored buoy
network (~120)
Typically SST and Surface
vector wind;
Can include SLP, Current,
Air-sea flux variables
JCOMM Tropical Moored
Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP/DBCP)
NOAA/NDBC (all
Pacific/Indian/Atlantic)
JAMSTEC (Pacific/Indian
TRITON subset)
VOSClim and VOS fleet
All feasible surface ECVs plus
extensive ship metadata for
VOSClim
JCOMM SOT
ICOADS (air/sea interface);
WMO Pub. 47 (metadata);
GOSUD (salinity)
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