Global Climate Observing System

Global Climate Observing System
Name	Global Climate Observing System
Formation	1992
Founder	World Meteorological Organization; United Nations Environment Programme
Type	International program
Headquarters	Geneva
Region served	Global
Parent organization	World Meteorological Organization; United Nations Environment Programme

Contents

Global Climate Observing System The Global Climate Observing System coordinates international efforts to collect, integrate, and deliver climate-relevant observations for science, policy, and services. It supports assessments and decisions by linking observing networks, data management, and modeling communities across institutions such as the World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, and the Group on Earth Observations. The program interfaces with research bodies like the WMO Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems, the International Oceanographic Commission, and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites to ensure observational continuity and interoperability.

Overview

The system provides a coordinated framework for surface, oceanic, atmospheric, cryospheric, and terrestrial observations that underpin assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and operations by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. It works with international observing initiatives like the Global Ocean Observing System, the Global Atmosphere Watch, the Global Terrestrial Observing System, and the Global Cryosphere Watch to align priorities, quality standards, and metadata conventions promoted by organizations including the International Telecommunication Union and the World Data System.

Launched in the early 1990s by World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme following recommendations from panels including the WMO Commission for Climatology and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the program built upon earlier efforts by the International Council for Science and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Key milestones include integration with the Global Climate Observing System Implementation Plan, alignment with satellite coordination through the Group on Earth Observations, and collaborative agreements with regional entities such as the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research.

Governance combines steering committees, expert panels, and collaborating centers drawn from institutions like the World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and national meteorological services (for example, Met Office, Météo-France, Deutscher Wetterdienst). Scientific oversight involves panels on atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and terrestrial domains that coordinate with programs such as the Global Ocean Observing System, Global Atmosphere Watch, Global Terrestrial Observing System, and Global Cryosphere Watch, while partnerships with the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the Group on Earth Observations manage space-based components.

Surface networks include cooperative stations run by agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Met Office, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology, supplemented by ocean observing platforms from Argo, the Global Drifter Program, and the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean array. Satellite missions coordinated through the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and agencies such as NASA and ESA provide remote sensing from platforms like the Joint Polar Satellite System, Sentinel series, and geostationary systems. Cryospheric observations rely on assets supported by Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and polar programs of NOAA and NSF, while terrestrial flux networks link to initiatives like the FLUXNET consortium and biodiversity observatories associated with the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network.

Data stewardship follows principles advocated by the World Data System, the Group on Earth Observations and standards codified by the International Organization for Standardization. The system promotes interoperable metadata and data exchange through services such as the Global Telecommunication System, national data centers like the National Centers for Environmental Information, and international repositories including the World Climate Research Programme archives. Products include observational datasets for assimilation into centers like the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, climate indices used in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, and tailored information for stakeholders such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting processes and the World Bank's climate risk analyses.

Observations coordinated by the system underpin scientific assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, inform adaptation strategies supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Green Climate Fund, and enable operational forecasting by centers such as ECMWF and NOAA. They support international agreements including the Paris Agreement through national greenhouse gas inventories linked to capabilities promoted by the Global Climate Observing System and national agencies like Environment and Climate Change Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency. Sectoral applications include agriculture advisories used by the Food and Agriculture Organization, disaster risk reduction coordinated with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and marine services by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Challenges include sustaining long-term observational continuity amid changing satellite missions from agencies like NASA and ESA, funding constraints affecting national services such as Met Office and Bureau of Meteorology (Australia), integration of heterogeneous datasets across standards set by the International Organization for Standardization and the World Data System, and expanding observations in under-sampled regions including parts of the Global South and polar areas prioritized by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Future directions emphasize enhanced collaboration with the Group on Earth Observations, bolstering in situ networks like Argo and FLUXNET, adopting FAIR data principles promoted by the World Data System, and strengthening links to policy mechanisms such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and funding instruments including the Green Climate Fund.

Category:Climate observation organizations