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| Global Lakes Observing System | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Lakes Observing System |
| Abbreviation | GLOS |
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | International network |
| Headquarters | Geneva |
| Region served | Global |
Global Lakes Observing System is an international observing network coordinating freshwater monitoring and data sharing for inland waters. It connects scientific programs, environmental agencies, and conservation organizations to support research on limnology, climate change, and water resources. The system facilitates standardized observations, capacity building, and open data distribution to inform policy and management decisions.
The network links programs such as the Global Climate Observing System, the Group on Earth Observations, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with regional initiatives like European Environment Agency, United States Geological Survey, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and national institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It supports interdisciplinary research involving institutions like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Max Planck Society. The system interfaces with conservation organizations including International Union for Conservation of Nature, BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund, and Conservation International to translate observations into action.
Origins trace to collaborations among research centers such as the University of Minnesota, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, the University of Helsinki, and the Australian National University responding to needs identified in forums like the World Water Forum and assessments by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Early partners included the National Science Foundation, the Natural Environment Research Council, and regional bodies like the Great Lakes Commission and the European Commission. Milestones involved integration with satellite missions from the Landsat program, the Copernicus Programme, and the Sentinel (satellite) series, and methodological harmonization influenced by guidelines from the International Council for Science and the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network.
Primary aims align with targets set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Sustainable Development Goals, and assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Functions include standardizing limnological protocols promoted by bodies like the International Association for Great Lakes Research and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, enabling time-series analysis used by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and supporting indicators employed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank for water resource management.
Governance models draw on frameworks from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the Group on Earth Observations, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Membership includes national agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (United States), the Federal Office for the Environment (Switzerland), research institutes like the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, universities including University of Oxford and Peking University, and regional consortia such as the African Academy of Sciences and the Asian Development Bank-supported programs. Advisory roles often involve representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, and major philanthropic funders like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The observing network integrates in situ platforms (buoys, profilers, and monitoring stations) used by the Great Lakes Observing System, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, and national lake observatories, with remote sensing from MODIS, Sentinel-2, and the ICESat missions. Methodologies incorporate protocols from the International Organization for Standardization and instrumentation standards endorsed by the American Society for Testing and Materials and the European Committee for Standardization. Citizen science contributions are coordinated with initiatives such as eBird, iNaturalist, and regional monitoring programs run by organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Freshwater Watch.
Data stewardship practices follow principles advocated by the Research Data Alliance, the Open Geospatial Consortium, and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. Products include harmonized time series, climatologies, remote-sensing-derived maps, and model-ready datasets used in studies by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Potsdam Institute. Data portals interface with infrastructures like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and national repositories such as the National Centers for Environmental Information. Standards for metadata and interoperability align with specifications from the Dublin Core and the ISO 19115 family.
Partnerships span intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme, research networks like the Global Ocean Observing System, and conservation coalitions such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Collaborative research projects have involved the European Commission Horizon 2020 program, the National Science Foundation funding calls, and bilateral initiatives with agencies like the Department for International Development (United Kingdom). Technical cooperation has linked with space agencies NASA, ESA, and JAXA and with modeling centers such as the Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Outputs inform policy processes at the United Nations General Assembly, national water strategies used by ministries (e.g., Ministry of Water Resources (China), Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)), and regional management by bodies like the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. Applications include supporting assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, guiding conservation plans by IUCN Red List assessments, and enabling public health responses coordinated with the World Health Organization. Scientific impacts are evident in publications across journals such as Nature, Science, Limnology and Oceanography, and policy uptake by institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Category:Environmental monitoring Category:Limnology