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| WMO Global Atmosphere Watch | |
|---|---|
| Name | WMO Global Atmosphere Watch |
| Formation | 1989 |
| Type | Programme |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Parent organization | World Meteorological Organization |
WMO Global Atmosphere Watch The WMO Global Atmosphere Watch is a United Nations-sponsored programme dedicated to observing and understanding the chemical composition and physical state of the Earth's atmosphere. It coordinates international networks of observatories, promotes standardization of measurements, and supports data exchange among agencies such as the World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, European Commission, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and European Space Agency. The programme informs assessments by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Health Organization, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The programme integrates long-term monitoring initiatives across continents and agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Met Office (United Kingdom), Environment and Climate Change Canada, Bureau of Meteorology (Australia), Japan Meteorological Agency, Deutscher Wetterdienst, and regional systems such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development. It links surface stations, shipborne campaigns, aircraft missions, and satellite programs run by NOAA, NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, and CNSA to deliver interoperable atmospheric composition datasets used by IPBES, UNFCCC, and national ministries in countries like United States, China, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia.
The programme evolved from earlier efforts in the late 20th century when organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, International Council for Science, and national agencies responded to discoveries around stratospheric ozone depletion highlighted by research groups at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories, and universities including Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Tokyo. Influential international agreements and assessments—such as the Montreal Protocol, reports from the Scientific Assessment Panel, and synthesis reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—drove expansion into greenhouse gas, aerosol, and reactive trace gas monitoring. Key milestones involved collaborations with programs like the Global Climate Observing System, Global Ocean Observing System, and networks led by institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, CSIRO, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Primary objectives encompass standardized measurement of greenhouse gases, aerosols, reactive gases, and deposition chemistry to support policy frameworks including the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, and scientific assessments by the IPCC. The scope spans global-to-local scales, providing data for modelling centers like ECMWF, NOAA GFDL, Hadley Centre, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and research programs such as GEOS-Chem, CMIP, IGAC, and SPARC. The programme underpins applications in air quality management pursued by agencies like the European Environment Agency and informs health studies conducted by the World Health Organization and academic groups at Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London.
Observing systems include surface baseline stations, mobile platforms, and remote-sensing networks operated with contributions from GLOSS, ARSO, GEMS, and national observatories such as Mauna Loa Observatory, Jungfraujoch Research Station, Cape Grim, Manua Kea, La Réunion, Barrow (Utqiaġvik), and Ny-Ålesund. Satellite remote sensing from NOAA satellites, Sentinel satellites, Aqua (satellite), Terra (satellite), Suomi NPP, and missions like OCO-2, GOSAT, and Copernicus complement in situ networks. Collaborative aircraft campaigns have involved platforms from NASA ER-2, NOAA P-3, European Commission research aircraft, and polar research fleets coordinated with institutions such as British Antarctic Survey, Alfred Wegener Institute, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
Data stewardship aligns with FAIR principles and interoperates with archives run by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, European Space Agency, NASA Earthdata, UK Met Office Hadley Centre, World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases, and the International Council for Science. Products include global greenhouse gas concentration records, aerosol optical depth climatologies, and deposition datasets used in synthesis assessments by IPCC, SPARC, and regional assessments by European Environment Agency and UNEP. The programme supports modelling tools such as GEOS-Chem, CMAQ, WRF-Chem, and contributes to multimodel ensembles used in CMIP6.
The programme sponsors scientific workshops and training alongside partners including UNESCO, World Health Organization, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Union, European Commission, Mercosur research groups, and universities like Stanford University, ETH Zurich, Peking University, and University of Cape Town. Capacity-building focuses on laboratory intercomparisons, instrument calibration networks operated jointly with NOAA ESRL, WMO Regional Instrument Centres, and research consortia such as IGAC and GAW-SC. Collaborative research initiatives have included contributions to field campaigns like ACE, ARCTAS, HIPPO, and regional assessment programs in the Amazon, Himalaya, and Sahara.
Governance is provided by the World Meteorological Organization Executive Council, programme steering committees, and scientific advisory panels comprising members from national meteorological and hydrological services, research institutions such as CNRS, CSIC, CNR, and funding agencies including National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and national ministries. Funding derives from member state contributions, donor agencies like the World Bank and Global Environment Facility, bilateral cooperation among countries including United States, Japan, Germany, and in-kind support from research centers and space agencies such as NASA, ESA, JAXA, and ISRO.
Category:Atmospheric monitoring organizations