Maintaining global observing systems for science and societal benefits

By Dr Juliet Hermes, Manager, SAEON Egagasini Node

At the beginning of October I attended the 24^th WMO/ICU/UNEP/ICSU¹ Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) steering committee meeting hosted by CIIFEN (Centro Internacional para la Investigacion del Fenomeno de El Niño) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The day before the meeting, CIIFEN hosted a national GCOS Science Day based on the format pioneered by the South African Science Day event, which was organised by the SAEON Egagasini Node. The event was well received and recommended to happen every year, so I feel that I have left a small legacy with GCOS. This was my final year (of six) on the steering committee.

Since my first meeting I continue to not fully grasp how GCOS interacts within each country and region and the role of the focal points and national coordinators, as well as the relationship with other groups such as ILTER (International Long Term Ecological Research), Future Earth and WCRP (World Climate Research Program).

However, this steering committee meeting consisted of discussions around how GCOS interacts with regions, with regional information and with ‘on the ground’ research. It was highlighted that observations were very low down the value chain. It is important to use existing programmes within regions to promote GCOS, bearing in mind that it is not GCOS as a body that is important, but the observations required for climate sciences which GCOS helps to promote.

I have also noticed that the focus on the oceans has increased - during my first meeting six years ago there was little discussion around the oceans and now this topic has become predominant.

Members attending the 24^th GCOS steering committee meeting in Ecuador

Roadmap

The sponsors presented their expectations of the future GCOS programme. The director of the secretariat presented the roadmap for GCOS over the next year, showing the activities of GCOS and its panels - the Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (AOPC), Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC), and Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC). OOPC has just released an open call for new members and GCOS have done a similar call for people to nominate new steering committee members.

The majority of the day was spent discussing the GCOS implementation plan. It will be important to ensure that this plan is updated on a cycle that considers the IPCC (International Panel for Climate Change) updates. During the meeting it was noted that enough countries had signed the landmark Paris agreement on climate change and this came into force on 4^th November, a groundbreaking day for climate change. Patricia Espinosa, the UN’s climate chief, and Salaheddine Mezouar, foreign minister of Morocco, said in a joint statement: “Humanity will look back on 4 November 2016 as the day that countries of the world shut the door on inevitable climate disaster and set off with determination towards a sustainable future.”

SAEON’s potential role

There are many ways in which SAEON could interact with this plan, especially around the essential climate variables that have been created; considerations of long-term observational programmes that are being maintained internationally; and input with regards to influencing policy makers. SAEON can also learn a lot from actively engaging with the OOPC and the TOPC.

It was highlighted that at COP meetings members were often not aware of what is happening on the ground in their own countries. The GCOS steering committee members were required to raise these profiles with the people attending COP.

Societal benefits

A key message that continued to be highlighted throughout the discussions was the need for daily data and the need to maintain the global observing systems for science reasons, as well as for societal benefits. In considering this there needs to be a long-term perspective – by just dealing with short-term issues and not planning for the future would mean that the world will still face similar challenges in 2050.

Further conversations revolved around WMO/GCOS interactions, GCOS’s role in national meteorological and hydrological services, as well as the partnership with GEO (Global Earth Observations).

A lack of coordination in the terrestrial domain was put forward and it was accepted that GEO will initiate steps to improve the situation. ICSU supports the idea of scoping workshops to discuss the coordination of GTOS (Global Terrestrial Observing Systems), as does UNEP (United Nations Environment Program). GCOS requested GEO to convene a meeting of those members interested in resurrecting GTOS.

Observing the oceans

Next was a presentation by GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System), which consists of three disciplinary panels as well as regional alliances, making the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC) quite different from other panels.

OOPC is the physics and climate panel but also considers operational services and ocean health. It is a scientific expert advisory group charged with making recommendations for a sustained global ocean observing system for climate in support of the goals of its sponsors². These include recommendations for phased implementation.

The Panel also aids in the development of strategies for evaluation and evolution of the system and of its recommendations, and supports global ocean observing activities by interested parties through liaison and advocacy for the agreed observing plans.


Diving with giant turtles at the Galapagos Islands (Picture: Juliet Hermes)	Encountering a sea horse in the wild (Picture: Juliet Hermes)

There were discussions around interactions with the global framework for climate services’ operational and resource plan, which has the following implementation activities:

Identify data needs and design observational systems in data-poor areas;
Large-scale data recovery and digitisation;
Demonstration of efficient improvements to ground-based and space-based networks for measurement of changes in the water cycle pilot area; and
Establish modern, timely climate system monitoring in support of multi-hazards early warnings and disaster risk reduction.

Themes

Some of the strong underlying themes included how GCOS should interact with and serve its sponsors; collaborate with other climate organisations; influence policy; promote GCOS; and communicate the information to the public.

Following the meeting I visited the Galapagos Islands for an amazing few days of snorkelling, diving, mountain biking, kayaking, swimming in mangroves and volcano hiking - seeing 150-year-old tortoises take mud baths, sea horses in the wild, sharks and the biggest turtles, an iguana swimming, and blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance.


The magnificent frigatebird male has a striking red gular sac which it inflates to attract a mate (Picture: Juliet Hermes)	Blue-footed boobies performing their mating dance (Picture: Juliet Hermes)

¹ The Global Climate Observing System is sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU). Additional in-kind contributions are provided by several countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sponsors the Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC).

² GCOS, GOOS, WCRP and JCOMM

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