Informal Conference of South-East
European NMHS Directors (ICEED)
21 – 22 September 2010, Istanbul, Turkey
Dr Carolin Richter, Director, Global Climate Observing System Secretariat
What I have learned from the ICEED:
long-term records from your region available;
historical data rescue effort;
renovation of surface networks (automatisation);
generation of high-quality (calibrated) data/observations;
running of climatological programmes;
projects on national climate change issues;
establishment of climate change centers;
domain (atmosphere, ocean, land) cross-cutting activities (marine
institute, « ocean for tomorrow »).
 Good base for a GCOS Regional Action Plan.
GCOS – an all domain system:
Continuous Improvement and Assessment Cycle
GCOS Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)

Atmospheric
• Surface – Air temperature, Precipitation, Pressure, Surface radiation
budget, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour
• Upper Air – Earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance),
Temperature, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour, Cloud
properties
• Composition – Carbon dioxide, Methane and other long-lived
greenhouse gases (N2O, CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, SF6 and PFCs),
Ozone and Aerosol, supported by their precursors (NO2, SO2, HCHO
and CO).
 Oceanic
• Surface – Sea-surface temperature, Sea-surface salinity, Sea level,
Sea state, Sea ice, Surface Current, Ocean colour, Carbon dioxide
partial pressure, Ocean acidity, Oxygen, Phytoplankton.
• Sub-surface:Temperature, Salinity, Current, Nutrients, Carbon dioxide
partial pressure, Ocean acidity, Oxygen, Tracers.
 Terrestrial
• River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lakes, Snow cover, Glaciers
and ice caps, Ice sheets, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground,
Albedo, Land cover (including vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed
photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), Leaf area index (LAI),
Above ground biomass, Soil carbon, Fire disturbance, Soil moisture.
Blue/bold = largely space-based
Implementation Plan
Update of the GCOS Implementation Plan
 Basis:
 2004 GCOS IP (GCOS-92); 2006 Satellite Supplement (GCOS-107)
 Update, not rewrite
 Recognizing changes since 2004 in:




Science
Measurement Technology
Needs
International coordination
(e.g., GEO/GEOSS, UN “Delivering as One”, Space agency response
to climate)
2010 Update of GCOS
Implementation Plan
Updated IP includes:
 New list of ECVs (ocean oxygen, soil moisture, soil carbon),
additions (precursors to aerosols & O3) and some redefined ECVs
terms
 Actions with agents, timelines, performance indicators, costings
(extra costs to meet climate needs)
 More emphasis on:

Earth System Cycles

regional and local networks

re-analysis, reprocessing and research
GCOS Progress Report 2004-2008
GCOS Progress Report 2004-2008
- Summary

Developed Countries:
 improved climate observation
capabilities,
 limited progress in resolving
financial issues related to longterm continuity

good
23%
no or low
11%
moderate-low
12%
Developing Countries:
 limited (in-situ) progress, with
decline in some regions,
 capacity building support
remains small in relation to
needs

Satellite agencies:
good-moderate
24%
 improved mission continuity and
capability
 increasingly meeting climate needs

Progress made, but:
 Many gaps persist,
 Continued engagement needed for
coordinated implementation and longterm continuity
moderate
30%
Summary of progress on all 131
Actions in 2004 GCOS IP
The GCOS Regional Workshop Programme

Requested by UNFCCC COP-5 (1999)

Regional Action Plan for Eastern and Central
Europe (Leipzig, April 2005)

Pacific Islands, 2000
Central America, 2002
East and South-East Asia, 2002
South-America, 2003
Africa, 2006




Action Plan Projects - 1






1. Establish a cooperative mechanism for GCOS in
Europe (EuroGCOS)
2. Improve the GCOS surface and upper air observing
networks in Eastern and Central Europe
3. Assess GAW needs for global and regional stations
in Eastern and Central Europe
4. Conduct training workshop for calibration laboratory personnel in the southern sub-region of RA VI
5. Inventory oceanographic observing needs for the
Black, Adriatic, and Baltic Seas
6. Develop a shared common metadata infrastructure
and decentralized generation of a metadatabase for
climate-relevant hydrological data sets available in the
Eastern and Central European region
Action Plan Projects - 2






7. Conduct data management training workshops
8. Undertake common action in data rescue for the
Eastern and Central Europe region
9. Conduct training in the use of satellite data for
climate monitoring based on the satellite application
facility
10. Build Capacity in regional downscaling and
modelling through an international workshop
11. Monitor drought through the combined use of
surface and remotely-sensed data
12. Improve mass media communication through
capacity building and awareness raising
Conclusions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Complete success in only 1 of 12 projects (#9)
Some progress in several projects, notably #2
Topics addressed by many projects in the ECE RAP
have made some progress, but often only indirectly
as a result of including a proposal in the Plan
Nevertheless, including a project in the RAP may
have given topic some visibility, momentum it
otherwise would not have had
Lack of key person pushing project forward may be
a larger constraint than lack of funds; however,
funding source essential
Some thoughts for discussion and
some potential next steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Directors may wish to reassess which projects are
still important to undertake and/or complete
It may be useful to revise and update those projects
still considered important and to provide additional
detail for them
Directors may wish to add new projects to the RAP
and consider it as a “living document”
A means should be found for ensuring that progress
is made on important projects: who will take lead?
Potential funding sources need to be considered
1. Establish a EuroGCOS

Status: After several attempts to attract interest in
establishing a EuroGCOS, the authors concluded that
the NMHSs of RA-VI were not interested in creating
such a body

Comment: Several briefings were given and letters or
emails sent, but these did not generate much interest

Proposal Authors: Stephan Roesner and Alexander
Zaitsev
2. Improve the GCOS surface and
upper air observing networks in
Eastern and Central Europe

Status: Some improvements made indirectly related
to this project:
- GSN stations at Bjelasnica, BIH; Tbilisi, Georgia; Chisinau, Moldova;
-

Aragats, Armenia renovated
GUAN station at Yerevan, Armenia renovated and radiosondes
supplied
World Bank Project for modernization of Roshydromet, including of
both GSN and GUAN stations throughout Russia
Proposal author: Alexander Zaitsev
3. Workshop to assess GAW Needs

Status: Initial workshop, which was to be organized
by and for Hungary, was never organized. The reason
appears to be that the Hungary Met Service was being
reorganized.

Comment: Perhaps interest in this project can be
renewed?

Project Author: Len Barrie, Lazlo Haspro
4. Training workshop for
calibration laboratory personnel

Status: The workshop, as proposed, has never taken
place

Comment: The Environmental Agency of the Republic
of Slovenia has hosted two similar training workshops
since 2006. These were co-organized by WMO and
financed by other WMO programs.

Project author: Dusan Hrcek (retired)
5. An inventory of ocean observing
needs—Black, Adriatic, Baltic Seas



Status: Project brief must still be transformed into a
work programme. Operational oceanography
networks in the 3 basins could be coordinated by
EuroGOOS in a future project if meteorological
agencies are interested and engaged.
Comment: Project proponent convinced that a joint
effort between oceanography and meteorology is
required for the establishment of a sustained sea
basin climate observing system; oceanographic
community less experienced in creating sustained
networks than the meteorological community
Project author: Hans Dahlen, EuroGOOS
6. Metadata infrastructure and
metadatabase for climate-relevant
hydrological data sets



Status: In a narrow sense, little progress; however, in
a wider sense, there have been several activities of the
GRDC that are regarded as important building blocks
toward the goal of the project. Current head of GRDC
can discuss these.
Comment: Funding issue must be clarified before
undertaking an ambitious project involving many ECE
countries
Project author: Thomas Maurer
7. Data Management Training
Workshops



Status: A number of data management workshops
have taken place in the last few years, including 3
European Climate Support Networks WSs (Utrecht,
2005; Vienna, 2007; Copenhagen, 2009); also, several
COST actions and training in data management
related to Drought Mgmt Center for Southeast Europe
(see project 11).
Comment: Most of these workshops were probably
not directly motivated by the ECE RAP project, but it
may still have inspired some ideas.
Project author: Sandor Szalai
8. Common action on data rescue
in Eastern and Central Europe



Status: No organized regional project underway
Comment: Project author reports national activities
underway in Germany and Poland plus some
university-based activities
Project author: M. Mietus, Poland
9. Training in the use of satellite
data for climate monitoring



Status: Three training workshops held in Zagreb,
Croatia between December 2006 and November 2008.
Workshops hosted by DHMZ and co-organized by
DHMZ and EUMETSAT and the Climate SAF. All
workshops were successfully completed and much
appreciated; a 4th workshop for more advanced users
of satellite data held at the DWD training school in
Langen in 2009.
Comment: There is a continuing need for training for
beginners; at 64th EUMETSAT Council meeting
special emphasis placed upon training needs of
southeastern European countries
Project authors: Ivan Cacic and Lothar Schueller
10. Capacity building in regional
downscaling and modeling



Status: Project has not yet been done
Comment: The project author believes there is still
strong interest in this project and the prospects for
finding funds for it are good. One possibility is to
incorporate this project in the Regional Climate
Outlook Forum, e.g., by bringing together experts
from the modeling community, long-range forecasters,
and end users
Project authors: Milan Dacic and Danica Spasova
11. Drought monitoring using
surface and remotely-sensed data



Status: Various activities related to drought
monitoring have been initiated, e.g., establishment of
a drought management center for SE Europe,
European Drought Center established as a virtual
center.
Comment: The specific project has not gotten
attention, but elements of the project are contained in
other initiatives.
Project author: Sandor Szalai
12. Mass media communication



Status: Project author organizes media sessions at
annual EMS meetings; EMS offered to support a
communication workshop for climatologists and
Slovenia offered facilities, but workshop was
cancelled due to lack of interest
Comment: Project author still interested in media
workshop, but desires co-organizers and indication of
interest before attempting to organize another
workshop
Project author: Tanja Cegnar, Slovenia