The Emerging Cryosphere
Community of Practice
Jeff
Jeff Key
Key
Chair,
Chair, IGOS
IGOS Cryosphere
Cryosphere Theme
Theme
Barry
Barry Goodison
Goodison
Chair,
Chair, Global
Global Cryosphere
Cryosphere Watch
Watch Expert
Expert Team
Team
Vladimir
Vladimir Ryabinin
Ryabinin
World
World Climate
Climate Research
Research Programme
Programme
GEO
GEO UIC
UIC Meeting
Meeting
22 September
September 2010
2010
Inuit say spring in the Arctic
is becoming more dangerous
Socio-economic Impacts
Thawing permafrost, GHG
emission and coastal erosion
Melting Ice
sheets,
glaciers and
global sea
level rise
Relevance to GEO SBAs:
Tourism at risk
Disappearing glaciers
menace water supplies
Floods feared as glaciers melt
Polar bears
could face
extinction
as global
climate
change
warms the
Arctic
In developing the IGOS
Cryosphere Theme (“CryOS”),
workshops were held in Canada,
Japan, and the Netherlands, 20052006. There were contributions
from ~80 people in 17 countries,
the basis of an evolving
cryosphere community of
practice that started with WCRP
CliC and SCAR.
Where are we now? Relevant GEO Work Plan Tasks
“Legacy of the International Polar Year 2007-08”, AR-09-03b.
(Subtask of AR-09-03: Advocating for Sustained Observing Systems)
Another subtask, “Accelerating the Implementation of the Global
Climate Observing System” (CL-09-02), includes the Global
Cryosphere Watch.
A few other tasks address snow and ice issues at least peripherally
(e.g., CL-06-01, EC-09-01).
Where are we now? The Global Cryosphere Watch
The 15th WMO Congress (May 2007)
welcomed the proposal of Canada
that WMO will create a Global
Cryosphere Watch which would be an
important component of the IPY
legacy. In 2011, WMO Congress will
decide whether or not to GCW will
become a full-fledged program.
GCW is:
•A legacy of IPY
•A component of WIGOS
•A legacy of WCRP/CliC in the area
of observations
•A contribution to GEOSS
GCW now falls under the auspices of the recently-formed
WMO Executive Council Panel of Experts on Polar
Observations, Research, and Services (PORS)
Satellite observations of the cryosphere are overseen by
the WMO IPY Space Task Group, which will be reformed
as the WMO Polar Science Space Task Group.
The cryosphere community of practice concept is part of the GCW
strategy. PORS and the STG help define, and are part of, a cryosphere
community of practice.
(Note: These are not official logos!)
The Cryosphere Community of Practice
Data centers and information networks,
e.g., NSIDC, NCDC, WIS, …
Weather prediction
(NCEP, ECMWF, ...)
Weather forecast offices
National ice centers (NIC,
NAIS)
River forecast centers
Climate prediction centers
GCOS, IASC, IPA, WMO, etc.
Space agencies (NOAA, ESA, JAXA, …)
National surface station operators
Research scientists
Participants in the Cryosphere CoP
Countries: The main participating countries are Canada, Switzerland, USA,
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, UK, Australia, China, Japan, Denmark,
and Russia
Programs: WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project, Asia-CliC, Scientific
Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), International Permafrost
Association (IPA), Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP),
International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), International Association of
Cryospheric Sciences (IACS), International Association of Hydrological
Sciences (IAHS), World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), International Ice
Charting Working Group (IICWG), Global Land-Ice Monitoring from Space
(GLIMS), GCOS, GTOS, GOOS, and others.
Data: The national meteorological and hydrological services (e.g., NOAA
National Weather Service, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, etc.) will be the
main providers of in situ data. Satellite data will be provided by space agencies
including NOAA, ESA, EUMETSAT, CSA, JAXA, and DLR. Data will be
archived by data centers and programs such as NSIDC (National Snow and
Ice Data Center), WIGOS and WIS. There are many projects that would be
involved, e.g., the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP), CEOP,
GlobSnow.
Relevant Meetings
Community Forum on Snow and Ice Climate Data Records, held at the
State of the Arctic Conference, March 2010, Miami
2nd Meeting of the WMO Expert Panel on Polar Observations,
Products, and Services (PORS), October 2010, Hobart
What the UIC can do
• Suggest ways to better integrate the existing cryosphere
community into the GEO/GEOSS framework.
• Help connect us with GEO activities that have
cryosphere components or interests.
• Help fill the CoP “circle” by identifying gaps and
suggesting ways to fill them.