The Full Picture

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(principally the National Meteorological and

Hydrological Services) and users of climate information.

Outputs will include: strengthened climate observation

networks and improved data management; new and

improved climate services for a variety of user needs;

incorporation of climate risk management practices in

development planning; and raised awareness and

enhanced political engagement among African national

decision-makers concerning the importance of address-

ing climate change-related issues.

The expected outcomes associated with programme

implementation will include improved food security and

opportunities for agricultural growth, better protection

from malaria and other climate sensitive diseases, better

management of water resources, better management of

disaster risks, improved environmental sustainability,

and more judicious use of energy resources. This ten-

year programme is expected to be formally launched in

the near future after a short design phase is completed.

Going forward with GCOS

The importance of climate issues for society has clearly

been demonstrated in the last few years. The IPCC

fourth assessment report published this year recognizes

more than ever before the importance of on-going

climate change, and the role of human activity in the

evolution of climate. It also provides new information on

trends of climate variability and probability of occur-

rence of climate extremes. The impact of climate

characteristics on the environment and on human activ-

ities is also assessed in more detail, providing stronger

evidence on the role of climate information in a number

of domains, including those defined in the societal

benefit areas of GEO. There is also a growing interest in

the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies

to climate change, which also require access to global

climate data inserted in advanced assimilation-model-

ling systems.

GCOS is contributing actively to the development of

GEOSS in meeting the needs of the climate SBA, as

provider of climate data for the other SBAs, and as a

driver for a number of cross-cutting activities, namely

data management, capacity building and support for

development in various regions of the world. Several

actions in which GCOS is heavily involved have been

identified as ‘GEO early achievements’. This is the case

for the development of the ARGO oceanic observation

network (as an example of an advanced climate observ-

ing in situ network), for the constellation concept

developed by space agencies in response to the GCOS IP,

and for the ClimDev Africa initiative designed to make

use of climate information in support of economic devel-

opment in Africa.

The implementation of GCOS requires major invest-

ments which may be facilitated by the international

consensus underlying GEOSS. It is also expected that

the GEOSS framework will help develop the interaction

between the various communities in need of global

climate data and develop synergies of mutual benefit.

In particular, knowledge of surface precipitation (rainfall, snow-

fall) is important for the assessment of global water resources and

for a better understanding of the interaction between the energy and

water cycle, as well as for the assessment of climate impact on ecosys-

tems. Changes in precipitation regimes in relation with climate

change impact on vegetation, biodiversity, desertification (duration

of droughts, shift of climate zones), water resources, river runoff and

floods (intensity and duration of extreme events), snow cover and ice

sheet balance.

The occurrence and human consequences of natural disasters are

also dependent on precipitation regimes or amounts. The occurrence

of some illnesses, especially those carried by insects, is also affected

by precipitation parameters. A similar type of analysis can be done

for other so-called ‘essential climate variables’, such as land and sea-

surface temperature, or wind speed. Other variables required for

climate monitoring can be considered as primarily required for

another SBA: it is for example the case for land cover, which is a

basic variable for bio-diversity, or river discharge, which is central

to the water SBA. In a more general sense, strategies developed by

GCOS for collecting, handling, sharing and making use of large quan-

tities of geophysical data, can serve as an example for GEO in its

other domains of interest.

Among the cross-cutting activities of GEO, it is worth mention-

ing the commitment of GCOS to the use of climate information for

capacity building and development in the various regions of the

world. This commitment is reflected in the following recommenda-

tion in the G8 Gleneagles Plan of Action prepared in 2005 for Climate

Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development: “[The G8]

support efforts to help developing countries and regions obtain full

benefit from GEOSS, including from GCOS such as placement of

observational systems to fill data gaps, development of in-country

and regional capacity for analyzing and interpreting observational

data, and development of decision-support systems and tools relevant

to local needs.”

The latest example of this commitment relates to the ClimDev

Africa initiative mentioned earlier. The programme would be imple-

mented as a partnership between the providers of climate information

The Global Atmospheric Watch surface stations for meteorology and

atmospheric composition, such as the Ushuaïa station in Argentina, form an

important part of the GCOS network

Photo: WMO

GEOSS C

OMPONENTS

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BSERVING

YSTEMS