1. TOPC-17 and AOPC-20 Report from the Director Carolin Richter Director, GCOS Secretariat 16 – 20 March 2015, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

2. New Publication (Panel Brochure) – January 2015

4. Core Activities of GCOS (2014-2015) Core Activities: AOPC, OOPC, TOPC; Steering Committee Panel members and Experts currently supporting the draft of the Status Report and new Implementation Plan. TOPC-17 and AOPC-20 back to back, now, 16 – 20 March 2015, here, at WSL. OOPC-18, 14-16 April 2015, Sendai, Japan All three panels strive to meet March-April time frame in oder to organise their annual work plan and to report back to the Steeing Committee which usually meets Sep-Oct period. TOPC link to OOPC on requirements focusing on observations in the coastal zone. AOPC link to OOPC on observations required to calculate air-sea fluxes and governing/influencing processes. Steering Committee (SC-22), 28 Sep – 3 Oct 2015, Cape Town, South Africa. SC-21 took place from 1-3 October 2014, at WMO. Steering Committee decided last time on the milestone in 2015 and 2016: how to organize the Status Report, and the new Implementation Plan. It is also looking into panel memberships and how to improve working relations and cooperation.

5. GCOS Expert Panels

6. Panel Partner Activities (2014-2015) Joint Steering Committee (JSC-35), Heidelberg 1-4 July 2014; JSC-36, 8-10 April 2015, at WMO, Geneva; new JSC Chairman: Guy Brasseur, new Direcor David Carlson. WDAC, next meeting will be 2-3 July 2015, Reading, UK. WDAC is the body which allows GCOS and WCRP experts to dicuss data and observation issues. Currently, there is no activity between the GCOS panels and WDAC. GTOS : since March 2, 2015 taken up communications with FAO NRL and Land-Water Division. GOFC-GOLD is reporting to GCOS through TOPC. The Carbon and the Coastal Panel are not functional anymore. Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS-4) Steering Committee, 25-29 May 2015, Townsville, Australia. GOOS-3 was held 24-25 July 2014, Barcelona, Spain. OOPC is the Climate Panel for GCOS and the Physical Panel for GOOS. OOPC experts drafting the ocean section for the Status Report. GOOS is also providing links to the bio-chemical oceans community.

7. Congress (Cg-17) will take place from 25 May to 12 June 2015, followed by an abbreviated Executive Council (EC-67) from 15 – 17 June 2015, in Geneva. Update of GCOS Resolution which confirms the mandate of the GCOS Programmes and commits WMO Members to support GCOS` objectives. Resolution is updated to incoporate the newest developments in Earth Observations (PROVIA, Future Earth,GEOSS, GFCS). Attending and contributing to the Executive Bodies of GCOS` sponsors. Receiving advice and guidance from the sponsoring organisations: WMO Executive Council June 2014, IOC Assembly (IOC-28 from 18 June to 25 June 2015, Paris, France); UNEP General Assembly is in general not discussing climate observations, ICSU General Assembly 30 August to 3 September 2014, Auckland, New Zealand. Activities with Sponsors (2014-2015)

8. Activities with UNFCCC and GFCS (2014-2015) GCOS is reporting to UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and its agenda item on Research and Observations: SBSTA40 (June 2014, Bonn, Germany), SBSTA41/ COP20 (1-7 December, 2014, Lima, Peru), reporting to SBSTA plenary giving presentation at side events; attending informal consultations as observer. SBSTA43/ COP21 (30 Nov – 11 Dec 2015, Paris, France) GCOS is reporting to the SBSTA under the item «Research and Observations»; GCOS managed to establish a Reporting Cycle to the Parties of the UNFCCC. The delegations at the SBSTA/COP are mostly composed out of government officials and advisers focusing on climate policy, and hence complementing the delegations of Members to WMO who are representing the scientific and technically agencies. GCOS is considered as the observational element for the GFCS; Second Inter-Governmental Board Meeting, 11-14 November 2014, Geneva; GCOS-GOFC GOLD Workshop on Observations for Climate Change Mitigation, 5-7 May 2014, Geneva,, GCOS Workshop on “Observations for Adaptation Planning” in collaboration with UNCCC and IPCC, 10-12 February 2015, Bonn - both as a contribution to the GFCS activities. GFCS is a priority area in WMO, and hence needs special attention and provides potentially new funding sources.

9. Activities GEOSS (2014-2015) GEO Plenary and Ministerial from 13-14 November 2014, Geneva, Switzerland (actually was scheduled to take place in Gabon). GEO Plenary will take place from 10 – 13 November 2015, Mexico City GCOS is a Participating Organization (PO) and vocal about re-defining the SBAs, re-draft of the GEO Work Plan and allowing POs to be part of the decision-making process. GCOS also tried to align the publication of the new Implementation Plan with the new GEO Work plan.

10. Activities with Space Agencies (2014-2015) CGMS Plenary 42nd 19-23 May 2014, at Guanghzou, China, Joint Working Group of CEOS and CGMS for Climate met at EUMETSAT in Darmstadt, 5-7 March 2014. CGMS Plenary 43 rd at UCAR, in Boulder (18-22 may 2015), Joint Working Group of CEOS and CGMS for Climate (WG Climate will meet 25-27 March 2015, at WMO). As the expert community for climate observations is overlapping between CGMS and CEOS, GCOS welcomed the establishment of a joint WG on Climate. The WG Climate is organizing the response of the space agencies to the GCOS Implementation Plan and is working on an ECV inventory. CEOS Strategic Implementation Team meetings, and Plenary 29-31 October 2014, Tromso, Norway (CEOS SIT 16-18 September 2014, in Montpellier, France). CEOS SIT-30, 31 March – 1 Paris 2015, Paris, France) GCOS is using this platform to engage space agencies in the review of the Status Report and to launch its Implementation Plan.

11. Activities within the physical domains (2014-2015) Cooperation with Atmosphere Observation Community, Contributing to WMO Integrated Observing System (WIGOS) and various expert meetings of WMO Technical Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observations (CIMO) and the Commission of Climatology (CCl). ICG-WIGOS from 17 – 20 February 2015, at WMO, Geneva. CBS and CCl represented at SC and/or Panel meeting to align plans, look for synergies and coordinate activities with WMO. Cooperation with Terrestrial Observation Communities, GOFC-GOLD attending TOPC and GCOS workshops; Global Run-Off Data Centre, invited to Steering Committee, 18-19 June 2015, Koblenz, Germany. Reference is made to GCOS joint workshop on Observations for Climate Change Mitigation, 5-7 May 2014, Geneva. As GTOS is missing as coordinating programme, GCOS tries to serve the community with regard to climate relevant observations. Strengthening cooperation with ocean observation community, Participation at WMO- IOC Joint Commission on Marine Meteorology Ship Observations Team; JCOMM OCG meeting in Cape Town from 28-30 April 2015. OOPC is taking on part of the responsibility to organize the Observation Coordination Group (OCG) of JCOMM, as IOC is struggling with diminished resources due to the withdrawal of the US from UNESCO.

12. Next Status Report and New Implementation Plan New Implementation Plan in 2016

13. GCOS Continuous Improvement & Assessment Cycle The GCOS programme has started the process for: a 2015 report on the progress and status of climate observation a new “Implementation Plan” in 2016, which should identify: −continuing and new requirements, including a restatement of the rationale for the list of ECVs and possible amendment of the list −the adequacy of present arrangements for meeting the requirements −the additional actions needed, with indicative costs, performance indicators and potential agents for implementation statements of specific requirements for products −from both in situ networks and the space-based component −and from integration of the data provided by both either embedded in the main Plan or as separate supplement(s)

14. GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services

15. Observations for Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change Information and products are inadequate for adaptation: ‑ more relevance to users; need of close consultation with practitioners. Adaptation is local: ‑ Neither global climate models nor satellite-based forecasting systems are yet good enough to support decisions made at the local level; ‑ Need to invest in the ground-based network of primary hydro-meteorological observations; ‑ Need to establish and improve mechanisms to provide data access and data descriptions.

16. Observation Requirements Common themes regarding observation requirements: ‑ Need for higher spatial and temporal resolution (“smallest pixel is too large”); ‑ Need to focus on regions where climate change will have significant sector effects and where there are vulnerable populations; ‑ Need to develop infrastructure and governance to support sustained data rescue (historical data is highly valuable, but data rescue is very expensive); ‑ Need to support research initiatives such as PROVIA and Future Earth.

17. GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services

18. Observations for Climate Change Mitigation Mitigation Atmospheric Composition: CO 2, methane (CH4), NO2, other long-lived GHGs, ozone, aerosols, including estimation of net sources and sinks, fluxes, Land-Use and Land-Cover, Fires

19. GCOS supports the Global Framework for Climate Services

20. Assessment of Needs – GCOS with UNFCCC and IPCC “Enhancing observations to support preparedness and adaptation in a changing climate – Learning from the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report (AR5)” 10-12 February 2015 UNFCCC, Bonn, Germany

21. Some of the Outcomes of the Bonn Workshop It is essential to generate good, publicly available and standardized data, in particular at regional, national and local levels, on the vulnerability of key sectors to the impacts of climate change including: improve climate observations systems with a special emphasis on Terrestrial and Ocean and where the two meet. Guidance and guidelines (or references to other sources of advice) on data and sources of products, as well as their limitations, are needed. In particular: Establishing and maintaining requirements for the collection and dissemination of national observations to specified quality standards with understood and quantified uncertainties is a key role of GCOS High-resolution data, required for adaption planning, needs to be documented (especially for non- meteorological data). GCOS should identify international data centres for all ECVs. The experience of developing adaptation plans and assessments should be carefully documented and recorded to enable transferable expertise and improvements to observation systems, Requirements for data latency, timeliness and availability are critical and should be clearly specified.

22. Review of the GCOS programme Memorandum of Understanding Carolin Richter Director, GCOS Secretariat

23. Recommendations of the Review Strategic Recommendations: Mission Statement, Cooperation between sponsors and GCOS Secretariat, terrestrial climate observations, strategic approach to capacity building, joint strategic plan to define the functions of GCOS in GFCS, ECV concept Partnerships: relations with GEO, PROVIA, Future Earth, GFCS Update of MoU

24. GCOS Memorandum of Understanding Defined the rationale for the establishment of GCOS and its purpose, concept of operation, governance and financial arrangements. First MoU Signed October 1991 by WMO, IOC and ICSU Came into force on 1. January 1992 Second MoU Signed on 9. April 1992 by WMO, IOC, ICSU and UNEP updated in 1998.

25. Structure of the current MoU Main Part Relevance of GCOS MoU GCOS Programme Achievements Relationship of GCOS to international and national organizations GCOS Programme Functions, Mechanism and Governance Annex A Concept of GCOS Goal Vision for the Future Objectives Building Blocks Annex B Gouvernance Annex C Financial Arrangements Climate Observing System Fund (COSF), alias known as «GCOS Trust Fund» ToR, Membership, Officers, Sessions, Working Groups and Consultants, GCOS Secretariat

26. Review of the GCOS Programme - Outcome 18 Recommendations addressing:  Balance & Relevance of GCOS MoU  GCOS Programme Achievements  Relationship of GCOS to international and national organizations  GCOS Programme Functions, Mechanism and Governance  Vision for the Future Finalized in March 2014, Updated MoU to be reviewed by all partners, ready by Cg-17. http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/Publications/gcos-181.pdf

27. Road Map 2015 - 2016 Carolin Richter Director, GCOS Secretariat

28. Road Map for the new Plan (2015 – 2016) 20152016 COP22 17-18 March (AB, SB and team) October Final Status Report Report to SBSTA43 Submission of Status Report 20 January 6 July(?)@IOC Meeting for draft plan Groups Atmos, Ocean, Terra plus authors Status Report (AS) plus lead Conference (HD) Scope (as discussed at SC-22, Oct 2014) 30 Nov – 11 Dec, Paris Sep 28 @ SC-23 Meeting, RZA Finalisation of Plan Workshop Draft plan (panel meetings @ NCDC?) Workshop Finalising plan Work in progess for PLAN Nov/Dec (Africa) COP21 JuneJuly Review of Plan Draft ToC Task Panels June July Jan Dec Discuss 1st Draft AOPC-TOPC GCOS Conference Launch of Plan updated@26 Jan 2015 OOPC 14-17 April Adrian@GCOS Sec (27 Apr – 2 May) PUBLIC REVIEW of REPORT Finalisation

29. Upcoming GCOS event Tentative Title: Global Climate Observations – the Road to the Future GCOS Science Conference Potentially 2 – 4 March 2016 The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, NL Status of the Global Observation Systems for Climate ECVs in the context of scientific challenges Conference will launch the New Implementation Plan

30. Vacancy for two Science Officers in charge of the AOPC and of TOPC; based at GCOS Sec, at WMO, Geneva. P4 on UN-scale; 3-5 years national experience, plus 5 years of international experience. Fixed-term for 2 years, extension only possible if resources are available. Watch the Vacancy Notice on: https://www.wmo.int/pages/vacancies/index_en.html Job Opportunity and Support for the GCOS Secretariat

32. Sponsors and Partners the WMO observing systems (e.g. WIGOS – GOS, GCW, GAW) the IOC-led co-sponsored Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) the FAO-led co-sponsored Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) observational elements of research programmes (WCRP, IGBP, etc.) network systems contributing climate observations, data management or products (GTNs, GOFC-GOLD, etc.) which together form our overall global observing system for climate, and the climate-observing component of the Group on Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)