Terrestrial Observation Panel on Climate(GCOS-GTOS)

In situ issues

WOAP-4 Hamburg March 2010

Han DolmanChair of TOPC

VU University Amsterdam

In situ• provide a comprehensive

observation basis regarding the land surface

• deliver long-term datasets to monitor trends and detect environmental changes in key terrestrial variables;

• provide crucial verifiable data for calibration and validation of satellite products;

• provide data to be integrated or assimilated within forecasting or analysis models;

• Provide regionalized and local data for use in downstream services.

•But, often run in research mode, no sustained funding, limited data access•Data are being collected for non-climate purpose and have economic value (water, wood)

GTN-R

There is concern at the lack of progress in GTN-H to get more river discharge stations on board

GTN-Permafrost, Glaciers do wellLargely because there is dedicated institute (CALM).

Aletsch use of Aster/GISData WGMC

EU: GMES Recommendations for In situ• The GMES global land group proposes to select a

number of networks for participation in a fast track in situ effort.

• Maturity of the network (state of harmonization/standardization, availability protocols, data quality control and data access)

• Relevance to global networks (e.g. the network forms part of a global network, e.g. GTN-G, GTN-H, FLUXNET, etc)

• Critical to understanding of changes in System Earth (GTN-P, LifeWatch, ICOS)

• Critical to providing local scale data and calibration/validation data for the space component of Global Land services

• Initially concentrate on coordination support activities

• While we have a number of satellite ECV products, like albedo, Fapar etc., their validation is generally poor

• We need to find a

mechanism to get our set of 35 global reference sites (linked with Fluxnet) and CEOS Cal-Val, similar to GRUAN