WOAP Meeting

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Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
Response to GCOS Implementation Plan

• J.-L. FELLOUS
• On behalf of ESA Chair of CEOS Strategic
  Implementation Team and B. Ryan (USGS) leader of
  GCOS-IP Response Team

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Content

• CEOS Background and objectives
• GCOS Monitoring Principles
• CEOS Response to GCOS-IP
• Status report on approach and schedule
• Content (draft) of Report to COP-12
• The way forward beyond COP-12
• CEOS Virtual Constellations concept

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CEOS Background

• CEOS was established in 1984 to improve
  cooperation in satellite Earth Observation
• Today it has a membership of 25 space agencies,
  plus 20 international organisations as Associates
• CEOS delivers on its objectives through
• Its Working Groups WGCV (Calibration/Validation),
  WGISS (Information Systems and Services) and
  WGEdu (Education and Capacity Building)
• Its Strategic Implementation Team (SIT)
• A core agency Secretariat.

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CEOS Membership

• Membership
• ASI, BNSC, CAST, CNES, CONAE, CSA, CSIRO, DLR,
  EC, ESA, EUMETSAT, GISTDA, INPE, ISRO, KARI,
  JAXA, NASA, NASDRA, NOAA, NRSCC, NSAU,
  ROSHYDROMET, ROSAVIAKOSMOS, SNSB USGS
• Associates
• CCRS, CRI, ESCAP, FAO, GCOS, GOOS, GTOS, ICSU,
  IGBP, IOC, IOCCG, ISPRS, NSC, OSTC, SAC/CSIR,
  UNESCO, UNEP, UNOOSA, WCRP WMO

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CEOS Objectives

• 1. To optimise the benefits of spaceborne Earth
  observation through cooperation of its Members in
  mission planning and in the development of
  compatible data products, formats, services,
  applications and policies
• 2. To aid both its Members and the international
  user community by inter alia, serving as the
  focal point for international coordination of
  space-related Earth observation activities,
  including those related to global change
• 3. To exchange policy and technical information
  to encourage complementarity and compatibility
  among spaceborne Earth observation systems
  currently in service or development, and the data
  received from them issues of common interest
  across the spectrum of Earth observation
  satellite missions will be addressed.

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GCOS Climate Monitoring Principles

• Effective monitoring systems for climate should
  adhere to the following principles
• The impact of new systems or changes to existing
  systems should be assessed prior to
  implementation.
• A suitable period of overlap for new and old
  observing systems should be required.
• The results of calibration, validation and data
  homogeneity assessments, and assessments of
  algorithm changes, should be treated with the
  same care as data.
• A capacity to routinely assess the quality and
  homogeneity of data on extreme events, including
  high-resolution data and related descriptive
  information, should be ensured.
• Consideration of environmental climate-monitoring
  products and assessments, such as IPCC
  assessments, should be integrated into national,
  regional and global observing priorities.
• Uninterrupted station operations and observing
  systems should be maintained.
• A high priority should be given to additional
  observations in data-poor regions and regions
  sensitive to change.
• Long-term requirements should be specified to
  network designers, operators and instrument
  engineers at the outset of new system design and
  implementation.
• The carefully-planned conversion of research
  observing systems to long-term operations should
  be promoted.
• Data management systems that facilitate access,
  use and interpretation should be included as
  essential elements of climate monitoring systems.

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Satellite-specificClimate Monitoring Principles
(1)

• Furthermore, satellite systems for monitoring
  climate need to
• Take steps to make radiance calibration,
  calibration-monitoring and satellite-to-satellite
  cross-calibration of the full operational
  constellation a part of the operational satellite
  system and
• Take steps to sample the Earth system in such a
  way that climate-relevant (diurnal, seasonal, and
  long-term inter-annual) changes can be resolved.
• Thus satellite systems for climate monitoring
  should adhere to the following specific
  principles
• Constant sampling within the diurnal cycle
  (minimizing the effects of orbital decay and
  orbit drift) should be maintained.
• A suitable period of overlap for new and old
  satellite systems should be ensured for a period
  adequate to determine inter-satellite biases and
  maintain the homogeneity and consistency of
  time-series observations.
• Continuity of satellite measurements (i.e.,
  elimination of gaps in the long-term record)
  through appropriate launch and orbital strategies
  should be ensured.

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Satellite-specificClimate Monitoring Principles
(2)

• Rigorous pre-launch instrument characterization
  and calibration, including radiance confirmation
  against an international radiance scale provided
  by a national metrology institute, should be
  ensured.
• On-board calibration adequate for climate system
  observations should be ensured and associated
  instrument characteristics monitored.
• Operational production of priority climate
  products should be sustained and peer-reviewed
  new products should be introduced as appropriate.
• Data systems needed to facilitate user access to
  climate products, meta-data and raw data,
  including key data for delayed-mode analysis,
  should be established and maintained.
• Use of functioning baseline instruments that meet
  the calibration and stability requirements stated
  above should be maintained for as long as
  possible, even when these exist on
  de-commissioned satellites.
• Complementary in situ baseline observations for
  satellite measurements should be maintained
  through appropriate activities and cooperation.
• Random errors and time-dependent biases in
  satellite observations and derived products
  should be identified.

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Who adheres to GCMPs?

• The ten basic principles were adopted by the
  Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United
  Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
  (UNFCCC) through decision 5/CP.5 at COP-5 in
  November 1999.
• The complete set of principles was adopted by the
  Congress of the World Meteorological Organization
  (WMO) through Resolution 9 (Cg-XIV) in May 2003.
• The satellite-specific principles were agreed by
  the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
  (CEOS) at its 17th Plenary in November 2003.
• They were further adopted through decision
  11/CP.9 at COP-9 in December 2003.

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A simple experiment

• Ask the Project Manager of a recent satellite
  mission of climate relevance (e.g., Calipso or
  Cloudsat) whether
• He/She has ever heard about GCMPs?
• His/Her project has ever been subject to
  evaluation/review with regard to compliance with
  GCMPs?
• This does not necessarily mean non-compliance,
  but it shows that NO MECHANISM IS IN PLACE

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COP-10 Decision onResearch and Systematic
Observation

• 5. Invites Parties that support space agencies
  involved in global observations to request these
  agencies to provide a coordinated response to the
  needs expressed in the GCOS Implementation Plan
• Response planned for SBSTA at COP 12,
• November 2006

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CEOS Responseto GCOS Implementation Plan

• A preliminary response to GCOS-IP proposing an
  overall approach was submitted to UNFCCC COP-11
  in Montreal (November 2005).
• A CEOS-GCOS expert meeting was held in Geneva on
  January 9-11, 2006, where specific requirements
  re Essential Climate Variables as observed from
  space were outlined.
• A GCOS-IP Satellite Supplement V.1 was
  subsequently released in early March 2006.

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GCOS Implementation Plan Satellite supplement
V.1

• GCOS Climate Monitoring Principles
• Sampling, continuity, overlap, calibration, etc.
• Cross-cutting actions
• Integrated products, reprocessing, reanalysis,
  archiving, etc.
• 28 Essential Climate Variables
• Atmosphere Surface wind speed and direction,
  upper air temperature, water vapour, cloud
  properties, precipitation, ERB, ozone, aerosols,
  CO2, CH4 and other GHGs
• Ocean Sea ice, sea level, SST, ocean colour, sea
  state, salinity
• Land lakes area, level and temperature,
  glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, snow cover,
  albedo, land cover, fAPAR, LAI, biomass, fire
  disturbances, soil moisture
• Types of requirements
• Reprocessing of past records, provision of
  archived data sets, requirements for future
  missions, cal/val issues

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CEOS Response to GCOS-IP Next steps

• CEOS SIT-18 (Frascati, March 21-22) approved the
  proposed approach to prepare detailed responses
  from space agencies to GCOS-IP.
• CEOS WGISS and WGCV were instructed to evaluate
  the tasks associated with GCOS-IP.
• A Climate Task Team led by Barbara Ryan (USGS)
  was designated, and a second CEOS/GCOS Workshop
  was convened in Geneva on May 22-24.
• GCOS Secretariat released on August 17 a draft
  Version 2.0 of the Satellite Supplement
  (GCOS-107) incorporating changes from broad
  community review.

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CEOS Response to GCOS-IP Current status

• The Climate Task Team included
• CEOS experts Cross-cutting and strategic issues
• Domain experts Atmosphere (P. Menzel et al.),
  Ocean (J.L. Fellous, E. Lindstrom et al.), Land
  (J. Townshend et al.) from CEOS agencies and
  GCOS Panels.
• As we speak the final draft is being reviewed by
  Climate Task Team and will be presented for final
  review and approval to SIT-19 (La Jolla, 19-20
  September) before formal submission to SBSTA
  (through the USA delegation).

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Content of CEOS Response

• CEOS Response will include
• What can be achieved by better coordination of
  existing capabilities or in planning future
  capabilities
• Immediate responses (e.g., reprocessing of past
  data sets, improvement of data availability for
  reanalysis)
• Plans for improved coordination of future
  missions, through the establishment of Virtual
  Constellations
• Those improvements that require additional means
  or mandates beyond the present capacity of space
  agencies (e.g., the issue of transferring systems
  from research to operational status Crossing
  the Valley of Death).

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Table of Contents
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Examples (draft) of recommendationand actions (1)
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Examples (draft) of recommendationand actions (2)
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Examples (draft) of recommendationand actions (3)
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Examples (draft) of recommendationand actions (4)
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CEOS Implementation Plan Current status

• Work is underway, under the responsibility of a
  dedicated Task Force, to define the new CEOS
  process by which GEOSS requirements are
  addressed.
• The concept of CEOS Virtual Constellations has
  been put forward to help advance planning and
  coordination of future EO missions by CEOS
  agencies. The basic principles include
• The definition of a series of standards
• A process for recognition/acceptance

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The CEOS Virtual Constellations

• This newly proposed concept is based on
• A series of standards required to be satisfied
  for a mission to be included in a Constellation
  serving a particular purpose
• A process, whereby the many disparate types of
  Earth observing programmes funded by CEOS
  agencies might contribute to the supply of the
  required observations
• A series of Prototype Constellations has been
  identified, each with a Lead Agency and potential
  contributors.

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Prototype CEOS Constellations
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Next steps

• September 8 Climate Task team to finish up
  its draft text
• September 18-19 SIT-19 meeting, La Jolla, to
  approve CEOS Response to GCOS-IP
• September 25 Transmission to COP-12
• November 6-17 COP-12, Nairobi
  Presentation of CEOS Response to
  GCOS-IP at SBSTA by USA delegation
• November 14-15 CEOS Plenary, Buenos Aires,
  to endorse the document