THE IGOSP GLOBAL WATER CYCLE

1
THE IGOS-P GLOBAL WATER CYCLE OBSERVATIONS THEME
(IGWCO) AND ITS POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO GEOSS
PRESENTED BY RICK LAWFORD (lawford_at_umbc.edu) GEO
SIDE MEETING TOKYO JAPAN APRIL 23, 2004
2
BASIC TENANT OF THE IGWCO
THE PROGRESS OF SOCIETY AND MEASUREMENTS OF THE
WATER CYCLE ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED. THE PHYSICAL
HUMAN CONDITION COULD BE IMPROVED BY THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EFFECTIVE GLOBAL INTEGRATED
WATER CYCLE OBSERVATIONAL SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS.
3
EPOCH 1 WATER A GIFT TO MANKIND (DAWN OF
CIVILIZATION TO THE LAST CENTURY)
WATER IS ESSENITAL FOR LIFE
WHEN WATER WAS NOT AVAILABLE NOMADIC PEOPLE MOVED
TO ANOTHER LOCATION. THOSE WHO WANTED PERMANENCE
SETTLED CLOSE TO A RIVER OR A WATER SOURCE.
4
EPOCH 2 WATER AND DEVELOPMENT (LATE 1800S TO
PRESENT)
WATER IS ESSENTIAL FOR PROSPERITY
TECHNOLOGY ALLOWED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF WATER
FLOWS AND PRECIPITATION. THIS INFORMATION
WAS USED TO DESIGN DAMS AND RESERVOIRS THAT
COULD STABILIZE THE MONTH TO MONTH AND YEAR TO
YEAR VARIABILITY IN SUPPLY. THESE ACTIONS OFTEN
HAD IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
5
EPOCH 3 WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT (APPROX.
MID-1960S TO THE PRESENT)
WATER IS ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTH (FOR HUMANS AND
ECOSYSTEMS)
NOT ALL WATER IS SAFE OR USEABLE. A CAPABILITY
TO ANALYZE WATER SAMPLES CHEMICALLY SHOWED SOME
WATER CONTAINED DANGEROUS LEVELS OF PATHOGENS,
BACTERIA, CONTAMINANTS AND TOXICS. MEASUREMENTS
BECAME A BASIS FOR STANDARDS AND LEGAL ACTION
AGAINST POLLUTERS. DURING THE PAST 3 DECADES A
NUMBER OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS SUCH AS
LAND USE CHANGE HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS LIST OF
CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION.
DEATHS FROM INTERNAL DISEASES
DEATHS DUE TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES
UNSAFE WATERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR gt2 MILLION
DEATHS PER YEAR AND FOR EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO
ECOSYSTEMS,
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TODAY, SATELLITES PROVIDE A NEW GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVE ON THE WATER CYCLE
Exploratory missions to probe key Earth system
processes globally for the first time
The Earth Observing System -- systematic
measurement of interactions among land, oceans,
atmosphere, ice life
Aqua
Landsat
TRMM
GRACE
Jason
Terra
CALIPSO
Cloudsat
SORCE
ICESat
EO-3 GIFTS
Aura
EO-1 ALI Hyperion
Operational precursor / Technology demos
SeaWiFS
NOAA/GOES
Operational weather services missions for NOAA
NOAA/POES
FY02 launch ( SAGE III) FY03 launch (SeaWinds)
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LEADING TO THE QUESTION WILL A NEW EPOCH OCCUR
IN OURLIFETIMES AND, IF SO, WHAT WILL BE ITS
ATTRIBUTES?

• IT IS OUR VIEW THAT WE ARE ON THE THRESHOLD OF A
  NEW EPOCH
• IN WATER MANAGEMENT PROVIDED WE CAN MOBILIZE OUR
• CAPAB ILITIES TO OBSERVE TOGETHER WITH OUR
  UNDERSTANDING AND
• ABILITY TO MODEL THE GLOBAL WATER CYCLE.
• FACTORS THAT ARE ENCOURAGING THIS DEVELOPMENT
  INCLUDE
• EXPANDING CAPABILITIES TO OBSERVE
  HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL
• VARIABLES FROM SPACE.
• 2) AN EVOLVING CAPABILITY TO ASSIMILATE AND
  PREDICT, BASED ON
• IMPROVED MODELS ON AND ON BETTER
  DEFINITIONS OF INITIAL AND
• BOUNDARY CONDITIONS,
• DEMANDS OF NATIONAL AND REGIONAL WATER RESOURCE
• COMMUNITIES WHICH ARE SEEKING TO ADDRESS THE
  NEEDS FOR
• SECURITY OF WATER SUPPLY, RELIABLE WATER
  QUALITY, AND
• RESPONSIBLE GROUND WATER USE WITHIN A
  FRAMEWORK OF
• INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT,

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HELPING TO SOLVE THE WORLDS WATER PROBLEMS
WITH INTEGRATED WATER CYCLE OBSERVATIONS AND
INFORMATION
IGWCO OBJECTIVES

• Provide a framework for guiding decisions on
• priorities and strategies regarding water
  cycle
• observations for
• - Monitoring climate variability and
  change,
• - Effective water management and
• sustainable development of the worlds
• water resources,
• - Societal applications for resource
• development and environmental
• management,
• - Specification of initial conditions
  for
• weather and climate forecasts,
• - Research directed at priority water
  cycle
• research questions

2. Promote strategies that facilitate the
processing, archiving and distribution of water
cycle data products
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WATER MANAGEMENT A PROBLEM IN BUDGETTING WITH
INADEQUATE DATA
SUPPLY (INCOME)
USE (EXPENDITURE)
IRRIGATION FOR FOOD PRODUCTION
PRIMARY SOURCE PRECIPITATION
DRINKING FOR SURVIVAL
RESERVES (SAVINGS)
IF EXPENDITURES gt INCOME SAVINGS FOR THE LONG
TERM THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM!!
WATER TO MAINTAIN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
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WATER MANAGEMENT A PROBLEM IN BUDGETTING WITH
INADEQUATE DATA
SUPPLY (INCOME)
USE (EXPENDITURES)
PRIMARY SOURCE PRECIPITATION
IRRIGATION FOR FOOD PRODUCTION
DRINKING FOR SURVIVAL
RESERVES (SAVINGS)
THE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE ENSURE INCOME
SAVINGS gt OR EXPENDITURES FOR EACH AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY (E.G., WATER BASIN, STATE. NATION)
BY 1) DETERMINING HOW MUCH WATER IS AVAILABLE AT
THE SCALE WHERE DECISIONS ARE MADE 2) DETERMINING
HOW MUCH WATER IS USED (E.G., BY ECOSYSTEMS,
HUMANS) 3) PROVIDING BETTER PREDICTIONS OF WATER
SUPPLY 4) EVALUATING OPTIONS (E.G. CONSERVATION)
AND IMPLEMENTING POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE
REGIONAL OBJECTIVES
11
USERS DEFINE NEEDS AND INFLUENCE PRIORITIES
POLICY SUPPORT TO RIO 21, UN MILLENIUM
GOALS, UNFCC, ETC
WATER QUALITY DEGRADATION FROM LAND CLEARING
RESEARCH PROGRAM SUPPORT
IGWCO
DIRECT USERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
Current Irrigation Intensity Percentage of
Irrigated Land
Siebert et al 2001
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SUMMARY BOTH RESEARCH AND OPERATIONAL SATELLITES
HAVE A ROLE IN ADDRESSING IGWCO NEEDS AND
OPPORTUNITIES

• HIGHER RESOLUTION MEASUREMENTS AND MEASUREMENTS
  OF NEW
• VARIABLES.
• STUDIES OF TRENDS AND VARIABILITY DEPEND ON
  LONG-TERM
• CONTINUITY IN THE RECORD.
• 3. MANY OPERATIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT SERVICES
  RELY ON SIMPLE
• DATA INPUTS. SPACE AGENCIES AND DATA
  SERVICES MUST BE
• FLEXIBLE AND WORK WITH USERS TO DEVELOP NEW
  MODELS/
• APPLICATIONS/ ROUTINES.
• 4. IGWCO SHOULD ADDRESS SUSTAINABILITY AND
  CLIMATE ISSUES AT
• THE HIGHEST POLICY LEVELS.
• RECOMMENDATION ESTABLISH A GROUP OF USERS TO
• ADVISE THE IGWCO ON PRIORITIES FOR
  OBSERVATIONS.

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PRECIPITATION MOISTURE SUPPLIED BY THE
ATMOSPHERE FOR LIFE ON EARTH
ISSUE
WEBS SYNTHESIS SHOWS THE DIFFICULTY IN SIMULATING
RAIN

• SPECIFIC SHORTCOMINGS
• LACK OF ABSOLUTE MEASUREMENT
• STANDARDS FOR DIFFERENT
• SPATIAL SCALES.
• b. INCOMPLETE RADAR COVERAGE
• (GROUND RADAR, SATELLITE).
• c. SNOWFALL MEASUREMENT.
• d. MEASUREMENT IN COMPLEX
• TERRAIN.
• e. VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF
• PRECIPITATION FOR LATENT
• HEATING ESTIMATES.

PRECIPITATION DETERMINES THE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF
RENEWABLE WATER, RIVER RUNOFF AND THE LATENT HEAT
RELEASED IN THE ATMOSPHERE. IT IS POORLY
PREDICTED ON LONGER TIME SCALES AND
LONG-TERM RECORDS DO NOT EXIST FOR MUCH OF THE
EARTHS SURFACE (E.G.OCEANS).

TRMM

• RECOMMENDATIONS
• IMPROVE COVERAGE OF
• SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS.
• b. ENHANCE COVERAGE OF SPACE
• BORNE RADAR.
• c. IMPROVE ALGORITHMS TO
• BLEND OBSERVATIONS FROM
• ALL SOURCES.
• d. FIELD CAMPAIGNS FOR
• VALIDATION.

GPM
(ISSUE WHAT WILL SCIENCE (AND USERS) DO FOR DATA
CONTINUTIY BETWEEN THE END OF TRMM DATA AND THE
LAUNCH OF GPM?)
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REVIEW OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR IGWCO DEVELOPMENT
WORK

• SOME
• REQUIREMENTS
• ARE MATURE
• 2) NEED TO BE
• QUANTIFIED
• 3) NEED TO BE
• SCOPED

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REVIEW OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR IGWCO DEVELOPMENT
WORK
PRIORITY FOR IGWCO
REC. GEO PRIORITY
CRYOSPHERE THEME
CLIMATE PRIOR.
WATER RES. PRIOR.
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USER INTEREST IN DATA INTEGRATION
MOTIVATION MOST USERS WANT THE BEST POSSIBLE
PRODUCT NOT 5 DIFFERENT VALUES FOR THE
SAME VARIABLE AT THE SAME POINT IN TIME AND
SPACE. THEY ALSO WANT SOME ASSESSMENT OF
THE ACCURACY OF THE MEASURMENT.
OPPORTUNITIES 1. NETWORK OF SUPERSITES (HIGH
RESOLUTION POINT DATA CONTINUOUS IN TIME
FOR A FEW POINTS) NEED TO BE ESTABLISHED AND
THEIR DATA COMBINED WITH SATELLITE DATA (COARSE
DATA CONTINUOUS IN SPACE). 2.TOOLS FOR
DATA INTEGRATION - GEOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION SYSTEMS, - DATA MINING,
- REGIONAL AND GLOBAL DATA
ASSIMILATION SYSTEMS, - MODELS, -
PERIODIC REANALYSES. 3. FOLLOW-ON TO
EXPERIENCE IN INTEGRATED DATA SET
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CEOP.
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HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM FOR SYSTEMS IN
WATER MANAGEMENT
WMO HYDROL
IAHS
OBSERVATIONS
RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
UNESCO IHP
SPACE AGENCIES
GEWEX
RESOURCE AGENCY NETWORKS
NATIONAL WATER CYCLE PROGRAMS
NATIONAL SERVICE CAPABILITIES
USERS
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BUILDING TOWARD THE NEXT EPOCH IN WATER
MANAGEMENT ( OTHER APPLICATION SECTORS)
GWSP
IGWCO
CEOP I
CEOP II
RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
OBSERVATIONS
WMO HYDROL
IAHS PUB
UNESCO IHP
(A POTENTIAL ROLE FOR THE GEOSS IMPLEMENTATION?)
SPACE AGENCIES
GEWEX
RESOURCE AGENCY NETWORKS
NATIONAL WATER CYCLE PROGRAMS
NATIONAL SERVICE CAPABILITIES
USERS
19
DRAFT IGWCO IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE
04
05
06
07
08
09
THEME REPORT APPROVAL
R
R
CEOP PHASE I
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
I
P
CEOP PHASE II
GWSP DATA SYSTEM

INDICATORS/ INDICES


INTEGRATED PRECIP PRODUCT

COPES



U
G
(INTEGRATED OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF THE
GLOBAL WATER CYCLE)
WORKSHOPS
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IGWCO IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
IGOS-P
IGWCO THEME EXECUTIVE (WCRP, WMO, CEOS)
DISTRIBUTED IGWCO SECRETARIAT
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
USER GROUP ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SOIL MOISTURE PRODUCTS GROUP
CEOS/ WCRP CEOP PROJECT
NEW GWC PROJECTS (GPM, ETC)
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WHAT GEOSS CAN PROVIDE FOR IGWCO

• AN OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN A COMPLETE WATER
  MANAGEMENT
• INFORMATION FRAMEWORK WITH GLOBAL COVERAGE
  AND NATIONAL
• IMPLEMENTATION.
• 2. AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS THE NATIONAL
  CAPABILITIES,
• RESOURCES AND LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT NEEDED TO
• EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THE IGWCO VISION.
• 3. HELP TO IDENTIFY OR DEVELOP A FORUM FOR
  COORDINATING THE
• NEEDS AND PRIORITIES FOR IN-SITU OBSERVATIONS
  (SIMILAR TO
• THE ROLE CEOS PLAYS FOR SATELLITE
  OBSERVATIONS).

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WHAT IGWCO CAN PROVIDE FOR GEOSS

• AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS FOR AND LIMITATIONS OF
  WATER
• CYCLE OBSERVATIONS.
• 2. OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING IN
  DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
• FOR THE WATER SECTOR.
• 3. A MECHANISM FOR ON-GOING MONITORING OF THE
  SUCCESS OF
• GEOSS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE WATER SECTOR.