GLASS Perspective on ISLSCP

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GLASS Perspective on ISLSCP
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GEWEX Global Land-Atmosphere System Study
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Relationship Between ISLSCP and GLASS
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Relationship Between ISLSCP and GLASS
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GLASS Panel Membership
Jan Polcher (LMD) Chair

• Luis Bastidas (Utah State)
• Martin Best (UKMO)
• Paul Dirmeyer (COLA)
• Ann Henderson-Sellers (ANSTO)
• Paul Houser (NASA/GSFC)

• Randy Koster (NASA/GSFC)
• Taikan Oki (U Kyoto)
• Andy Pitman (Macquarie U)
• Bart van der Hurk (KNMI)
• Pedro Viterbo (ECMWF)

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GLASS Panel Meeting

• 2-4 October 2002
• COLA, Calverton, Maryland
• Of relevance to ISLSCP
• Assessment of ISLSCP Initiative II status as
  presented at GSWP-2 Kickoff Workshop
• Assessment of ISLSCP Initiative II data
  usefulness for GLASS projects (esp. GSWP2)
• Review of ISLSCP Initiative III White Paper
• Modelers are demanding users!

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GLASS Panel Meeting

• Of relevance to ISLSCP
• Assessment of ISLSCP Initiative II status as
  presented at GSWP-2 Kickoff Workshop
• Assessment of ISLSCP Initiative II data
  usefulness for GLASS projects (esp. GSWP2)
• Review of ISLSCP Initiative III White Paper
• Modelers are demanding users!

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II2 Status

• Concern about delays in II2 project
• Empathy for difficulty in getting data from
  providers
• Hope for successful delivery of data in January
  (ERA 40 a few months later)
• Concern about physical ability to deliver data
  (Internet or optical media) - infrastructure

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Assessment of II2 data

• Impressive breadth of data
• Disappointing lack of consolidation
• Multiple land-sea masks no co-registration
• No hybrid data most consolidation left to the
  users
• No consistency checks across data sets
• Not as complete an effort as was II1
• Increase in data volume not met by a matching
  increase in analysis.
• Little added value beyond regridding
• Problems in funding had an impact, no doubt.

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II3

• White paper reads very poorly
• In this day of GLDAS, EcoCLIMAP, etc., have the
  ISLSCP Data Initiatives become arcane and
  outlived their usefulness?
• A truly useful data consolidation effort in the
  21st century may require a Center, not just a
  grant, to support the necessary work.
• Will CEOP better support the current needs of
  GEWEX than ISLSCP?
• GLASS is a modeling panel will II3 meet
  modeling needs?

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What to do?

• The clear need for continuous, consistent,
  consolidated data that existed 10 years ago still
  exist - is unclear if a loose collaboration like
  ISLSCP can address it.
• We arent trying to shut down ISLSCP
• Criticism is meant to be constructive, and as a
  wake-up call
• Problems should be addressed entre la familia
• How will IGBP restructuring impact ISLSCP?
• Now ISLSCP is a major interface between IGBP and
  WCRP would this role continue?

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Epilogue

• ISLSCP Initiative II ground to a halt for lack of
  funding
• ISLSCP Initiative III proposal to NASA not funded
  as written (F. Hall PI)
• Program manager wants to see ISLSCP Initiative II
  completed first

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ISLSCP-III Data Encyclopedia?

• Consolidation
• Expert Review
• Regrid tools (GIS)?
• Needs strong editorial oversight