Key 2014 Outputs

1. GEO Work Plan Symposium 2014TASK CL-02“Global Carbon Observationsand Analysis”Task lead Antonio Bombelli

2. Key 2014 Outputs • A catalogue of available carbon datasets to be shared through the GEO Portal. • Updates of global and regional CO2 and CH4 budgets. • Expansion of carbon monitoring networks. • Launch of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (July). • CEOS Response to the GEO Carbon Strategy completed and endorsed (to guide the GEO carbon activities from space). • A strategy for an Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IGIS). • Expected release of global forest biomass/C gridded data.

3. Cross-Task Activities • Alignment between CL-02 and forest, ecosystem, and biodiversity monitoring tasks (SB02, SB03, EC01, BI-01) would be needed, but this would require additional time and human resources from every task.

4. Users engagement Who the users are? ∙ Research centers, ∙ Operational agencies, ∙ Climate treaty negotiators and verification bodies, ∙ Services providers, ∙ Non-governmental organizations, ∙ Commercial and private sector, ∙ Educational organizations, ∙ Mass media, ∙ general public, ∙ Policy makers. WMO-GAW (with its huge users community) integrated in CL-02 Some initiative to engage users and understand their needs: • ICOS user needs survey • NASA CMS Understanding User Needs project • Japanese initiatives are ongoing to interact with users Objective: to ensure that the current and planned data products are used to enhance and support decision-making. A systematic approach to approach users should be developed: support needed from GEO Sec and ID-04.

5. Policy Linkages (e.g. Conventions, Protocols, International Programmes) • Direct support to Decision Makers and environmental conventions (e.g. UNFCCC) • …but formal link between GEO and UN conventions? • “Carbon” related information is relevant for addressing future climate policies, being needed to define and verify effective mitigation policies and develop timely and appropriate adaptation actions. • Money saved! The improved information delivered by an advanced Global Carbon Observing System allows for less costly mitigation policies and targeted adaptation measures that may reduce impacts (and costs) of natural hazards. Convenient (billions of $!) to invest in C-observations!

6. Intervention needed from GEO Members and POs to Achieve 2015 Strategic Targets • Resources needed from GEO members to sustain the current monitoring networks, and develop new ones, especially in less developed regions (GEO Sec could help on advocacy). • National initiatives to disseminate and promote the use of GDC, the adoption of DSP and the interoperability with GCI. In-situ Issues Faced in Implementing GEOSSIn-situ Priorities beyond 2015 • In situ networks should be at the core of the new GEO implementation phase! In situ measurements are fundamental for global C-monitoring, but suffer of lack of continuity and interoperability (i.e. standardization of protocols, etc.).

7. Community Portals that Could/Should Be Connected to the GEOSS Portal The possible contribution of the following datasets to the GEO Data Core will be explored: CAIT, http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/cait-climate-data-explorer CARBOCHANGE, http://carbochange.b.uib.no/data/dataportals/ CARBOOCEAN data portal, http://dataportal.carboocean.org/ CARINA, http://cdiac.ornl.gov/oceans/CARINA/ CDIAC,http://cdiac.ornl.gov Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research, http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php ESA project GHG-CCI (from October 2014): http://www.esa-ghg-cci.org/ European Eddy Fluxes databases cluster, www.europe-fluxdata.eu Fluxnet, http://fluxnet.ornl.gov/; http://daac.ornl.gov/FLUXNET/fluxnet.shtml Global Fire Emission Database, www.globalfiredata.org/Data/index.html Globalview, www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/globalview/ GLODAP, http://cdiac.ornl.gov/oceans/glodap/ GloRiCh - Global River Chemistry Database, www.ifbm.zmaw.de/GloRiCh-Global-River-Chemistry.6468.0.html?&L=3 GOSAT Database NOOA, http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/index.html PACIFICA, http://cdiac.ornl.gov/oceans RAINFOR, http://www.rainfor.org/ SOCAT (Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas) Data Access System, www.socat.info/about.html WMO World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases, http://ds.data.jma.go.jp/gmd/wdcgg/ WRI’s Climate Data Explorer, www.wri.org/project/cait/ • Planned initiatives (by 2014): • Workshop + Review of the current carbon-related datasets to produce a catalogue of available Carbon observations (at least metadata). • Promote the compliance with the GEOSS DSP, the interoperability with GCI and the registration to the GDC.

8. Progress on Data Sharing and GEOSS DataCORE (remaining barriers?) • Many databases are currently available but most of them are neither complying with the GEOSS DSP nor are aware of the GEO/GEOSS process. Actions at higher than task level would be required. • Both the data provider and user community do not know well the GEO data management principles and how to link their datasets to the GEOSS Data CORE. Solutions: GEO to organize training events? develop more effective dissemination strategies?

9. Progress on Data Sharing and GEOSS DataCORE (remaining barriers?) • Data collected not in a standardized way. Protocols to be defined and agreed (by internationally recognized bodies - which ones?). • The importance of the post-data collection phase is often underestimated: harvested data have to be managed (processed, analyzed, maintained, etc.). • Lack of sustained national and international archive centers, securing the long-term data preservation and promoting their use.

10. Essential Variables (EVs) & Carbon cycle What is available: - Many (number to be reduced) Essential Carbon Cycle Variables (ECCVs) identified by the EU FP7 COCOS project. - GCOS EVCs: some of them directly or indirectly linked C-cycle: ∙ Atmospheric ECVs: Carbon dioxide, Methane, and other GHG; ∙ Oceanic ECVs: Ocean colour, Carbon dioxide partial pressure; ∙ Terrestrial ECVs: Land cover, FAPAR, LAI, Biomass, Soil carbon, Fire. Suggestions: - EVs concept can be useful to prioritize a subset of very essential observations. - Start building on already existing and internationally accepted varibles, like the GCOS ECVs. - Identify (and prioritize) those EVs that can be relevant to different SBAs. - Once EVs are identified and defined, internationally agreed standards for measuring and analyzing them should be developed.

11. « What Worked, What Didn’t » with (previous) GEO Work Plans • GEO has been very good in leveraging global initiatives, particularly where there were lacks. • More difficult to be effective when a global community already exists or – even worse – there are many (i.e. the carbon case). • We should be smarter in showing the added value of voluntary contributing to GEO, and (particularly!) in finding financial resources.

12. Is the 2015 Strategic Target relevant to the next GEOSS Implementation Plan period? • 2015 Strategic Targets still relevant but too generic to verify progress! • We can continue to use them to guide the new implementation plan, but not to verify achievements (otherwise always green light!). • For verification, measurable/tangible outputs would be required.