|
Data and observations
|
|
|
|
Improving collection, management, exchange, access to and use of observational data and
other relevant information on current and historical climate and its impacts, and promoting
improvement of observations, including the monitoring of climate variability.
|
Data and observations are important not only for monitoring the climate system, but also for
detecting and attributing climate change, for assessing the impacts of climate variability and
change, and for supporting research toward improved understanding, modelling and prediction of the
climate system. Data can be collected on all aspects of the climate system including on the physical,
chemical and biological properties and atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, cryospheric and terrestrial
processes (Adapted from GCOS, 2003).
Activities and deliverables under the second phase (2008-2010) include:
-
Consideration of relevant issues from this work area in a technical workshop (requested by the
SBSTA before its thirty-second session, November 2010)
-
The SBSTA encouraged the secretariat to provide links on its website to identify, describe, apply
and make accessible terrestrial, atmospheric and oceanic data and available climatic and relevant
non-climatic data and information (see resources box).
Activities and deliverables under the first phase (up to June 2008) included:
- Submissions by WMO and its member States, GCOS and other relevant organizations
- An expert meeting held in Mexico City, Mexico in March 2008
The activities will be undertaken under, and in coordination with, the work of the SBSTA
on systematic observation. Since 1997 the Convention has supported the Global Climate Observing
System and its partner agencies, and has urged Parties to engage fully with their work (secretariat
work on systematic observation)
|
|
|
Work in the area of data and observations can contribute to efforts by Parties and
organizations to:
|
|
|
-
Promote the implementation of systematic observation (including through the GCOS implementation
plan and the regional workshops programme), focusing on issues relating to impacts and
vulnerability and taking into account stakeholder data needs and needs to enhance capacity to
supply and use the data, especially at the regional and national levels;
- Improve capacity for collecting, managing and using observational data, and identify
practical ways of enhancing technical capacity;
- Exchange information on observed climate change impacts, including those observed through
traditional knowledge.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Details of activities and deliverables under the first phase
|
|
Submissions
The SBSTA invited the WMO and its member States, the secretariat of the Global Climate
Observing System (GCOS) and other relevant organizations, to submit information and their
views, by 21 September 2007, on how their work could contribute to improved understanding of
current and historical climate, and its impacts, including the identification of gaps and
deficiencies in data and observations, stakeholder data and capacity needs, especially at
regional and national levels, and ways to improve technical infrastructure.
Submissions were received from nine Parties (Australia, Bolivia, China,
Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia and Uzbekistan as well as from Portugal on behalf of the
European Community and its member states), three intergovernmental
organizations (IPCC, GCOS, and GTOS) and one non-governmental
organization. The submissions are available in the documents below.
FCCC/SBSTA/2007/MISC.23
Work that could contribute to the improved understanding of current and historical
climate, and its impacts. Submissions from the World Meteorological Organization and its
member States and other relevant organizations.
Submission from an admitted non-governmental organization (81 kB)
Expert meeting
The SBSTA requested the secretariat, under the guidance of the Chair of the SBSTA, to
organize an expert meeting, before the twenty-eighth session of the SBSTA, with the
participation of Parties, users and developers of methods and tools, relevant organizations,
and representatives from sectoral and other communities to advance consideration of
methods
and tools. The SBSTA also requested the secretariat to include consideration of
relevant matters on data and observation in this expert meeting.
The expert meeting on methods and tools and data and observations took place in
Mexico City, Mexico from 4 to 7 March 2008. The agenda, presentations and results from
the meeting are available on the Mexico meeting
page.
The report on the expert meeting is contained in document FCCC/SBSTA/2008/3.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Progress on implementation
|
|
Technical
workshop on collaboration among regional centres and networks.
2-5 March 2010, Apia, Samoa
Expert
meeting on methods and tools and data and observations
Mexico City, Mexico, 4 to 7 March 2008
Call
for Action
on data and observations
Leaflet (804
kB)
on data and observations
|
|
|
|
Sources of climatic and non-climatic data for climate risk assessments and adaptation planning
|
|
Data Distribution Centre of the IPCC hosting
observational as well as scenario data for a wide variety of climatic, socio-economic and environmental
variables
An overview by the Global Climate Observing System of international data
centres and archives for data relating to atmosphere surface, atmosphere upper-air,
atmosphere composition, oceans, terrestrial, and space
Climate Information Portal of the
Climate Systems Analysis Group, University of Cape Town, providing downscaled climate model projections
UNDP country-level climate
profiles (including both observations and model-based scenarios)
World Bank climate change
portal providing quick and readily accessible climate and climate-related data to
policy makers and development practitioners
Tide gauge data from the Permanent Service
for Mean Sea Level
Data and information provided by the
Centre for International Earth Science Information Network, including data on a wide range
of subject areas including agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystems, climate change, economic
activity, land use and land cover, natural hazards, population and poverty
Impacts of climate change on different
sectors, by the Global Adaptation Atlas of the Resource for the Future
|
|
|
|
