CEOS Chair GHG Initiative Report and Workshop Outcomes

1. CEOS Chair GHG Initiative Report and Workshop Outcomes Committee on Earth Observation Satellites • Mark Dowell, European Commission • CEOS Plenary 2018 • Agenda Item # 3.2 • Brussels, Belgium • 17 – 18 October 2018

2. Laying the foundation for an international CO2 and GHG monitoring system Three specific activities are foreseen for advancing this effort in 2017-2018: • Facilitate the completion and follow-on activities of the AC-VC whitepaper on defining an optimum constellation for CO2 and GHG monitoring, including the joint competences of CEOS and CGMS, and in the general framework of the continued implementation of the CEOS Carbon Strategy • Advance the relationship with CGMS for an operationally implemented and sustained observation capability. Consider establishing a formal working relationship between CEOS and CGMS as with the successful ongoing relationship on Systematic Observations of ECVs in support of UNFCCC. • Place the space segment in the broader context of a fully sustained system for CO2 monitoring. Individual CEOS Agencies have counterparts in their individual countries/regions who have responsibility for Inventories, the required modelling, in-situ infrastructure and the ground segment elements. CEOS Chair 2018 GHG Priority

3. Action in GCOS IP 2016GCOS-200 • “Specifically CEOS and CGMS will undertake, over the next few years, dedicated preparatory work in a coordinated international context…: • The definition of an architecture of space component elements to address the requirements of a CO2 and GHG monitoring system , … This will provide a global holistic perspective both from the point of view of existing and planned space segment assets as well and that for an optimum global constellation. • The documentation of best practices on the relationships between individual space agencies and their counterparts working on the modelling aspects, the inventories and in-situ data provision, … • The further consolidation of partnerships and collaborations between the relevant international entities including: the relationship between CEOS and CGMS on the space component aspects, the partnership with the WMO and GEO on the broader framework, … and finally the relationships with GCOS itself, UNFCCC and IPCC TFI process in better defining the role for space-based observation in the inventory guideline process.”

4. Laying the foundation for an international CO2 and GHG monitoring system Three specific activities are foreseen for advancing this effort in 2017-2018: • Facilitate the completion and follow-on activities of the AC-VC whitepaper on defining an optimum constellation for CO2 and GHG monitoring, including the joint competences of CEOS and CGMS, and in the general framework of the continued implementation of the CEOS Carbon Strategy • Advance the relationship with CGMS for an operationally implemented and sustained observation capability. Consider establishing a formal working relationship between CEOS and CGMS as with the successful ongoing relationship on Systematic Observations of ECVs in support of UNFCCC. • Place the space segment in the broader context of a fully sustained system for GHG/CO2 monitoring. Individual CEOS Agencies have counterparts in their individual countries/regions who have responsibility for Inventories, the required modelling, in-situ infrastructure and the ground segment elements. CEOS Chair 2018 GHG Priority

5. Workshop organised from a CEOS – Space Agency point-of-view • Emphasis of workshop is on extracting and documenting best practices on interactions between CEOS Agencies/Associates, and counterparts working on modelling, in-situ and inventory, • Identify open issues and have some specific recommendations on efforts that CEOS Agencies could target in the future. • This should build open the existing recent efforts both within CEOS (i.e. the AC-VC Whitepaper on GHG Constellation) and efforts lead by other international efforts (e.g. WMO/IG3IS, GEO-C, GCOS, UNFCCC/SBSTA, IPCC-TFI) June 18-19th European Commission – JRC , Ispra (IT) • 9 CEOS Agencies attended 2-4 people each, 3 CEOS Associates – around 40 attendees in total CEOS Chair Workshop - GHG

6. Monday 18th June Tuesday 19th June Review of Previous Day Introduction & Objectives Specific interfaces discussions: Space-Modelling, Space-In-situ, Space-Inventory International Programmes: WMO, GCOS, GEO AM AM Ongoing Activities: AC-VC Whitepaper, Inversion Modelling Workshop, IPCC TFI, Copernicus… Agencies Perspectives: CNES, CSA, CMA, DLR, NOAA, NASA, JAXA, EU (EC, ESA, EUM), UKSA PM PM General & Crosscutting Aspects: discussion on issues such as terminology System defn., needs and requirements Conclusion and Follow-up CEOS Chair GHG Workshop

7. Presentations from individual agencies on their perspective on working with different communities (modelling, insitu, inventory) wrt GHG monitoring and analysis Presentations should (also) address: • Agency programmatic state-of-play on GHG missions and plans • Ongoing activities with modelling community • Ongoing activities with In-situ community • Any existing dialogue with Inventory community • Engagement/Involvement at international level (bilateral/multilateral) • Target/focus of any relevant research funding Agency Perspectives

8. Terminology and Scope • Help countriesimprovetheirestimates of CO2 and CH4emissions and removals in support of theirNationallyDeterminedContributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement; and, • Provide an additionalmechanism for validating the consistencybetweenreportedemissions and output from the system. • Agreedthat scope is CO2 and CH4

9. System overview/architecture Consensus that a system approach is required in addressing the needs/requirements Agreed on a high level representation of the system overview

10. QualityContol of data • Advocate for standards and proceduresthat are common and consistentthatspaceagencies use to systematicallyprocess and QC data, • Askspaceagencies to continue to thinkabouthowtheycould do intercomparisonactivities, harmonisation of products, etc. • UNFCCC inventories must be transparent. Important part of this. Need to have the opportunity to reviewwhat data hasbeenused for inventories. Link to the UNFCCC transparencyframework.

11. Space-Modelling Interaction (e.g. OSSEs) • ItwasacknowledgedthatOSSEs are a fundamentaltool, and will be increasinglyimportant in a virtualconstellationcontext and for the associatedcost-benefit and mission design analyses. • Open questions are fairlywelldefinedat the global scale, butnot so muchatpoint-scale. • Itwasagreed to ask CEOS Principals to continue supportingtheseactivities, to providemechanismsthrough AC-VC to make the best use of resources in a coordinatedmanner, and to makeresourcesavailable for under representedOSSEs. • CO2 and CH4 are verydifferent from an OSSE standpoint. Theyneed to be thoughtaboutdifferently. • CEOS Agenciesshouldsupport AC-VC in holding a workshop to identify the issues and researchprioritiesthatneed to be addressed via OSSEs. Q1-Q2 2019 would be the target for the workshop, with outcomespresentedat the 2019 SIT Technical Workshop.

12. Space-in situ • Whenwe’retalkingabout in situ we are talkingaboutbothcal,/val, and inverse modelingdatasets • Some concern on the way thatgovernance and sustainability of these in situ systemsiscurrently - espifwe are going to be relyinguponit • TCCON and equivalent are criticalinfrastructure for the spaceagencies, especially in the context of thisintegrated CO2 and CH4system, and the stationsshould be resourcedappropriately. • Data availabilty on operational time scalesneeds to be considered and faciltated • Weneed to findmechanismsthatallowfunding of in situ measurementcapabilitiesoutside of the usualmissionbudgets to providecapacity on a sustainedbasis. • Thereis work to be done to understandhow to transfer standards for gas metrologycalibration to lowercost, modernprecisionsensors. Itwasnotedthat the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), NOAA, and CSIRO allhaveunique gas metrologystandards. The report should propose an action for CEOS WGCV to considerorganisingdiscussions with thesemetrologygroups.

13. Space-Inventory Interaction • Inventory Community Interactions – WhatHasBeenSuccessful and WhatHasn’t? • Switzerland and the UK are goodexamples of successfulrelationship building. • Key for space data uptakeis building the relationshipsbetween and with the governmentagenciesresponsible for UNFCCC inventory reporting. Thisis the IG3IS approach. • Weneed to take note of the requirements of the inventory community and tailorproducts to meettheirneeds (makinginputsasappealingaspossible). • Wecouldconsiderapproaches for making the inventory community more interested in spatiallyexplicitresults, and could look athow to influence the policy/requirements side to create demand. • The report shouldpromote the continued production of synthesiseddatasets. • Inventory groups are usuallyresourcelimited and are looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their work. Increasingefficiencycould be a good angle to promoteuptake.