GEO Strategic Target on Climate (Carbon)

1. GEO Strategic Target on Climate (Carbon) Facilitate a comprehensive global carbon observation and analysis system in support of decision-making, including monitoring and support of environmental treaty obligations. Covered by task CL-09-03 Global Carbon Observation and Analysis System, and its subtasks: a) IGCO; b) FCT; c) GHG from space. CL-09-03 past focus: mainly on science and lower on policy. Recommendations for the GEO 2012-2015 WP Increase the information role in support to decision makers • by promoting an independent verification system for CO2 (at national and regional level) serving decision makers (hitting the climate target!) From Global to regional (and national!) level by increasing spatial and temporal resolution of carbon budgets (reducing uncertainties) with identification of regions and countries (contributing to the reliable verification system for decision makers) 5th GEO European Projects’ Workshop (GEPW-5) London, 8-9 February 2011

2. Recommendations for the GEO 2012-2015 WP (continuing) Not only CO2 by promoting innovation for non CO2 trace gases (e.g. CH4, N2O – not well considered in the previous WP) measurements from space, in situ and models, and including them in the verification systems for decision makers Effective use of data Promote the use of GEO data, metadata and products on climate and carbon, for example for evaluating IPCC models Other issues Improve the understanding of C-cycle by separating anthropogenic from natural component Definitions of hot spots and vulnerabilities both in terms of climate and human perturbations Considering land use and carbon sequestration for bioenergy into carbon models Carbon emissions coupled to land degradation (links with UNCCD) Fires (mentioned in the Climate target): most of current networks provide fire detection and early warning, but the estimation of GHG emissions from fires should be improved 5th GEO European Projects’ Workshop (GEPW-5) London, 8-9 February 2011

3. Cross cutting issues and general recommendations Promote the interoperability and standardization of different C-monitoring systems, especially inventories (forest and soil) Promote the compliance with the GEO data sharing principles Promote the concept of supersites, i.e. reference sites (covering a wide range of ecological systems – not only for geohazards) were a selected set of variables relevant to all GEO SBA (essential variables) are measured (in situ and by RS) Integrated approach among different SBAs: observations of feedbacks and interactions between carbon, water, energy fluxes (cross cutting CL, EN and WA) Promote the links: between SBA tasks and AR, DA, CB, ST and US tasks; among subtasks inside the same tasks; among relevant tasks. Need for a new overarching task? Or just a better integration of existing ones? How? The GEO Beijing Declaration emphasize “the importance of ensuring long term, sustainable … observation networks and systems…” Specific funding for completing the GEO 2012-15 WP would be needed. EC-FP7 has given a big contribution, but the building of GEOSS should be supported in a more globally coordinated and sustained manner, beyond short term research projects focusing just on specific issues or regions. Scientific community cannot afford the maintenance of research networks in the long term without the support of policy commitment. 5th GEO European Projects’ Workshop (GEPW-5) London, 8-9 February 2011

4. GEO and GMES for carbon: the EUGIS proposal GMES is segmented into core services that deal with separate data streams, atmospheric concentrations (MACC), land surface biophysical state (GEOLAND2) and ocean biological state as seen from space (MYOCEAN). An integrated analysis of the GHG fluxes and carbon pools is not offered in any existing or proposed service. All the above data stream should be assimilated by a EUropean Greenhouse gases Information System (EUGIS) within the GMES programme, as a European contribution to GEO. 5th GEO European Projects’ Workshop (GEPW-5) London, 8-9 February 2011