WMO
GAW and CAS within WIGOS:
Opportunities and Challenges
Phil DeCola
WMO/Sigma Space Corporation
Oksana Tarasova
WMO Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW)
Sandro Fuzzi
National Research Council, Italy
WMO: Research Dept.
What is the Global Atmosphere Watch
Programme?
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WMO/GAW was established 1989 by merging GO3OS and BAPMoN.
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GAW focuses on global networks for GHGs, ozone, UV, aerosols,
selected reactive gases, and total atmospheric deposition
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GAW is a partnership involving contributors from 100 countries.
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GAW is coordinated by the Research Division of WMO under the
purview of WMO Commission for Atmospheric Science (CAS)
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Currently the observational component of GAW is based on activities
at 30 Global stations, more than 400 Regional stations, and about 100
Contributing stations (http://gaw.empa.ch/gawsis/)
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GAW organizational diagram
Expert Groups
Administration
Management
Central Facilities
Observing
Systems
Users and
applications
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GAW Steering Bodies
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Scientific Steering Committee of the Open Programme Area Group on
Environmental Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry (EPAC SSC)
Scientific Advisory Groups (SAGs)
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Ozone
Greenhouse Gases
UV Solar Radiation
Reactive Gases
Total Atmospheric Deposition
Aerosols
SAG GURME (urban pollution)
SAG on NRT applications
Expert Team:
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World Data Centres
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Operational support functions
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GAW observational and data infrastructure is
supported by Members operating central facilities:
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World Calibration Centres
Central Calibration Laboratories
World Data Centres
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Ozone and UV
Solar Radiation
Aerosols
Greenhouse gases
Precipitation chemistry
The World Data Center for Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere
GAW Station Information System (GAWSIS)
This has created a sustainable system
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GAW Station Information System
GAWSIS Online - comprehensive information on all GAW stations
• Database
• Search / Update
• Inventory / Audit
(Supported by Switzerland)
• GAWSIS became a part of
OSCAR data base (with
observational capabilities)
• GAWSIS is being reviewed at
the moment and works toward
implementation of the WIGOS
meta data standard
ICG-WIGOS Fourth Session, 17-20 February 2015
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CAS achievements within WIGOS (1)
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CAS deeply involved in Task Team – World Meta Data defining the
WIGOS metadata standard
Work of GAW ET-WDC very much aligned with WIGOS
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Discussion of WIGOS metadata standard at recent meeting of
GAW Expert Team on Data Centers in Tokyo, January 2014 
overall approval
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GAW Metadata profile of ISO19115 approved; compliant with
WMO Core Metadata profile, and includes many aspects of
WIGOS metadata requirements
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Notion of a “virtual GAW data center” with interoperable WDCs
was approved  strategy document planned
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Meanwhile, GAWSIS continues to serve as catalogue of GAW
stations and to connect WDCs and related archives.
SSC endorsed in June 2014 the Atmospheric Composition Vocabulary Task Team
(already operational) which looks at the metadata related to atmospheric
composition in a broader sense and feeds this information back to ET-WDC.
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Evolution of the GAW observational network
Using the Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR)
Process according to WIGOS Manual:
(i) a review of technology-free requirements for observations, within an
area of application covered by WMO programmes and cosponsored
programmes;
(ii) a review of the observing capabilities of existing and planned
observing systems, both surface- and space-based;
(iii) a Critical Review of the extent to which the capabilities (ii) meet the
requirements (i); and
(iv) a Statement of Guidance based on (iii).
Network development should be performed in a
systematic way to address specific applications
Application areas within GAW
A Task Team on user requirements for atmospheric composition and
related needs for satellite measurements was formed to assist the
RRR process
The broad “atmospheric chemistry” application area was substituted
with more specific application areas:
• “atmospheric composition forecasting”,
• “atmospheric composition analysis and monitoring”
• “urban services”.
Task Team develops an approach to assess user requirements.
The report of the first meeting is published (GAW Report No. 221).
Second meeting of TT took place on 12-13 August 2015.
CAS achievements within WIGOS
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Current application area “Atmospheric Chemistry”
is split into 3 areas:
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Forecasting Atmospheric Composition: Applications
global to regional with stringent timeliness (NRT)
Monitoring Atmospheric Composition: Applications
related to changes of atmospheric composition
regionally and globally less stringent timeliness (no
NRT)
Providing Atmospheric Composition information to
support services in urban and populated areas:
Applications targeting limited areas (with horizontal
resolution of a few km and stringent timeliness
requirements (air quality forecasting)
ICG-WIGOS Fourth Session, 17-20 February 2015
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Challenges still to be addressed by CAS
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GAW implementation plan is currently under development
The plan will be built around applications rather than
around focal areas –> needs a lot of work to build
understanding of cross-cutting applications
The plan will take WMO priorities into consideration and
build around them
Major principles of network design and quality assurance
(developed within WIGOS) are imbedded in GAW and will
be further fostered
Outreach strategy (how to explain NMHSs the role of
atmospheric composition in understanding weather and
climate) should be developed
ICG-WIGOS Fourth Session, 17-20 February 2015
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Needs for improving collaboration among
TCs/RAs within WIGOS
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Need for recognition and support of GAW stations
by NMHSs for observational network to be
sustainable (long-term “cultural” and “political”
improvement)
WMO assumes that communicating with National
Representatives is enough to correspond with the
whole national Institutions involved (not always
true!)
Direct involvement of Institutions other than
NMHSs needed for rationale and positive GAW
contribution to WIGOS (procedures needed)
ICG-WIGOS Fourth Session, 17-20 February 2015
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GAW Implementation Plan (2015-2023)
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The plan concerns only implementation of the GAW Programme, WMO
Strategic Plan is taken as an overall strategy
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Short (focuses on the major principles, SAG specific tasks are in the
annex)
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Follows the concept “research enabling services” – the activities are
around application areas rather than focused on GAW parameter
specific areas
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More focus on modelling tools and value added products
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Provides clear framework for the programme implementation
concerning network design, modelling tools, quality assurance
principles, data management, collaboration with the other programmes
IP builds upon the premise that atmospheric composition matters - to
climate, weather forecasting, human health, terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems, agricultural productivity, aeronautical operations, renewable
energy production, and more.
Example of the applications in GAW
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Support of climate negotiations:
IG3IS
Ecosystem services: analysis of total
deposition, nitrogen cycle, deposition
to the oceans/marine geoengineering
Health: sand and dust storms, urban
air quality (GURME), biomass
burning
Food security: atmospheric
composition and agriculture
Transport security: volcanic ash
forecasting
Thank you for your attention
Sandro Fuzzi
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
National Research Council
Bologna, Italy
s.fuzzi@isac.cnr.it
www.wmo.int