GRUAN
Peter Thorne
GRUAN in 1 slide
• Called for in first GCOS IP
• GCOS Reference Upper Air Network
– Metrological traceability
– Uncertainty quantified on every data point
– Measurement of ECVs using multiple Meas. Tech. Not just
a radiosonde network
– In long-term full column characteristics (but walk first)
• Long-term network to provide high quality data at
small number of sites (30-40 eventually).
• Network for climate
– But of value to all
– GRUAN lessons trickle down to baseline + comprehensive
networks
Management update
• Change at Lead Centre at DWD
– Holger Voemel stepped down as Head in October
– New Head being appointed this week.
– If I told you who I’d have to then shoot you – ask
me next week 
• Science Coordinators appointed – Tom
Gardiner (NPL) and Richard Querel (NIWA)
• Working Group and Task Teams remain
unchanged
Network Status Update
• Site assessment and certification :
– Boulder, Lauder, Payerne certified
– Cabauw, Sodankyla, Potenza, Beltsville under certification
process
– SGP and Barrow invited to proceed
• Network expansion
– Paris and La Reunion officially invited to join as candidates
– Initial efforts on S. Africa site have led to request for formal
invitation to consider (letter request with Carolin for
consideration)
– More formative discussions with Russia, Singapore and
several others
Scientific progress
• Paper providing an update of progress
accepted for publication in BAMS
• RS-92 data stream paper published
• Several analysis papers published either using
GRUAN data or answering GRUAN network
questions.
• Talks at BIPM, EMS, AMS, MMC-2014
• Abstract submitted for the Our Common
Future relevant session
RS-92 product – uncertainty example
ICM-7
• We held our most recent ICM in Matera three weeks ago
• Focus was on new data streams and highlighted substantive
progress on new sonde and remote sensing streams
– Work on modem-10 will lead to improved global performance
• Links to WIGOS and GUAN were highlighted as key action
areas
• Upcoming transition from RS-92 should not presume what
will be transitioned to …
• Long list of actions was circulated in advance. Here only
show high priority items.
Get process stuff covered off
• Technical note outlining the process that will
be undertaken to certify a new program at a
site with an existing certified measurement
program.
• Produce a Technical Note highlighting the
steps that must be achieved for a GRUAN
product to be accepted (‘certified’) and
released. WG to review criteria for
acceptance.
Get GRUAN station data flowing in NRT
at high vertical resolution
• All sites with capability to report BUFR over
GTS in NRT. Advice and tech. support to be
provided by LC / WMO / GCOS on a site by site
basis to all certified and candidate sites not
currently reporting BUFR to attempt to
enable. In first instance LC to ascertain status
for each site as to why not reporting BUFR to
GTS and advise Tim Oakley and Roger
Atkinson.
Get the data flying high up in the sky
• Lead Centre to work with sites not attaining
regularly 10hPa to understand why and help
improve situation. Short report from each
affected site at ICM-8
Get our [redacted] together on RS92
transition issues
• Define strategy and necessary steps to
undertake transition from RS-92 to another
sonde model. Produce GRUAN report on
strategy and rationale including inter-alia:
– Sharing the burden
– Role of ancillary measurements
– Plans for parallel measurements
– Ensuring competition in marketplace
Work out whether letting a machine
do it matters
• An assessment of the advantages and
disadvantages of manual vs. autosonde
launches written up and submitted to the
peer reviewed literature
Event at Congress
• 1 hour lunchtime event to be held at congress
• WG Chairs will send to GCOS secretariat hard
copies of outreach material to be made available
at the event
• Lead Centre and Secretariat shall represent
GRUAN at the event which will be hosted by
German PR
• Small number of largely informational talks
• PRs of countries hosting certified sites shall be
presented with certificates
GAIA-CLIM
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EU H2020 project 6 million euros over three years
Use of GRUAN type data to characterize satellites
GCOS as a ‘partner’ (2 months of Tim’s time)
Several aspects of interest:
– Defining measurement tiers and their defining
characteristics
– Defining new reference measurement streams
– Co-location uncertainty
– Use of GRUAN in NWP / reanalysis
– Virtual observatory of match-ups
Points of business for AOPC discussion
• If we are pushing BUFR for GRUAN (and
GUAN) then GCOS monitoring centres need to
have capability to monitor BUFR receipts and
quality.
• BUFR can include quality flags but not
quantitative uncertainty information. If we
ever want to transmit full GRUAN sonde data
in NRT this needs to be addressed.
• Request that AOPC Chairs and secretariat
approve ICM-7 report inter-sessionally once
finalized
• As a point of information: Our ICM-8 will be in
Boulder in the last week of April next year, it
therefore shall likely follow rather than
precede AOPC.
Questions
Stable water isotopologues in vapour, clouds, and precipitation
In-situ from ground + aircraft
7
altitude [km]
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-600
-400
-200
0
D [0/00]
Remote sensing from ground…
…and by METOP/IASI
→ Relevance
→ Feasibility
→ Cost effectiveness