Prof. John Townshend and Dr Robert Scholes, members of the Scientific and Technical Planning Group for GTOS, were in attendance at the meeting. Prof. John Townshend reported on the GTOS sponsors meeting held in January in Rome. The sponsors accepted in principle the GTOS Planning Group Report and decided to proceed with GTOS. The report is available from the Executive Secretary, ad interim, Mr Jelle U. Hielkema ([email protected]). The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offered to house the Secretariat of GTOS with Dr Stein Bie having overall responsibility for the Secretariat.
Prof. Townshend also reported on the progress of GCOS since the last TOP meeting. Version 1.0 of all GCOS Plans have been completed. They utilize a strategy which is to define an Initial Operational System (IOS) based on existing observational programmes. The concept of the IOS acknowledges and encourages the continuation of those existing activities which significantly contribute to GCOS at the present time, and identifies those which, with modest enhancements, could make substantial additional contributions. With the initiation of the GCOS Upper Air Network, the implementation of GCOS has begun. The purpose of the network is to ensure a relatively homogeneous distribution of upper air stations to meet requirements of GCOS. The final list of sites was selected from the World Weather Watch (WWW) Global Observing System (GOS) on the basis of performance records, global distribution and quality of information coming from the stations. With the cooperation of the World Meteorological Organizations (WMO) Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), members have agreed to support the network.
Working with the WWW and the WMO Commission for Climatology (CCl), plans for the GCOS surface network of approximately 800 sites are underway. A joint CCl/CBS expert meeting on the GCOS permanent Land-based Surface Network, to be held in Norwich (U.K.) from 25 to 27 March 1996, will consider the designation of the proposed network and will make proposals for consideration by the CBS Working Group on Observations and subsequently for adoption by WMO Members. It is expected that this network will be in place by the end of 1996.
The fifth meeting of the GCOS Joint Scientific and Technical Committee (JSTC) recognized the increasing relevance of climate/land interactions and in particular acknowledged the need for the TOPC. The JSTC was pleased with the first version of the TOPC Plan, and recommended that it be published with some editorial changes.
The JSTC also suggested the following items for consideration by the TOPC for 1996. These include:
The JSTC noted some apparent differences between the soil moisture requirements of the Atmospheric Observation Panel (AOP) and the TOPC and asked each Panel to review their requirements;
To further develop hydrology needs and work more closely with the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX);
Continue to extend the geographic coverage of biospheric sites, particularly for some developing countries;
Determine the requirements for sites that are to be included within the GCOS network;
Develop a sampling scheme for the hydrosphere and the cryosphere;
Re-evaluate the need for tier IV;
Develop a closer working relationship with the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) and the Global Precipitation Climate Centre (GPCC); and
Develop a brochure to explain the TOPC and to assist in obtaining support from organizations that can supply data from tiers II to IV.
Prof. Townshend stated there were a number of challenges facing the TOPC. These include:
Prioritization and detailed specification of variables will be increasingly in demand;
Few implementation structures for land exist and consequently the TOPC will have a major role in not only defining the implementation requirements, but also in assisting in the implementation of a network of land-based sites; and
The TOPC must provide its requirements to the Space-based Observation Panel and the Data and Information Management Panel.
