The following is a summary of those recommendations made in each section above.
1. Begin a dialogue with existing site networks (either international or national) to produce a draft of workable data exchange rules and procedures and to refine the potential site database (Action: GTOS Secretariat);
2. Make the potential site database more comprehensive by asking regional and national experts to check and populate it (Action: GTOS Secretariat/GCOS JPO);
3. Conduct an initial tier III selection according to the criteria (Action: GTOS Secretariat);
4. Invite site and network managers of the identified sites, plus representatives of organizations which could establish or upgrade sites in under-sampled regions to a workshop to agree on their participation in a network (Action: Prof. Townshend in situ meeting as start);
5. Use the combined motivation of GTOS and GCOS to enhance and accelerate a SOTER-like activity to collect an initial set of tier IV data in a stratified random pattern (with substitution of inaccessible sites) using geomorphology, geology and land cover as the stratifiers (Action: TBD);
6. Publish a brochure explaining and publicizing the GHOSTE (Action: Dr Scholes, GCOS JPO);
7. Publish and distribute a methods handbook for tier IV data and actively encourage the placement of target-of-opportunity tier IV data in public domain databases (Action: TOPC);
8. Develop some minimal criteria for what constitutes a “good quality station” (TOPC);
9. Maintain a “meta-data” data set with pointers to relevant data (Action: GCOS JPO and GTOS Secretariat):
(i) to in situ data centres that are holders of information that would be made available at minimal cost under agreement with GCOS/GTOS; or
(ii) of specialized data sets already developed for climatic purposes, such as the HCN or Historical Climatology Network of Precipitation Data developed by NOAA/NCDC;
10. Study the need for a .5 by .5 degree precipitation product, and if necessary and feasible, urge the GPCC to produce such a product rather than the 1 by 1 degree product that is planned (Action: TOPC in consultation with GPCC); and
11. Revise Version 1.0 of the GCOS/GTOS Plan for Terrestrial Climate-related Observations to reflect the following (Action: TOPC):
Add variables required for BGC models;
Add flow chart showing how observations lead to derived products;
Revise precipitation to reflect macro-, micro- and meso-scale requirements;
Add run-off as a variable sheet;
Add albedo as a requirement;
Add carbon change as a variable and modify biomass accordingly;
Add variable on C13/C12;
Revise soil moisture variable sheet;
Add tiers to variable sheets;
Revise land-use variable sheet;
Add definition of classes to land cover;
Improve descriptions of uses of data (client needs) for all variables;
Add schematic illustrations including tier diagram; and
Revise hydrology section to reflect the HWR/GCOS Hydrology meeting and interactions with FRIEND and GEWEX. (This meeting takes place 29 April to 1 May, 1996. The results of that meeting will be available shortly.)
