GCW, Geneva, 21-24 November 2011 Global Cryosphere Watch – contributions from and expectations of the internationally coordinated glacier monitoring Michael Zemp World Glacier Monitoring Service, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland the devil’s advocate potential partner
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GC
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1 Global Cryosphere Watch–
contributions from and expectations ofthe internationally coordinated glacier
monitoring
Michael Zemp
World Glacier Monitoring Service, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland
the devil’s advocatepotential partner
GCOS (2010)
“Free and unrestricted international share of
high-quality, long-term and standardized data
and information products is one of the basic requirements for advances in research.”
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Glacier monitoring: internationally coordinated since 1894
François-Alphonse Forel, 1841–1912
1894: International Glacier Commission
“variations périodiques”global vs. regional developmentterrestrial vs. extraterrestrial forcingIce Age originobservations for the generations to come
Today: Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G)
climate changesea level riserunoffhazards
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G)
Steering Committee
Advisory Board Executive Board
World Glacier Monitoring
Service
US National Snow and Ice Data Center
Global Land Ice Measurements
from Space
available funding for operational work
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
WGMS General Assembly of National Correspondents 2010
Find our summary report, as published in the NASA Earth Observer, Vol. 23,4: 28-31,
on our website: http://www.wgms.ch/ga.html
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
A worldwide scientific collaboration network
WGMS (2008)
WGMS National Correspondents for: Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Tanzania, Uganda, U.S.A., and Uzbekistan
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers: strategy
integrated / tiered observing strategyTier 1: multi-component obs. system across environmental gradientsTier 2: process understanding and model calibration
Terminology, guidelines and standards, assessment reports
WGMS (2008)Kaser et al. (2003) Cogley et al. (2011)
Zemp, M. (2011): Glacier monitoring at local, mountain, and global scale.Habilitation Thesis, Faculty of Science, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
WGMS (2008): online available from: : http://www.grid.unep.ch/glaciers/
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
POSTER
Global Cryosphere Watch“The Global Cryosphere Watch aims to establish a sustained,
global, robust, end-to-end cryosphere observing and
monitoring system” (GCW Handouts 2011)
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Implementation note:
Global Atmosphere Watch mainly builds on observation series run by national met and hydro services.
Global Cryosphere Watch will have to mainly build on observations series from scientific projects.
GCOS GTOS
TOPC
ICSU
WDS
IUGG
IACS
UNFAO
UNEP UNESCO
WMO
GLIMS RC
WGMS NCWGMS PI
IPCC
GEOSSUNFCCC
CliC
EKK
SCNAT
UZH
ICSI
IAHSCIG
GRID/ARENDAL
DEWA
IHP
CCS
GKSEP
SACVAW/ETH
UFR
GTN-H
GTN-P
ICIMODNVE
PAGES
NCCR-C
FAGS
WDC-G
GTN-G
WGMS
GLIMS
NSIDC
PSFGTTS/WGI
FoGGMBB
GPC
SCAR
GLACIODYN
CRYOCLIM
GLOBGLACIER
GLACIER_CCI
WCRP
GEO
GCW
How to make a difference?
(Implementation) Strategy: ☺
Implementation Plan: ???
Available resources: ???
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
What role does GCW want to play in the glacier monitoring world?
GCW
GCW
GCW
GCW
GCW
GCW
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
GCW as authoritative source for data and information
“The Global Cryosphere Watch, working with WMO members and
partners, will provide authoritative, clear, and useable data,
information, and analysis on the past, current and future state of the
cryosphere […]” (GCW Handouts 2011)
WGMS can contribute:
long-term experience in coordinating the international glacier monitoring
data and information on glacier distribution and changes
Implementation questions:
authoritative? [service v.s. project]
who are the data/info users?
who are the data/info providers?
why should they contribute to GCW?
missing services? [GT-Nets]
data, meta-data or information portal?
assessment reports?
standardized data only?
available long-term resources?
…
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
‘Authoritative’ data made available to unknown users
Atlas of the cryosphere (NSIDC)showing ice sheet thickness
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Terminology, best practices, guidelines, and standards
Cogley et al. (2011)
“[…] timely reminder of the importance of a “standard”
vocabulary. “
“[…] to have these as a GCW glossary of cryospheric terms. […]”
“[…] translated into 6 languages.”(B. Goodison, personal comm. 2011)
Some facts about the Mass Balance Glossary:
11 authors; experts from the glacier research and monitoring community
3 years of work
> 450 terms (one language only)
update of earlier glossary
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Cryospheric observation network of «supersites»
“The Global Cryosphere Watch, will initiate a comprehensive cryosphere observing network called “CryoNet”,
a network of reference sites or “supersites” […]” (GCW Explanatory
Memerandum 2011)
WGMS can contribute:
long-term experience in coordinating the international glacier monitoring
37 ‘reference’ glaciers with long-term and continuous mass-balance monitoring programmes (cf. Zemp et al. 2009, Ann. Glaciol.)
Implementation questions:
new or existing sites?
representativeness?
new label may down-rate other important series…
does it really make sense to monitor “as many cryospheric variables as possible” at one site?
maybe better link the existing long-term cryo-sites to automatic weather stations
available long-term resources?
…
global terrestrial network of glaciers | gcw contributions and expectations
Potential contributions from the WGMS and GTN-G to GCW:long-term experience in coordinating the international glacier monitoringrepresentation of the glacier monitoring communitydata and information about glacier distribution and changes
Our expectations of GCW:well-elaborated implementation plan that is feasible in light of available resourcesclear positioning within other international organizationsclose collaboration with authoritative data services
WGMS (2008)
conclusions
In other words:
Please add value (and not just another acronym) to the zoo of international organizations and focus on few but well implemented