GEOCARBON was a global European FP7 project with the ultimate aim of laying the foundations for an operational Glo-bal Carbon Observing and Analysis Sy-stem in support to both science and policy. So far a series of methodologies were delivered available here.
The carbon cycle determines the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) that accumulates in the atmosphere. The atmospheric burden of CO₂ and CH₄ intensifies of the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect, shifting the planetary heat balance and altering the global climate system.
Understanding the global carbon cycle, and predicting its evolution under future climate scenarios, is one of the biggest challenges facing envi-ronmental science today.
The development of a comprehensive (atmosphere, ocean, land) global carbon observation and analysis system is expected to provide critical support to monitoring based decision-making and related environmental treaty obligations, contributing to the achievement of the GEOSS 2015 climate target (GEOSS 2015 Strategic Targets). FAO’s approaches and methodologies, provided by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, played a crucial role in this process.