ABSTRACT
The 2007 IPCC assessment unequivocally states that humans have significantly changed the composition of the
atmosphere and that, as a result, our climate is changing. To be able to attribute the causes of climate change,
analyse the potential impacts, evaluate the adaptation options and enable characterization of extreme events such
as floods, droughts and heat waves, globally consistent sets of observational data are needed. Without such baseline
data it will not be possible develop the products needed by policy and other stakeholders.
The climate observing system in the terrestrial domain
is, however, still poorly developed, while at the same
time there is increasing significance being placed on
terrestrial data for impact, adaptation and mitigation
activities. The precise quantification of the rate of
climate change also remains important to determine
whether feedback or amplification mechanisms, in
which the terrestrial surface plays an important role,
are operating within the climate system.
The Global Terrestrial Observing System
(GTOS) is supporting its Sponsors (FAO, UNEP,
WMO, UNESCO, ICSU) and the broader stakeholder
community to address issues of climate change
and climate variability, especially with regard to
its effects on food security, the environment and
sustainable development. The GTOS Secretariat,
with the assistance of its Panels, is also supporting
the observational requirements of the UNFCCC.
In particular it is developing possible mechanisms
for a terrestrial framework and assisting the
implementation of the 13 terrestrial Essential
Climate Variables (ECVs), including the assessment
of the status of available standards. These terrestrial,
with oceanic and atmospheric, ECVs were originally
identified in the implementation plan developed by
GCOS and its partners as the observations that are
currently feasible for global implementation and have
a high impact on the requirements of the UNFCCC
and other stakeholders. These activities are also
recognized as an official task of the Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
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