World Meteorological OrganizationWorking together in weather, climate and water

WMO Executive Council Panel of Experts on

Polar Observations, Research and Services

(EC-PORS)

WMO EC-PORS www.wmo.int

WMO

Meeting of presidents of technical commissions (PTC-2011)Geneva, 7-9 February 2011

David Grimes and Greg AyersCo-chairs, EC-PORS

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/Antarctica/antarctic.html

WMO EC Panel of Experts onPolar Observations, Research and Services

(EC-PORS)• WMO Congress XV – 2007 recommended:

– Focus on integrating programs in polar regions– Program coordination for Antarctica– Implementation strategy for Global Cryosphere Watch– Driven by International Polar Year

• EC-LX (2008) established the EC-PORS to assist EC in its oversight of WMO Polar activities– David Grimes (Canada) and Greg Ayers (Australia) nominated as co-chairs; WMO

Members (18) nominated 24 experts to participate– entry point to all WMO Programmes and to external partners seeking to collaborate with

WMO on polar activities– aim is to bring observations, research and services together allowing WMO to maximize the

value of its and its partners’ investments in Polar Regions

took on the responsibilities of the previous EC- Working Group on Antarctic Meteorology

POLAR DOMAIN

• For technical matters (coordination and standardization), EC-PORS and its Antarctic Task Team shall be responsible for the area south of 60°S. • For general scientific matters and related observational and services issues, the outer boundary may extend northward over the oceans to include sub-Antarctic islands and seas

Arctic refers to the earth’s northern high latitude Regions that are generally poleward of 60oN, and includes the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Actual delineation depends on the weather, climate or water issue being addressed in the context of observations, research and services, and could vary among WMO Members.

Recognized that the responsibility for coordination of WMO activities in the Arctic area is on RAs II, IV and VI and EC-PORS arctic activities should be closely coordinated with respective Regions through the WMO Executive Council.

EC-PORS – Technical Commissions Working Together for improved

Polar Observations, Research, Services• “Services” are the driver that anchors the Panel’s work

– Transportation, Search and Rescue, Polar Climate Outlook Forums

• Strengthen the interface with users including research community, northern peoples, economic sectors (all TCs)

• Contribute to the Global Framework for Climate Services – Polar Regional Climate Centres (especially, CCl, CBS)

• Polar Prediction – a decadal undertaking, requiring active involvement of WMO Programmes, co-sponsored programmes and technical commissions (especially, CAS, WCRP)

• Observations - Need to position WMO to influence and sustain observing systems, e.g SAON (all)

• Facilitate integration and coordination between IPY legacy initiatives and WMO observing systems and programs (all)

• Implementation of a Global Cryosphere Watch (all)

EC-PORS

Collaboration/Engagement for Observations, Research, Services

• WMO Technical Commissions (CAS, CBS, CCl, CHy, CIMO, CAgM, CAeM, JCOMM), Regional Associations, WMO Programmes, co-sponsored WCRP, GCOS; and their projects and activities

• Intergovernmental Organizations (e.g. UNESCO/IOC…..)• International Collaboration (e.g. Arctic Council/AMAP,

ATCM, GEOSS, IAATO, COMNAP, FARO, AMOMWF, PCOF, ……)

• Scientific Bodies (e.g. SCAR, IASC, IPA, APECS, IASSA……)

• International Activities (e,g, GFCS, IICWG, Arctic-HYDRA, IPY…..)

• IPY Legacy (GCW, GIPPS, SAON, SOOS, iAOOS,….)

Polar Network of Networks: GOS forms a coreChallenge of sustaining and funding networks in remote harsh, cold environments and new networks established during IPY and meeting

challenges associated with automation

IABP RBSN

AMDAR

AWS

ASBN

ABN

Joint Programmes• GAW• WCRP• Arctic HYCOS• GCOS (GOOS, GTN-P, GTN-G)

IPA

Sea Ice

Polar Observations

• EC-PORS proposes to integrate all Antarctic networks into an Antarctic Observing Network (AntON), comprising all operational stations, all of which should produce climate messages (EC-PORS Antarctic Task Team)

• Essential nature of remote sensing / Space assets – Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) – co-ordinate polar observational requirements solicited from wide

stakeholder group, including science community and end users (incl. hydrology), and work with space agencies and WMO Space Programme on implementation.

• Need to consider user requirements, new technologies, updated standards for sustainability of observing systems; identify and close observation gaps (e.g. oceans and land); promote interoperability with other polar observing networks

• CIMO Intercomparison on Solid Precipitation including Snowfall and Snow Depth Measurements in various regions of the world (multi-sites) is important

• Supersites for multidisciplinary, integrated environmental monitoring

• The “Third Pole” (Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau)– After a Member’s suggestion, EC-LXII decided that the main issues were cryospheric, and should be

addressed by the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW)

GLOBALGLOBAL CRYOSPHERE WATCH (GCW): A WMO Initiative – an IPY Legacy

observation, monitoring, assessment, product development, research through to predictionMission:

To meet the needs of WMO Members and partners in delivering services to users, the media, public, decision and policy makers, GCW will provide authoritative, understandable, and useable data, information, and analyses on the past, current and future state of the cryosphere.

• GCW will build upon and serve as an international mechanism for implementing the recommendations of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) - Cryosphere Theme (“CryOS”)

• GCW is a crosscutting activity contributing to all five priority areas and to achieving the expected results of all Strategic Thrusts of the WMO Strategic Plan 2012-2015

• GCW will be an essential component of WIGOS and will strengthen the WMO contribution to the GFCS

• GCW cuts across all the WMO technical departments, joint sponsored activities, and WMO Technical Commissions

• Currently, over 30 Members from all WMO Regions have nominated GCW focal points to be involved in the development of GCW globally and nationally

Partnering with technical commissions is essential

WMO

GCW Tasks and TimelinesWMO

Conceptual Framework for GCW Operation

Services Task Team

• Conducted a survey of weather, water, and climate products and services currently available in the Polar Regions which included user/customer perspectives on additional or emerging service requirements– Responses are still being received, but initial analysis indicates that there is a

wide variety of services and products being offered over most time and spatial scales, especially for weather, marine, hydrology and aviation

– relatively small number of climate products and services highlighted a particular need in this area and it was noted that the EC-PORS should consider the role of Polar Climate Outlook Forums to fill this gap

– will consider how to integrate its activities with the GFCS and to take the opportunity to drive the narrative on polar climate services.

• Services TT will be completing its survey and analysis which will be used as input to a services “white paper” to serve as a basis for GIPPS and as input to the Strategic and Operational Plan, and framework for member/partner capabilities and investments

Research Framework: GIPPS

• EC-PORS agreed to the concept to develop a major decadal initiative entitled the Global Integrated Polar Prediction System (GIPPS) which, for Polar areas, would become a foundation of delivering WMO’s substantial contribution to “the protection of life and property against natural disasters, to safeguarding the environment and to enhancing the economic and social well-being of all sectors of society in areas such as food security, water resources and transport.”

• ‘Polar Prediction System’ will need to be an end-to-end, fully supported, operational prediction system, from hours to centuries

• EC-PORS Research Task Team conducted an initial ‘gap analysis’ concerning perceived service/observational/modelling deficiencies mainly in current polar prediction systems; this will be expanded through Services White Paper

• Partnerships will be critical – Technical commissions, AMPS, AMOMWF, SCAR, IASC, ICPM, WMO Global Producing Centres (e.g. ECMWF, NCEP)

• Essential engagement of major research programs and activities, notably – WWRP-THORPEX Polar Prediction – WCRP – Predictability of Polar climate

Polar Prediction System as a unifying focus

WMO needs an immediate, high-level and sustained focus on a polar prediction system (GIPPS) that would:

• involve the Earth System approach, from daily to seasonal to decadal and longer timescales, responding to societal needs

• stimulate the integration of environmental observations to enhance prediction systems

• provide forecasts, predictions, projections and related information for governments and relevant socio-economic sectors, contributing to the Global Framework for Climate Services

A polar prediction system will draw and coordinate many research and operational elements of WMO and related agencies, of national modelling centers and of other polar science organizations into a common purpose.

A polar prediction system could represent the central motivating idea of an International Polar Decade.

EC-PORS

International Polar Decade (IPD)

• EC-PORS discussed the potential of initiating an IPD • Need was recognized for there to be an effective mechanism for

coordinating the various activities (e.g. GIPPS, GCW, SAON, WIS and WIGOS, GAW) that might occur under any future integrating framework

• Results of IPY2007-2008 still being published; still another IPY international conference to be held in 2012

• Panel agreed WMO should support and contribute to an IPD, should one be initiated

• WMO agreed to act as a sponsor of Russian proposal to host and organize a seminar to exchange views on IPD with polar experts and relevant international organizations with a view to facilitate discussion at Cg-XVI (April 11-12, 2011)

• Presidents of technical commissions views are sought on WMO playing a leading role in a potential IPD

EC-PORS Initiatives Support WMO Priorities“cross-cutting and multi-disciplinary”

• Its initiatives relate to observations, research and services and have been developed to align with WMO’s strategic priority areas, contributing directly to its strategic thrusts and expected results

• Benefits that will flow from EC-PORS initiatives include, for example,– Improved quality and delivery of weather, climate, water and environmental

services to key users, including those involved in transportation, logistics and planning, biological and energy resource management, water resources, tourism, marine and aviation activities and disaster risk reduction (DRR)

– Improved understanding of key physical process that drive the polar weather and climate system, including tele-connections , leading to improved NWP and climate forecasts, predictions and projections in polar regions and beyond

– Enhanced and co-ordinated observing capabilities, data and product quality and interoperability among WMO and partner networks in polar regions

EC-PORS Initiatives contribute to GFCS An example of Co-operation

Working together in Polar Regions and Beyond…• to provide “Services” to meet users’ needs • to improve coverage, quality and access to climate observations, research and services in polar regions • to engage GIPPS and GCW as fundamental contributions to the pillars of GFCS• to develop cross-regional Polar Climate Centres and Polar Climate Outlooks • to enhance partnerships with other organizations, agencies, scientific societies, academia within and beyond polar regions

EC-PORS – moving forward • EC-PORS developed draft resolutions to be submitted to Cg-XVI:

(a) Antarctic Observing Network (AntON); (b) Amendments to the Manual on the GOS, Volume II - Regional Aspects - The Antarctic; (c) Global Integrated Polar Prediction System (GIPPS); (d) Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW); and (e) WMO Polar Activities

• Secure resources to continue its plans and activitiesEC-PORS seeks:• PTC comments/suggestions on TCs engagement in EC-PORS activities• PTC comments/suggestions on GCW implementation strategy and GIPPS

concept • Contribution and support from TCs towards development of GCW and

development of GIPPS “White Paper” • PTC support of draft resolutions on GCW and GIPPS to be considered by Cg-XVI

Thank youThank you

MerciMerci

СпасибоСпасибо

GraciasGraciasشكشكرارا

谢 谢 谢 谢

EC-PORS: EC-PORS: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/Antarctica/antarctic.htmlhttp://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/Antarctica/antarctic.html