Global Cryosphere Watch Incorporating Regional Contributions Barry Goodison

Global Cryosphere Watch Incorporating Regional Contributions Barry Goodison Environment Canada and World Meteorological Organization (Retired) Workshop on Climate Monitoring of the Cryosphere Oslo, Norway, November 7, 2013

THE CRYOSPHERE IS CHANGING – LOCALLY, REGIONALLY , GLOBALLY Changes in the cryosphere can have significant impacts on water supply, transportation, infrastructure, hunting, fisheries, recreation, ecology over range of time & space scales Sea level rise threatens vital infrastructure. Changes in sea-ice affect access to the polar oceans and resources, tourism, and security. Declining summer sea-ice affects ocean circulation and weather patterns. Natural hazards such as icebergs, avalanches and glacier outburst floods create risks. Permafrost thawing impacts infrastructure and is potentially a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas. Changes in the cryosphere impact water supply, food production, freshwater ecosystems, hydropower production, and the risk of floods and droughts. Retreating sea ice results in a loss of habitat for mammals such as polar bears and seals.

The Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) IPY 2007 -2008 was the stimulus to bring all of the pieces together • Canada’s proposal to WMO Congress (2007) that WMO create a Global Cryosphere Watch • NASA/EOS Canadian CRYSYS project • development of the framework for the IGOS Cryosphere Observing System (Cry. OS) • IPCC 2007 WG 1 and 2; WCRP/Cli. C • ACIA, ICARPII, SWIPA and SCAR (Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Report) The 16 th WMO Congress (2011) agreed that WMO needs to have a focus on global cryosphere issues to be able to provide authoritative information to meet Members’ responsibilities on regional and global weather, climate, water and related environmental matters, and decided to embark on the development of the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), as an IPY Legacy, with a view of an operational GCW. EC-PORS guides GCW Development

Inputs R&D National Monitoring and Modelling Programs EC, NRCan, DFO Value-added International Programs Satellite, aircraft in situ • SWE maps • algorithms • applications CCIN a coordinating mechanism for enhanced monitoring and understanding of variability and change in the Canadian cryosphere University Researchers Operational Users NASA/EOS ESA, Polar. View WCRP/Cli. C, IPY CRYSYS Data Users Private Sector Research Cryospheric data and information Portal www. ccin. ca www. socc. ca Private Sector Policy-makers • indicators • trends Public • current anomalies • trends • datasets 14 Universities Cryo. Clim has gone further - it is developing an operational and permanent service for long-term systematic climate monitoring for the cryosphere

WMO The IGOS Cryosphere Theme was developed primarily to: • create a framework for improved coordination of cryospheric observations • assess current capabilities and requirements for cryospheric observations Over 100 recommendations provide the basis for subsequent actions. But who will take action? Global Cryosphere Watch

GCW MISSION GCW will provide authoritative, clear, and useable data, information, and analyses on the past, current and future state of the cryosphere to meet the needs of WMO Members and partners in delivering services to users, the media, public, decision and policy makers. GCW will include observations, monitoring, assessment, product development, prediction, and research. GCW is not assuming the mandate of any of its partners or collaborators. Instead, GCW enables partners/collaborators to exercise their mandate effectively. A global priority for all time and space scales: weather, climate water and related environmental matters

CURRENT GCW STRUCTURE Operating structure: 1. Observing Systems Working Group • will address capabilities and needs for surface-based and satellite observations (a) Cryo. Net Team (b) Requirements and Capabilities Team (c) Infrastructure and Practices Team 2. Products and Services Working Group • will decide which products and services GCW will provide, develop the “clearinghouse” for products and services, develop data policies for GCW. (a) Products Team - Snow Watch Project - Terminology Sub-Group (b) Portal Team (c) Outreach Team GCW needs the national/regional contributions from projects like Cryo. Clim to provide expertise, knowledge and leadership in developing GCW globally

OBSERVATION AND MONITORING Critical Elements of the “Watch” Concordia Sonnblick • operating in remote, data sparse regions • Cryo. Net – develop consortium of sustained, groundbased international multi-disciplinary observatories, strengthening collaboration • role for community-based observation and monitoring • Contributing to an optimized cryosphere observing system using insitu and satellite systems • Developing value added long-term standardized observational data and products to address systems science and policy questions, initialize and validate model and satellite derived cryospheric outputs a 'watch' product is a monitoring product (analysis & evaluation)

GCW/CRYONET • To meet different user-needs and because of the spatially distributed nature of different components of the cryosphere the Cryo. Net network of in-situ observations is structured into three different classes of observational sites Baseline Sites • Single sphere • Standardized • • Reference Sites • Single sphere • Long-term • Cal/Val • Standardized • Long-term financial commitment Integrated Sites • Multi sphere • Cal/Val • Strong research focus • Training • Onsite staff • Standardized • Long-term financial commitment These are being refined as Cryo. Net IP is developed Surface measurement sites. Over 80 have been “offered”, e. g. , Sodankylä, China, Sonnblick, IASOA(S), Svalbard Site capabilities are being surveyed and site type definition (baseline sites, reference sites, integrated sites); measurement standards and practices – Existing documents being evaluated

Elements of Integration and Coordination • • Measurement standards and best practices Community assessment of observational requirements Community assessment of user requirements Quality control and maturity assessments Core sets of measurements Data standards Data distribution interoperability Coordination with other observing systems (in situ + satellite) • Broader participation by countries • Increased funding opportunities • Sustainability Cryo. Clim expertise would be a welcome contribution on these issues

GCW coordination: Measurement standards and practices “IUGG urges snow and ice scientists, practitioners, and scientists from r disciplines to adopt these new schemes as standards. ” http: //www. cryosphericsciences. org/products. html

GCW coordination: Authoritative Products WMO SWE derived from SSM/I for Western Canada • • • Routine evaluation of products Product intercomparisons Self-assessements of maturity, etc. Products meet user needs Sustainable product development and production • Transfer from research to operations

GCW Snow Watch Workshop, Toronto, January 2013 Objectives: The purpose of this first workshop was to: § Determine the current state of snow data, products and information, particularly satellite products, § Identify any critical issues that need to be addressed, § Make recommendations on the initial content and structure of a GCW Snow Watch project, and § Establish a GCW task team to oversee the development of a GCW Snow Watch Outcomes/Actions: Improve real time flow and access to in situ snow measurements § § to improve data exchange on the GTS, to demonstrate the advantages to NWP of zero -snow depth reporting, and to brief EC-PORS and get their support. a data rescue project to identify paper and digital snow data that were not readily available in an existing archive

GCW Snow Watch Workshop, Toronto, January 2013 Initiate a satellite snow products evaluation/intercomparison activity § § a GCW intercomparison project of SE and SWE algorithms and products that followed well defined, and community accepted, protocols both for the generation of datasets and for the validation/intercomparison a PI self-assessment of snow cover products to provide quick feedback on the strengths and weakness of current snow cover products to the user community. Development of hemispheric "snow anomaly trackers" for SE and SWE § An anomaly tracker for near real-time monitoring of SWE and SE anomalies at global to continental scales following the sea ice anomaly tracking at NSIDC Develop inventory of existing snow datasets § development of a baseline inventory of snow-related datasets that would contribute to several of the activities mentioned above Initiate activity to standardize snow-related nomenclature, and promote standards and best practices as a contribution to Cryo. Net § standardization of observing practices and snow-related nomenclature was considered a high priority activity in the questionnaire particularly for snowfall and solid precipitation where practices vary widely between countries Cryo. Clim contribution would be very valuable

SWE Tracker: Total Snow Mass for NH, excluding Mountains

GCW COORDINATION: DATA INTEROPERABILITY BRINGING USERS AND PROVIDERS TOGETHER The GCW web portal will provide the ability to exchange cryosphere data, metadata, information and analyses among a distributed network of providers and users in support of informed decision-making. Data quality, sharing and access are fundamental principles METNO • improve access to, and utilization of observations and products from WMO and other observing systems and from national and international data centres • built using the principles developed for IPY 2007 -2008. • facilitates the interaction between users and providers of the products • uses WIS, INSPIRE, GEOSS protocols • Currently interoperable with NSIDC, NPI, CCIN, and BAS – several others pending

GCW coordination element: information integration and distribution The website differs from the METNO GCW data portal in that it contains more dynamic information (news, state of the cryosphere plots, highlights, calendar), as well as background, higher-level information, GCW documents, and outreach material. It links to the METNO data portal. http: //globalcryospherewatch. org

CHALLENGES IN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION There are many challenges in implementing GCW: § GCW is interdisciplinary and cross-cutting - national, regional and global in scope, addresses all time scales (NOT just climate), requires collaboration among government, academia, private sector - HOW DO WE CUT THROUGH THE STOVEPIPES AND HARNESS THE EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES THAT EACH COMMUNITY CAN OFFER NOT JUST NMHSs § § § Bureaucracy and rigid planning cycles at all levels slows progress Garnering national commitment of people and funds from different institutions Competition for resources often overrides collaboration Exchange of data and information across programmes (e. g. WMO), agencies and institutes (nationally or internationally) not necessarily done routinely the issue of many streams being integrated and the potential duplication of metadata as well as the risk of outdated metadata is important. Current solution is part technology and part procedures and agreements. This, together with the brokering need, is important to enable interoperability in the short and mid range. Overcoming the “strategic” or “commercial” designation of some cryosphere data, hence limiting exchange of data Cryo. Clim has successfully addressed many of these

Cryo. Clim Contributions to GCW § Demonstrates clearly the benefits of having services hosted by mandated agencies to provide a stable, sustainable basis for the system § Provides inter-operability principle to support a distributed system using international protocols (e. g. WIS, INSPIRE, GEOSS) § Emphasizes and demonstrates the benefits of common standards § Demonstrates the importance of user engagement and keeping contact with users in delivering an operational system Cryo. Clim expertise and knowledge will contribute to: § § § development and implementation of best practices; standard terminology, not only for science, but also for metadata standardization; methodologies for validation of products; documentation required to support products and their heritage, which is the basis for product intercomparison Contribution to the ultimate goal of defining “authoritative products” which can be compared and assessed based on standard methods and documentation Cryo. Clim is a national initiative providing regional and global cryosphere products and information of benefit to the global community – a successful GCW demonstration product 21

……. GCW welcomes the contributions of Cryo. Clim in the ongoing development of GCW