GAW Report No. 172 WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Strategic Plan: 2008–2015 For more information, please contact: World Meteorological Organization Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme Department 7 bis, avenue de la Paix – P.O. Box 2300 – CH 1211 Geneva 2 – Switzerland Tel.: +41 (0) 22 730 83 14 – Fax: +41 (0) 22 730 80 27 E-mail: [email protected] – Website: www.wmo.int/web/arep/arep-home.html WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION GLOBAL ATMOSPHERE WATCH No. 172 WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Strategic Plan: 2008 – 2015 A Contribution to the Implementation of the WMO Strategic Plan: 2008-2011 Main Contributors (in alphabetical order): Chair Gerhard Müller Scientific Advisory Groups and Expert Teams Rick Artz and SAG Precipitation Chemistry Urs Baltensperger and SAG Aerosols Greg Carmichael and SAG GURME Ed Dlugokencky and SAG Greenhouse Gases Stuart Penkett and SAG Reactive Gases Johannes Stähelin and SAG Ozone Ann Webb and SAG UV Expert Team on World Data Centres (ET-WDC) External Contributors Øystein Hov Jörg Klausen Bill Sturges WMO/GAW Secretariat Leonard Barrie Geir Braathen Liisa Jalkanen Slobodan Nickovic WMO TD NO. 1384 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD........................................................................................................................................... i 1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................7 1.1 The Rationale for GAW.................................................................................................................7 1.2 Mission..........................................................................................................................................9 1.3 Main Long-Term Objectives..........................................................................................................9 1.4 Implementation Principles 2008-2015 ..........................................................................................9 2 ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENTS .........................................................................................11 2.1 Overview of the Structure of GAW Including IGACO..................................................................11 2.2 National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs)....................................................12 2.3 Expert Groups.............................................................................................................................13 2.4 Central Facilities .........................................................................................................................15 2.5 Secretariat ..................................................................................................................................19 2.6 GAW Partners.............................................................................................................................20 3 OBSERVING SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................22 3.1 Surface-based Observations ......................................................................................................22 3.2 Aircraft Observations ..................................................................................................................25 3.3 Satellite-based Observations......................................................................................................26 3.4 Integration of Observations.........................................................................................................27 4 QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) ....................................................................................................28 5 DATA MANAGEMENT ...............................................................................................................33 6 INTEGRATION AND APPLICATION OF OBSERVATIONS ......................................................36 6.1 Reanalysis and Forecasts including Assimilation .......................................................................36 6.1.1 Product and Services ...................................................................................................38 6.2 Assessments ..............................................................................................................................39 7 GAW FOCAL AREAS .................................................................................................................40 7.1 Ozone .........................................................................................................................................41 7.1.1 Column (Total) Ozone ..................................................................................................41 7.1.2 Ozone Profile Measurements.......................................................................................43 7.1.3 Products and Services .................................................................................................45 7.2 Greenhouse Gases.....................................................................................................................46 14 13 18 7.2.1 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) (including Δ C, δ C and δ O in CO2, and O2/N2 Ratios) ........46 7.2.2 Methane (CH4)..............................................................................................................49 7.2.3 Nitrous Oxide (N2O)......................................................................................................50 7.2.4 Halocarbons and SF6 ...................................................................................................51 7.2.5 Products and Services .................................................................................................53 7.3 Reactive Gases ..........................................................................................................................53 7.3.1 Surface Ozone .............................................................................................................53 7.3.2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) ................................................................................................55 7.3.3 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)...........................................................................56 7.3.4 Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)..................................................................................................58 7.3.5 Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) ..................................................................................................59 7.3.6 Molecular Hydrogen (H2) ..............................................................................................60 7.3.7 Products and Services .................................................................................................61 7.4 Atmospheric Wet Deposition ......................................................................................................62 7.4.1 Products and Services .................................................................................................64 7.5 UV Radiation...............................................................................................................................64 7.5.1 Products and Services .................................................................................................67 7.6 Aerosols......................................................................................................................................67 7.6.1 Products and Services .................................................................................................70 8 Ancillary Variables ......................................................................................................................70 8.1 Solar Radiation ...........................................................................................................................70 8.2 Meteorological Observations ......................................................................................................72 8.3 Natural Radioactivity...................................................................................................................73 9 GAW URBAN RESEARCH METEOROLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT (GURME) PROJECT.....75 9.1 Products and Services................................................................................................................78 10 OUTREACH................................................................................................................................79 10.1 Communications.........................................................................................................................79 10.2 Capacity Building........................................................................................................................80 10.3 Products and Services................................................................................................................83 11 RESOURCES.............................................................................................................................84 12 OUTLOOK ..................................................................................................................................85 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................86 LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND BOXES.........................................................................................88 OVERVIEW OF RESPONSIBLE