Three scientific panels, reporting to the Steering Committee, were established to define the observations needed in each of the main global domains (atmosphere, oceans and land), to prepare specific programme elements and to make recommendations for implementation:

• Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (AOPC)
• Ocean Observations Physics and Climate Panel (OOPC)
• Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC)

The scientific panels gather experts in the respective areas to generate inputs from these fields to the climate observing community.