GCOS at COP26: The GCOS Status Report 2021
The new Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Status Report on the state of global climate observations was presented during a hybrid meeting at COP26 in Glasgow, on November 1st at the WMO/IPCC/UK MetOffice Science Pavilion.
The event included:
- Anthony Rea, Director of GCOS, provided an overview of the main findings of the Status Report, including the successes and remaining gaps in the Global Observing System.
- Han Dolman (the chair of GCOS) talked about the importance of monitoring for understanding Earth System Cycles while
- Anya Waite (co-chair of the Global Observing System GOOS) discussed how essential and urgent is to improve and sustain the ocean observing system.
- Following these introductory talks, there was a discussion focusing on the connections between climate modelling efforts and the observing systems.
The UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) welcomed the Status Report that identifies many recent improvements but also the needs of improved sustainability of observations in some areas, persistent gaps in coverage, improvements in data archiving and dissemination, and new observations needed to support recent policy developments including mitigation and adaptation.
A poster on GCOS Status Report was also presented at the virtual session during UNFCCC Earth Information Day, on 3rd November.
Download the poster here
