climate data and information and development challenges

International Workshop on Rescue and Digitization of Climate Records Tarragona, Spain 28-30 Nov.2007

CLIMATE DATA AND INFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

Buruhani NYENZI Director World Climate

Programme

Omar BADDOUR Chief, World Climate Data

and MonitoringProgrammeWorld Meteorological Organization

Geneva, Switzerland


Outline

PART I

• Climate Key Issues

• WMO’s Role in Climate

• WMO Programmes on Climate

PART II

• Objectives and Structure of the Workshop


Weather vs. Climate

• “Weather” is a snapshot of the state of atmosphere over a relatively short period of time (usually less than a week)

• “Climate” represents an average or collective state of the weather patterns over a long period of time

• Climate = Time average of weather + climate extremes


Climate is NOT constant

• Changes in Climate occur on all time and space scales characteristic of the Earth System


Climate Variability and Change• Seasonal to interannual fluctuations are considered to be

“climate variability”.– Anomalies can be expected to recur at intervals less than a

decade and the long-term mean state essentially remains the same.

• Decadal and longer time scale changes are considered to be part of what is widely known as “climate change”. – Climatic characteristics tend to gradually move towards a

substantially different mean state.


El Niño and La NiñaEl Niño (1997)

La Niña (1988)


Climate Change

• Climate change refers to the variation in the Earth's global climate or in regional climates over time.

• It describes changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years.

• These changes can be caused by processes internal to the Earth, external forces or, more recently, human activities.


Direct Observations of Recent Climate Change (IPCC AR4)

• Global average air temperature warming trend has accelerated– 1906-2005 : 0.74°C

• Average ocean temperature increased to depths of at least 3000 m – ocean has absorbed 80% of heat added (sea water expansion and sea-level rise)


Global mean temperatures are rising faster with time

100 0.0740.018 50 0.1280.026

Warmest 12 years:1998,2005,2003,2002,2004,200

6, 2001,1997,1995,1999,1990,200

0

Period Rate

Years /decade


Climate Change Impacts

• Climate change, particularly the increasing surface temperature, is already affecting both natural and human-managed systems.

• All major socio-economic sectors will be affected, with a wide range of regional impacts:– Water– Ecosystems– Food– Coastal systems and low-lying areas– Industry, settlement and society– Health


Decline in Arctic ice extent

Difference in ice extent in March (maximum) and September (minimum) from the mean values for 1979–2005. The rates of decrease in March and September were 2% per decade and 7% per decade, respectively. Recent data from March 2006 are also shown and represent a new record minimum for the period of observation.


Projections of Future Changes in Climate

• Precipitation increases very likely in high latitudes• Decreases likely in most subtropical land regions


Development Challenges

– Single climate extreme events in some countries can cause setbacks equivalent to decade’s worth of economic growth

– Climate Variability and extremes strongly impact Development and poverty in developing Countries

– Achieving UN millennium Development goals will be possible only if climate variability and change are managed effectively


Development Challenges

Adaptation is the way forward by Building Adaptive Capacity and Taking Actions

Creating the Information through: Research, Data collection and monitoring

Awareness-raising>Adjust Social Structure Develop Governance Set up Programmes and projects to reduce

vulnerability to climate risks or to exploit opportunities


International Climate Activities

GOOS(IOC, WMO, UNEP, ICSU)

ISSCInternational

Social ScienceCouncil

ICSUInternational Council for

Science

UNESCOUN EducationalScientific and

Cultural Organization

WMO UN WORLDBANK

FAO WHO

IOC MAB UNEP UNDP

IPCC UN FCCC/COP GEF

IHDPInternational

HumanDimensionsProgramme

IGBPInternationalGeosphere-Biosphere

Programme

CCACoordination activities within the Climate Agenda

WCRP(WMO, ICSU)

WCDMP(WMO)

WCASP(WMO)

WCIRP(UNEP)

GCOS(WMO, IOC, UNEP, ICSU)

GTOS(UNEP, FAO, UNESCO, WMO, ICSU)

THE CLIMATE AGENDATHE CLIMATE AGENDA

WORLD CLIMATE PROGRAMME

InternationalNon-government

Organizations

CCl


UNFCCC:COP12Nairobi work programme with 9 areas

of activities

• Methods and tools• Data and observations• Climate modeling, scenarios and downscaling• Climate related risks and extreme events• Socio-economic information• Adaptation planning and practices• Research• Technologies for adaptation• Economic diversification


WMO’s Climate-Related Activities

1- Observations, data management and data exchange WWW, SPACE PROGRAMME, GCOS, WCDMP

2- Research and predictions: WCRP,AREP

3- Climate products and services (for sector-specific

applications) WCASP

4- Capacity building, education and training ETR

5- Climate coordination CCA

6- WMO Commission for Climatology (Established in 1929) CCl


GCOS Surface Network (GSN)989 Stations


Applications of climate information and prediction services to support human activities and sustainable development

– Economic efficiency– Human health and well being– Food production, food security– Water resources planning and management– Renewable/efficient energy– Sustainable tourism– Urban and built environment


Heat-Health Warning Systems

Goals: Reduce mortality and morbidity

associated with life-threatening heatwaves

Strengthen WMO/NMHS partnerships with health and social services (global, regional, national) for effective service delivery – Met forecasts alone are insufficient

Develop Guidance on and tools for: early warning and detection of

health effects of heatwaves; national/local preparedness

planning for extreme heat events; public/media outreach; interventions to save lives.


WMO proactively pursues climate applications

• Espoo Conference (Living with Climate Variability and Change: July, 2006) highlights the role of users and decision makers in climate services.

• Madrid Conference (Socio-economic Benefits of Meteorological Services: March, 2007) highlights the quantification of socio-economic benefits of meteorological services.

• ‘World Climate Conference Three under preparation• UNFCCC COP-12 in 2006, recognized the role of WMO

and NMHSs in the “Nairobi Programme of Work on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change”.


Climate data and data management Current Priority activities

• Implementation of new CDMs to ensure better data management including new type of data and quality management

• Establish standards for the exchange of metadata and the needs for WIS

• Guide on the choice of instruments and sensors and basics characteristics of Climate networks and their observation

• Best practices for long term homogeneity of climate data• Guidance and procedures for improved data exchange to

meet GCOS requirements and principles• Data Rescue at risk of lost and or degradation


Climate Data management Managing Climate records using modern data management systems Ensuring easy access, and Data Import-export, Providing quality control function

Bridging IT gap in developingCountries, LCDs and SIDS

A capacity building package includes:

# THREE weeks training# Provision of CDMS # Provision of computer ready to operate

THE AIM

THE CHALLENGE


Climate Data Management Systems (CDMSs)

• CLICOM Dos-based (outdated)

• iADAMA Australia

• CLIDATA Czech Republic

• JCDMS Jordan

• CLISYS France

• CLIWARE Russian Federation

• SDCLIM Tunisia

• CLIMSOFT Zimbabwe


22

CDMS ImplementationPreliminary figures, source WMO

CLIDATA- CLIMSOFT

AnguillaSt.Kitts & NevisMontserratDominicaSt.Vincent & GrenGrenadaTurks & CaicosSt. LuciaBritish Virgin IslandsCayman IslandsBahamasNetherlands AntilBelize

BurundiComorosLesothoMalawiNamibiaRwandaSeychellesSwazilandTanzaniaUganda Zimbabwe Zambia

Russia Kazakhstan

AngolaCameroonCongoGabonRDCRCASao Tome et Principe

EstoniaLatviaLithuaniaMacedoniaBosniaSerbiaMoldova

AGRHYMET (Niger)Burkina FasoCape VerdeChadGambiaGuinea BissauMaliMauritaniaNigerSenegalGuinea TOGOBeninGhana

CIMH BarbadosBarbadosCubaDominican RepHaitiJamaicaTrinidad & TobagoAntigua & Barbuda

Cook IslandsFijiKiribatiPapua New GuineaNiueSamoaSolomon Is.TongaTuvaluVanuatu

Implementation Status of CMDSs


Analysis of Climate Variability and change

Current Priority activities

• Develop and make use of indices of climate variability and change including surface,

• Identify observations needs for climate change detection

• Provision of WMO climate System monitoring and its relevant publications

• Coordinate global extreme data records


Climate Change Indices

RClimdex • 27 Climate change detection indices:• Using common climate parameters:

(temperature, precipitation, cold/warm spells, etc.)

• Developed by CCl Experts• Microsoft Excel based program • Provides statistical analysis and graphics

http://cccma.seos.uvic.ca/ETCCDMI/software.shtml


Regional Seminar on climate change indices for Central African Countries, Brazaville, Congo, April 2007


International Workshop on Rescue and Digitization of Climate records in the

Mediterranean Basin Tarragona, Spain, 28-30 November 2007

GOALS OBJECTIVES and

STRUCTURE


The Goal and Objectives of the Workshop

The Long term Goal

Is To have the Mediterranean Climate records Digitized in the longest possible time-

series length

HOW ?

Using the best available techniques and methods in rescuing, imaging and digitizing data

WHO ?

NMHSs,

Universities,

Climate Institutions

international Data archiving centres

International Climate Data projects and networks

Collaboration, Partnership, Information sharing, Multilateral projects, Networking are the key Elements in this enterprise


The objectives

Immediate 1- Inform/discuss techniques and procedures on data and

metadata recovery, digitization, composing,formatting, archiving and disseminating long-term climate records,

2- Discuss and issue recommendations to make accessible the rescued time series for the international scientific community; decision makers and other end users

3- Identify (*) opportunities, resources to be mobilized at the national and regional scales


The objectivesMedium Term (within 2 years):• 1- Establish an Inventory on country basis of

the currently available long-term climate records in digital form (temperature, precipitation, air pressure) and the longest and key climate records to be recovered

• 2- Set up a common website for inventorying the current available climate data and the potential data to be recovered on a national basis


Structure of the Workshop

5 sessions

SESSION I: Emphasizing Needs for DARE Projects

SESSION II: Existing Regional initiatives and datasets

SESSION III: Reviewing National Mediterranean DARE projects

SESSION IV: Working group session :WG1 and WG2 WG1 Techniques, methods and inventory

WG2 Resource Mobilization and Web Portal

SESSION V: Presentation of WG conclusions and Recommendations

End Friday 13:00


THANK YOU

climate data and information and development challenges

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