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GCOS logo  Global Climate Observing System
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The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) is co-sponsored by three UN bodies, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and by the non-governmental organisation, the International Council for Science (ICSU). The GCOS Joint Planning Office is based with the WMO Secretariat.

GCOS is intended to be a long-term, user-driven operational system capable of providing the comprehensive observations required for monitoring the climate system, for detecting and attributing climate change, for assessing the impacts of climate variability and change, and for supporting research toward improved understanding, modelling and prediction of the climate system. It addresses the total climate system including physical, chemical and biological properties, and atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, cryospheric and terrestrial processes. GCOS builds upon, and works in partnership with, other existing and developing observing systems such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS), and the Global Observing System (GOS) and Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) of the World Meteorological Organization.

 

UK co-ordination of climate activities


In the UK climate research and observations are devolved activities, and are funded by various government departments in order to meet their individual responsibilities. Cross-agency coordination on Global Environmental Change Research and Observations is provided through the UK Global Environmental Change Committee (GECC) chaired by the Chief Scientist of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and reporting to the Government's Chief Scientific Advisors Committee (CSAC). Observing activities, including those related to GCOS, are coordinated through the GECC's Observations subgroup, which is chaired by the Met Office.

 

UK commitments to GCOS

Various agencies in the UK contribute to the GCOS networks. These commitments, and additional contributions, to GCOS are described in the periodic reports on systematic observations for climate, prepared as part of the regular National Communication to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Meteorological and atmospheric observations

in addition ozone measurements from 2 stations (1 in UK, 1 overseas) are also contributed to GCOS

Oceanographic observations

Terrestrial observations

 
About
GCOS
Coordination

Commitments

Links
GCOS home page
GOOS
GTOS
GOS
GAW
UNFCCC
UK GECC
Hadley Centre
Contact

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