Chapter 6 Australian Participation in GCOS/GOOS/GTOS

Australian Participation in GCOS, GOOS and GTOS > Australian GCOS Activities

In December 1997, the plan for the Australian Climate Observing System (ACOS), a contribution to the Global Climate Observing System, was completed and submitted to the Australian GCOS Sponsors (Australian JWG GCOS/GOOS/GTOS, 1997). The GCOS Expert Sub-Group prepared the plan with the assistance of the Australian GCOS/GOOS Secretariat. The plan reviewed current climate observing networks in Australia and made a number of recommendations regarding enhancements and additions that are necessary if the aims of GCOS are to be achieved in Australia. The plan was considered by the Steering Committee during 1998 and a costed action plan was commissioned to provide the basis for firm funding proposals.

The ACOS plan sets specific objectives for a climate observing system relevant to Australia’s needs, including the need for the ACOS to:

• be a long-term, operational, monitoring system addressing the total climate system, including chemical, physical and biological properties, and atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, cryospheric and terrestrial processes;
• provide the data for
  • documenting climate variability on seasonal, interannual and decadal time scales and for modelling, understanding, and predicting such variability;
  • supporting climate monitoring and prediction services to climate sensitive industries and planning for ecologically sustainable development; and
  • detecting, quantifying and predicting longer term climate change, and assessing the potential impact of such change on ecosystems and socioeconomics;
• have a scientifically sound foundation with broad interdisciplinary participation in its design.

The Plan covers measurements of the land-surface climate, atmospheric constituents, atmospheric circulation, radiation, hydrology, surface-air interactions, ocean circulation and climate, sea level and the cryosphere. Paleoclimatic studies are also treated, and the issues of data and network management are covered comprehensively. The Plan reveals that a great deal has already been achieved in climate monitoring in Australia but that more still needs to be done. In some cases existing systems contribute to the ACOS in their current form. In other cases the accuracy or quality control of observations need to be increased. In some instances the data need to be more systematically archived and made more freely available. Some of the systems required to meet the objectives of the proposed ACOS need to be transferred from current short term projects to an operational framework.

Implementation of several GCOS-related systems has continued with the further refinement of the RCS network and designation of selected Australian GSN and GUAN stations. A significant improvement in the performance of the Australian GUAN network has been achieved over the past year, with the introduction of 800g weather balloons in place of the traditionally-used 350g balloons. The resulting increase in maximum balloon heights, from a mean of 26.3 km to a mean of 34.0 km, has meant that Australia is now one of very few countries consistently meeting the 5hPa height requirements for GUAN observations.

On the ocean climate front, the Bureau of Meteorology has committed to continue the operation of the low-density SOOP XBT lines in the Australian region. In addition, Australia maintains approximately 10 of the 160 drifting buoys that on average operate in the southern hemisphere between 50° and 180° E, and has about 90 ships recruited into the Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) program. Several vessels in the VOS program have now been equipped with automatic weather stations. Australia is also participating in the VOS-Clim project, which aims to provide high-quality marine meteorological data and metadata, in support of global climate studies. Five Australian vessels will participate in VOSClim.

In 1999, discussions commenced between WMO, the Bureau of Meteorology, MetService New Zealand and the South African Weather Bureau to explore the possibility of implementing an Automated Shipboard Aerological Programme (ASAP) in the Southern Hemisphere. The Worldwide Recurring ASAP Project (WRAP) will provide the opportunity for routine upper air soundings en-route from Europe -- Cape of Good Hope -- Australia -- New Zealand -- Cape Horn -- Brazil -- Europe. WRAP commenced during 2001 with the M.V. Palliser Bay operating out of the UK, with international support funding. The Bureau of Meteorology is an initial financial contributor, sponsoring two soundings per day between 60°E and 160°E and providing first-in maintenance at Australian ports.