WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

GLOBAL ATMOSPHERE WATCH


GAW INFORMATION SHEET

No. 22

January-April 2002

INFORMAL REPORT

Not for publication

GAW INFORMATION SHEET

January-April 2002

Number 22

Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) User Consultation Meeting

A meeting of 26 experts from 9 countries was hosted by European Space Agency (ESA) in Frascati, Italy from 28 to 29 January 2002 to report on recent activities of ESA regarding the GOME total ozone satellite measurements and their total ozone product development. Community concerns regarding recent failures and calibration problems with the TOMS series of ozone monitoring instruments were expressed as was a strong rationale for GOME to further improve its data products for ozone trend analysis and near-real-time applications. In this context, the scope of this meeting was, on the one hand to report to users on ESA activities related to the GOME total ozone product development and, on the other hand to get feedback from the GOME user community on requirements for ozone trend monitoring. Presentations and detailed discussions were held on the status of ongoing developments for GOME total ozone product improvements beyond the ongoing operational GOME Data Processor upgrade. A GAW representative expressed a strong interest in these activities as being important for future WMO Antarctic ozone hole bulletins and for providing continuity in ozone trend assessments on global scales.

Thirteenth session of CAS

The thirteenth session of the WMO Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS), which is one of the eight WMO technical commissions, was held in Oslo, Norway from 12 to 20February2002 under the chairmanship of Professor A. Eliassen, Norway. The CAS is the Commission responsible, inter alia, for research in atmospheric and related sciences and for coordination of the operation and further development of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW). The CAS-XIII Report is available at

and the CAS-XIII documents at

ftp://

Information on the GAW activities since CAS-XII, held in 1998, was presented by ProfessorO. Hov, Chairman of the Executive Council Panel of Experts/CAS Working Group on Environmental Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry (EC Panel) and by the WMO Secretariat. In considering the implementation of GAW the Commission was satisfied with the continued progress in that important WMO activity, it fully supported the Strategy for the Implementation of the GAW Programme for 2001-2007 prepared by the Secretariat and agreed that added weight should be given to the work of regional stations to address urgent regional or even national environmental issues. The CAS also welcomed the active participation of GAW in the multi-agency IGOS to integrate the major satellite and ground-based observation systems and positive developments in the GAW GURME project proposed by CAS-XII. With regard to GAW data handling and use, the CAS supported the opinion of the EC Panel that the GAW World Data Centres should continue providing free, unrestricted and user-friendly access to their data for scientific purposes. The CAS appreciated the offer of the Japan Meteorological Agency to consider possibility of including surface ozone data at the WDC for greenhouse gases. The Commission also reiterated that quality assurance should remain one of the most important tasks for GAW and recommended that calibrations, instrument intercomparisons and laboratory performance audits should continue on a regular basis and encompass as many GAW stations as possible. The CAS recommended considering the possibility to have more global scientific assessments, for instance, on aerosols and greenhouse gases, in support of International Conventions.

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Finally, the CAS recommended that the EC Panel of Experts/CAS Working Group on Environmental Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry be re-established with modified terms of reference (see CAS-XIII Report, Recommendation 1) and with the following composition: MrO.Hov, Norway (Chairman), Mr W. Kimani, Kenya (rapporteur on changes in atmospheric composition on a long-term basis), Messrs Xu Xiangde, China and B. Hicks (rapporteurs on the urban atmospheric environment), Mr Y. Tsaturov, Russia (rapporteur on atmospheric transport and deposition of pollutants including modelling), Mr H. Matsueda, Japan (rapporteur on greenhouse gases including their effects on climate change), Mr E. Piacentini, Argentina (rapporteur on atmospheric ozone and ultraviolet radiation), Mr J. Gras, Australia (rapporteur on aerosols), MsR.Simeva, FYR of Macedonia (rapporteur on reactive gases), Mr S. Penkett, UK (rapporteur on atmospheric chemical system modelling), Mr M. Bittner, Germany (rapporteur on satellite measurements of atmospheric constituents), and Mr G. Müller, Switzerland (rapporteur on strategic planning and implementation of GAW).

ESCAP/WMO Project on Haze

A Workshop on Monitoring/Modeling Activities in support of ASEAN's Regional Haze Action Plan was held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 20 to 21 February 2002, kindly hosted by the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG) of Indonesia. The workshop can be viewed as complementary to the meeting that took place in September 2001 in Singapore and which was reported in Information Sheet No. 21. Participants representing ASEAN, ESCAP, SE Asian countries affected by regional haze episodes and WMO-GAW were in attendance.

The workshop had three major objectives: improve regional monitoring through better instrumentation, develop indigenous modeling capabilities and promote co-operation between the various stakeholders. With respect to monitoring, the meeting identified five sites in the region together with the appropriate instrument types (two in Indonesia and three in Malaysia). As regards modeling, the participants had before them a consultant's report on regional aerosol transport studies during and after the 1997 and 1998 haze episodes. The report also focussed on future modeling requirements including the need for validation studies and improved parameterization of critical physical processes.

Meeting of the SAG UV

The 7th meeting of the GAW Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) on UV radiation was held from 4 to 6 March at the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium, World Radiation Centre (PMOD/WRC) in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting reviewed the activities of the SAG working groups. The QA report was accepted with minor editorial changes. The Broadband instrument document will be subject to a final review. Closer contact with the BSRN programme was thought to be important. The hosts gave an interesting presentation of their activities.

Workshop on Arctic Ozone Loss

A workshop on Arctic ozone loss was supported by SPARC/WCRP and held from 4to6March 2002 in Potsdam, Germany. Over the last decade tremendous progress has been made toward quantifying and understanding the degree of chemical ozone loss in the Arctic stratosphere. Today a variety of experimental approaches exist to estimate the degree of chemical loss of ozone over the course of an Arctic winter. Additionally, a wide range of chemical models have been used to help understand the processes in the wintertime Arctic stratosphere and to calculate the degree of ozone loss. However, concerns have been expressed about the degree of maturity of current chemical models of the polar stratospheric chemistry. With this in mind the main goals of the workshop were:

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  • To assess the degree of uncertainty that is connected with current approaches to measure chemical ozone loss in the Arctic.
  • To examine the accuracy of measurements of halogen radicals and our understanding of the chlorine budget.
  • To find out if there are any major gaps in our current understanding of the Arctic ozone loss, and to identify the conditions which are most problematic for up to date chemical models.
  • What can we learn from the Antarctic ?

Over the next few years one of the major challenges for the scientific community will be to predict the future of the Arctic ozone layer in a scenario of decreasing stratospheric halogen loading and climate change. A solid assessment of our ability to reproduce currently observed ozone losses with model calculations is indispensable to determine the requirement for future research and to correctly interpret the reliability of model based predictions for the future.

Working Group on Wildland Fire

The third meeting of the Working Group on Wildland Fire of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction (WG 4) was held from 9 to 10 March at the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in Freiburg, Germany. The meeting drafted a WG 4 position statement for inclusion in the ISDR Background document for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). It was noted that wildfires are the one natural disaster that can be minimized through local actions that reduce the potential fire occurrence. Fire data availability, satellite activities related to fire detection, and upcoming wildland fire conferences were discussed.

EMEP Task Force and EIONET Workshop

WMO and GAW hosted the Third meeting of the Task Force on Measurement and Monitoring (TFMM) of the Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) from 19 to 22 March 2002. The first part of the meeting acted as a joint session with the seventh Workshop on Air Quality Management and Assessment of the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET) and examined the harmonization of data reporting, as well as questions related to particulate matter. The TFMM is co-chaired by WMO/GAW.

The meeting was opened by the Deputy Secretary-General of WMO who emphasized the importance of the close collaboration between GAW and EMEP. He also stressed the importance that WMO attached to the issue of particulate matter pollution and to the international co-operation on POPs, as confirmed by decisions of WMO governing bodies. Thirty two countries and the EU who are all Parties to the Convention were in attendance, together with participants from Albania and Japan.

The session developed proposals for further work to revise the EMEP monitoring strategy, and to further develop the monitoring manual for particulate matter. It also discussed progress in the preparation of the assessment report on the changes in transboundary fluxes, depositions and concentration. GAW expects to play a part in this assessment which will cover the first 20 years of implementation of the Convention. The TFMM also reviewed the status of work on POPs and further discussed the differences between the Lagrangian and Eulerian models.

The report and presentations made at the TFMM are available on the Internet at and the report only at (document 4).

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The Fifth Meeting of the Ozone Research Managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

The Fifth Meeting of the Ozone Research Managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was hosted by WMO and UNEP in Geneva from 25 to 27 March 2002. The aim of the meeting was to review ongoing national and international research and ozone monitoring programmes to ensure their proper co-ordination and implementation, as called for in the Vienna Convention. Presentations on the state of the ozone layer were made by representatives of the 2002 Scientific Assessment of Ozone and the 2002 Environmental Effects Assessment Panel. About 50 countries made individual presentations concerning their range of ozone activities with respect to systematic observations and research. In addition, representatives from the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate and WMO's Global Atmosphere Watch also informed the meeting on their complimentary ozone activities. An opportunity was provided for delegates to pose questions and comment on key issues raised, as input to the recommendations.

Using information from these presentations, the Parties agreed on a set of recommendations which are targeted at specific actions. The recommendations are intended to improve and enhance ozone observations (both spatially and temporally) and archiving, to provide for improved capacity building opportunities for developing countries, and to address research gaps in our understanding of feedback mechanisms between ozone depletion and climate change. The recommendations will be presented to the forthcoming Sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention to be held in conjunction with the Fourteenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Rome, 25to29November, 2002).

CCQM Workshop on Traceability

The Consultative Committee for Amount of Substances (CCQM) is a Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) committee. Its members are mainly national metrological (not meteorological!) and standards institutes and materials research and testing laboratories. The BIPM has expressed an interest in the work of WMO in general, and in calibration gases in GAW in particular. A Memorandum of Understanding has been prepared between WMO and BIPM. For the first time a representative for the GAW programme participated in a CCQM Workshop, this time on traceability, from 16 to 17 April 2002 at the BIPM in Sèvres (Paris), France. On 15 April the CCQM Working Group on Gas Analysis met, GAW was an invited guest and discussions on the possible collaboration between CCQM and GAW was a major item on the agenda. A presentation was made in both meetings on the GAW programme, including calibration procedures for ozone, greenhouse gases and UV radiation. Several of the participants indicated they already had some contact with GAW. The aim of the Traceability Workshop was to provide a clear description of the measurement infrastructures currently in place for chemical measurements, and how these can be used by 'field' laboratories to enable them to achieve reliable, comparable and traceable measurement results. The traceability chain and the role of National Metrological Institutes (NMIs) and other authorities within this chain were examined. It was very worthwhile to make this connection between BIPM and GAW, especially for both to be more aware of each other’s activities.

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IGACO Team meeting

The second meeting of the Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGACO) Theme team took place in Geneva from 16 to 17 April 2002. This Theme is one of four within the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) each allowing for the coherent definition and development of an overall global strategy for observing selected fields of interest. In addition to the atmospheric chemistry theme, there is the Global Water Cycle Theme, the Ocean Theme, and the Global Carbon Theme. The objective of IGACO Theme is to ensure long-term continuity and spatial comprehensiveness of atmospheric trace gas and aerosol observations, and to integrate ground-based, in-situ and space-based measurements in a coherent framework easily accessible to a wide range of users. IGACO will therefore support the monitoring of atmospheric composition, and specifically of natural variability and long-term trends, and the measurement of key parameters related to climate change and environmental conditions in support of existing and future international protocols. Additionally, IGACO will address the identification of deficiencies in current observing strategies and the establishment of future measurement systems for the chemical composition of the troposphere and stratosphere.

During the meeting the team discussed expanding the “WMO/CEOS Report on a strategy for integrating satellite and ground based observations of ozone”, GAW report No. 140, to include more information on chemical compounds other than ozone. Long term scientific objectives for space observational programmes including ideas and suggestions for new space missions and observational campaigns were also discussed.

Retirement of Dr Alexandre Soudine

Dr Alexandre Soudine took well-earned retirement as from the end of February, after 18years of loyal service. We wish to particularly acknowledge his work on atmospheric input of pollutants into the seas/oceans, precipitation chemistry, toxic components and collaboration with EMEP. We are already missing Alexandre's scientific and administrative expertise, not to mention his warm personality and excellent social skills. ENV was fortunate enough to continue to benefit from his valued collaboration through April-May, after which he took up his fishing-rod and flew to Moscow. Our heartfelt thanks go to him for his dedication to his tasks, along with our sincere wishes for a long and healthy retirement in which to enjoy his family and pursue his many interests.

Appointment of Dr Len Barrie

Dr Len Barrie will take up his position as Chief, Environment Division by the end of June. We welcome him into our team!

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Planned Meetings for 2002

Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) Users meeting, 28-29 January, Frascoti, Italy

Second meeting of ESCAP/WMO project Support to the Implementation of the Regional Haze Action Plan of ASEAN Member Countries, 19-21 February, Jakarta, Indonesia

WMO Commission on Atmospheric Sciences, 12-20 February, Oslo, Norway

UN-ECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring, 28 February-1 March, Geneva, Switzerland

7th meeting of the GAW Scientific Advisory Group SAG UV, 4-6 March, Davos, Switzerland

Workshop on Arctic ozone loss, 4-6 March, Potsdam, Germany

Third meeting of Working Group on Wildland Fire of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction, 9-10 March, Freiburg, Germany

7th EIONET Workshop on Air Quality Management and Assessment, 18-19 March, Geneva, Switzerland

3rd meeting of the EMEP Task Force on Measurements and Modelling (TFMM), 20-22 March, Geneva, Switzerland

Fifth meeting of the Ozone Research Managers, 25-27 March, Geneva, Switzerland

2nd meeting of the Vienna Convention Bureau, 28 March, Geneva, Switzerland

Second meeting of the Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry Observations (IGACO) Team, 1617April, Geneva, Switzerland

CCQM (Consultative Committee for Amount of Substances) Workshop on Traceability in Chemical Measurements, 16-17 April, Paris, France

XXXIInd Session of GESAMP, 6-10 May, London, UK

UV Instrument intercomparison and meeting of the Advisory Group of the European Reference Laboratory for UV Measurements, 15-16 May, Ispra, Italy

2002 CMDL Annual Meeting, 21-22 May, Boulder, USA