Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Using the satellite observations and coordinating the satellite constellation is
fundamental tomanaging the Earth observations. However, the use of the observations
is impacted by the data formats and communications pathways and extends to various
user communities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized
agency of the United Nations which helps facilitate international coordination. It
originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), founded in
1873. The WMO was established in 1950. It became the specialized agency of the
United Nations (UN) in 1951 for meteorology (weather and climate), operational
hydrology, and related geophysical sciences. The WMO is the UN system's authori-
tative voice on the state and behavior of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the
oceans, the climate, and the distribution of water resources. WMO provides the
framework for international cooperation and collaboration.
As weather, climate, and the water cycle recognize no country boundaries,
global level international cooperation is essential for developing meteorological
and hydrological applications to reap the observational benefits. WMO membership
consists of 189 member states and territories. WMO facilitates the free and unre-
stricted exchange of data and information. It also promotes products and services
relating to the safety and security of society, economic welfare, and the protection
of the environment. WMO contributes to policy formulation at national and inter-
national levels. For weather, climate, and water-related hazards, which account for
nearly 90% of all natural disasters, WMO's programs provide information for
advance warnings that save lives and reduce property and environmental damage
(information on WMO is derived from
www.wmo.int
)
.
Studies show that every dollar invested in meteorological and hydrological
services produces an economic return many times greater. The world of satellite
observations has come a long way from the first observations taken nearly 50 years
ago.
Systems for the routine collection of data on the state of the climate system are
the bedrock for generating climate services. The requirements and standards for
observing systems and their component instruments for measuring the state of the
climate system are described fully in the relevant WMO manuals and in a range of
documents developed by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). The needs
for climate data are not the same across all applications. Climate change detection
and attribution need high-quality, homogeneous, long-term data. For this purpose,
the GCOS baseline systems, especially the GCOS Surface Network (GSN) and the
GCOS Upper-Air Network (GUAN), are the essential benchmarks for ensuring the
overall homogeneity of the global/regional databases. The GCOS Climate Moni-
toring Principles provide the “Gold Standard Rules” for planning, developing and
operating observing systems. WMO is now implementing the WMO Integrated
Global Observing System (WIGOS) as an all-encompassing approach to the
improvement and evolution of meteorological and related observing systems.
Given the change in emphasis of satellite programs, their coordination interna-
tionally, and the expanding satellite constellation coordination, it is no surprise that
the satellite research and applications community has changed substantially. This
topic discusses selected analyses and research findings in application areas of
interest to the environmental satellite community and its users. The wide range of
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