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TOPC Program Overview
The Terrestrial Observing Panel for Climate (TOPC) is part of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). TOPC liaises with relevant research and operational communities to identify measurable terrestrial properties and attributes that control the physical, biological and chemical processes affecting climate, are themselves affected by climate change, or serve as indicators of climate change.
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Program Management
The TOPC is a group of scientists with expertise in climate change issues. The TOPC supports the work of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) which jointly carry out activities aimed at improving the understanding of climate change processes in terrestrial systems and potential impacts on mankind.
The TOPC focuses on the identification of terrestrial observation requirements, assisting the establishment of observing networks for climate, providing guidance on observation standards and norms, facilitating access to climate data and information and its assimilation, and promoting climate studies and assessments.
The chair of the TOPC is a subsidiary member of the steering committee's for GTOS and GCOS and reports the results of the TOPC deliberations and work directly to those bodies.
Terms Of Reference
Recognizing the need for specific and technical input concerning terrestrial observations for climate purposes, GTOS and GCOS have jointly established TOPC with the following terms of reference:
- To liaise with relevant research and operational communities to identify measurable terrestrial (biosphere, cryosphere, and hydrosphere) properties and attributes which control the physical, biological and chemical processes affecting climate, are themselves affected by climate change or serve as indicators of climate change, and where long-term observation records are essential to provide information concerning the impacts of climate and climate change;
- To identify gaps in present systems and design, promote and periodically revise plans for a long-term systematic observing system that fills these gaps, makes the data available and so better serves the needs of the research and operational communities;
- To coordinate activities with other global observing system panels and task groups to ensure consistency of requirements with the overall programmes;
- Publish and update GCOS/GTOS studies and planning documents; and
- To carry out agreed assignments from, and to report regularly to, the Steering Committees for GCOS and for GTOS.
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Program Development
In 1995, the climate and terrestrial components of the Global Observing Systems joined to form the Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate (TOPC). To assure coordination between the climate and terrestrial components of the observing system, TOPC has completed and published a Plan for Terrestrial Climate-related Observations which includes elements of hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere.
The strategy for implementing the plan is under development in conjunction with the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Hundreds of variables are possible candidates for global climate monitoring. Potential sampling locations range in the thousands. It is neither feasible nor desirable to measure everything, everywhere, all of the time. The panel has therefore developed a list of variables for monitoring and developed a sampling design for the ecological variables. TOPC welcomes your comments and feedback. If you have comments on the list of variables, gaps or redundancies please contact TOPC.
During the early years, TOPC concentrated on the planning and design aspects of its mandate. It designed a five-tier observation strategy; the Global Hierarchical Observing Strategy (GHOST).
Contact Information
- Han DOLMAN (Panel Chair - appointed January 2007)
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
e-mail: han.dolman@geo.falw.vu.nl
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