Announcement of CCIWG/U.S. Carbon Cycle Science sponsored workshop:

Sustained Observations to Support Carbon Cycle Science and Management

Workshop Date: April 13-14,  2016 (2 days)

Workshop Location:  NOAA GMD, Boulder, CO

Objective:  This invitation-only workshop will gather input from the scientific community with the aim of describing sustained observational capabilities required to fulfill the objectives of the 2011 U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan, along with an assessment of current and planned capabilities for the period 2016-2025. Gaps in current and planned observing systems will be identified, and new applications and services to be derived from carbon cycle observations will be considered.  The workshop outcomes will inform the development of the CCIWG-led 2^nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-2), a Sustained Assessment Product of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Background

Carbon cycle data records of sufficient quality, density, and duration are needed to provide information about drivers of natural and anthropogenic inter-annual climate variability on timescales of decades to centuries.  The 2011 U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan (Michalak et al, 2011) highlights the critical role of sustained observations to collect such data.

 Previously, detailed research implementation plans followed the first U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan (Sarmiento and Wofsy, 1999), such as A Large-Scale CO₂ Observing Plan: In Situ Oceans and Atmosphere (Bender et al., 2002), the Ocean Carbon and Climate Change report (Doney et al., 2004) and the North American Carbon Program planning documents (Wofsy and Harris, 2002; Denning et al. 2005).  Updated plans are needed that reflect current research foci and recent technological advances. 

This workshop and associated efforts will focus on sustained carbon observations.

An efficient and effective program of sustained observations will require careful coordination among the agencies.  The U.S. Global Change Research Program and the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program have already achieved significant interagency coordination in these area. Additional targeted efforts to address gaps and enhance links between agencies will be explored during this workshop. 

Expected Outcomes

We aim to develop a succinct scientific report that describes sustained observational needs, gaps and priorities for the next decade (2015-2025).  The report will be made available in draft form for community review. The report will help to inform the implementation of the U.S. National Plan for Civil Earth Observations and efforts to integrate U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program activities with the international GEO Carbon and US GEO efforts.

The workshop outcomes will also specifically inform the development of the 2^nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-2) and contribute to pertinent themes and chapters of SOCCR-2.

For more details, contact the workshop planning team:

Arlyn Andrews, NOAA ESRL (Lead) 

Steven R Emerson, University of Washington
Rik Wanninkhof, NOAA
Ankur Desai, PSU
Gyami Shrestha, U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program, CCIWG, USGCRP/UCAR
Ralph Keeling, UCSD
Kathy Tedesco, NOAA
Ted Schuur, NAU
Diane Stanitski, NOAA
Douglas C. Morton, NASA