Revised Worskshop Recommendations
Below are the revised workshop recommendations, a
conglomeration, refinement, and prioritization of the
initial workshop recommendations.
High Priority for the Canada-US GEO Community
RECOMMENDATION
#1: An International Testbed
Issue: Under the GEO goal of promoting interoperability there are many plans
but few examples where different countries are collaborating together to determine
what is needed to promote the convergence of observation networks, systems and
sensors. While Canada and the USA
have many similarities in the way they collect and process data, significant
differences occur for some water cycle variables (e.g., soil moisture) and cryospheric (e.g., snowfall) variables.
Recommendation: Canada and the US should establish a
trans-boundary site or region with comprehensive integrated (tropopause to water table) measurements to provide an
assessment of the data products on each side of the border and their
consequences for water resources management. The focus should be on a robust set of measurements,
possibly new types of observations, emphasizing both cold and warm season water
budgets. Potential areas: upper Great Lakes or the Northern US Rocky
Mountains/Southern Canadian Rockies. This should serve as a testbed
for model improvement, upscaling, and error
characterization of satellite and in situ measurements.
POC: US - NSF
(WATCH), NOAA, NASA, USGS; Canada –
EC, AAFC, NSERC
(University Community)
Cost: moderate - high
RECOMMENDATION
#2: A Shared Data Assimilation Platform
Issue:
There are major environmental changes accruing as a result of global
warming. For example, rapid
changes are occurring in the multi-year ice cover on the Arctic Ocean and in
the variability and possible acceleration of the global water cycle. The current observation networks and
systems are inadequate to fully detect these changes. New data assimilation capabilities and products that take
full advantage of the simulation capabilities of current models and the full
value of integrating surface and space-based data are needed.
Recommendation:
It recommended that the US and Canada work together to develop a continental
data assimilation capability that highlights land surface, water cycle and cryospheric processes. Efforts to assimilate cryospheric
data should be continued and expanded, including the efforts of the North
American Ice Service (NAIS). Global and regional data assimilation products
should be developed to serve as a reliable basis to evaluate all aspects of the
ÒaccelerationÓ in the global water cycle. This effort should include an assessment of critical factors in
network design to ensure that the information needs of water cycle prediction
systems are met.
POC: Canada – EC; US – NOAA, NASA
Cost: low – moderate
RECOMMENDATION
#3: Binational
Data Products
Issue: There are a large number of experimental and operational products that
are produced either in USA or Canada that could benefit the other country if
extended northward or southward. Furthermore, the cost of extending many of
these data sets is minimal because the production systems are in place although
they may require more extensive data collection and validation activities.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that data products that can readily be
internationalized through bilateral efforts be accelerated by US and Canada GEO
as a demonstration project for a broader common data production platform
between the two countries.
Specific targets for this effort include:
1) The
NOAA National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) National
Snow Analyses should be extended northward into Canada to the extent possible
with Canada providing necessary snow observations for assimilation.
2) Vegetation
indices developed separately for the US and Canada should be extended to the
Canadian and US agricultural areas through the validation of extended
experimental land cover products.
3) To
support the NACEM, the US and Canada should develop a prototype common data
platform for shared data sets thereby ensuring full and open access by both
operational services and for research related to extremes
4) Canada
and the US should develop joint flux tower and groundwater data sets for the validation
of satellite data products.
POC: US – NOAA (NCDC); Canada – EC,
AAFC, NRcan
Cost: low – moderate
RECOMMENDATION
#4: Commitment to the Global Cryosphere Watch
Issue:
WMO has launched a program to enhance observations of the cryosphere,
called the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW). This program will benefit both the USA
and Canada. The program is in its
early stages of development and would benefit from support by critical countries.
Recommendation: Canada
and the US should contribute to the development of the WMO Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), which will be the primary
implementation mechanism for the IGOS Cryosphere
Theme. A coordinated, funded plan should be developed to support the
implementation of GCW. The plan should focus on a few key issues including a
selection of in situ and satellite products as contributions to GCW, an
evaluation of the adequacy of existing observational networks for snow, ice,
and solid precipitation, and an assessment of the possibilities for additional
or enhanced surface-based reference sites/super sites. Personnel should be
identified who will work with the GCW steering group. The ice centers/services
should be involved.
POC: Canada – EC; US – NOAA
Cost: low – moderate
RECOMMENDATION
#5: Bilateral
studies to support the assessment of monitoring systems for droughts and other
extremes
Issue:
According to recent IPCC reports, climate variability and the frequency of
extremes are expected to increase in both the USA and Canada. In order to more effectively contribute
to the monitoring and prediction of droughts and other climatological
extremes a better understanding is needed of the characterization of these
events and the causes for their onset, continuation and termination.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that US and Canada GEO launch a series of studies to address
the monitoring needs for climate variability including:
1) a drought indicator assessment to
determine data sets and climate criteria that should be used to define drought
in different areas of North America.
2) a review of past studies of Extreme events
to identify the gaps in data availability and data systems.
POC: Canada – AAFC, EC; US – NOAA
Cost: low
Medium Priority: Recommendations that the US and
Canada GEO should encourage and facilitate
Recommendation: ArcticNet (Canada) and the Cooperative Arctic Data and
Information Service (CADIS, the Arctic Observing Network data system) should be
made interoperable, with shared data manipulation tools and cross-linked data
and information.
POC: Canada – NSERC, University of
Manitoba/ University of Waterloo; US – NSF, NCAR, NSIDC
Cost: low – moderate
Recommendation:
Water Cycle science and service programs in Canada and the
USA including the states and provinces should ensure their data sets are available
through the GEO portal. It is also
suggested that should include a blog be added to the GEO Registry linked to
these data sets so feedback can be readily available to users who wish to
review the adequacy of data sets.
POC: Canada – EC, NRCan,
AAFC, CGEO; US – NOAA, NASA, DOE, USDA, USGS
Cost: low
Recommendation:
Wind measurements (speed and direction) should be added to all US precipitation
gauge stations to improve the compatibility of solid precipitation measurements
with Canadian observations.
POC: USA – NOAA (NWS); Canada - EC
Cost: moderate
Low Priority (Activities that US and Canada GEO
should monitor to determine what useful directions they could provide to both
countries.)
Recommendation:
The US and Canada should facilitate a joint Canada/US workshop on developing
systematic soil moisture and ground water measurement systems and data sets to
support SMAP, RADARSAT and drought monitoring.
POC: Canada – AAFC; US – NOAA
(NIDIS)
Cost: Low cost
Recommendation:
Agreements for sharing satellite data should be put in place, particularly for
RADARSAT-2, ICESat-2, and DESDynl.
POC: Canada – CSA; US – NOAA,
NASA
Cost: No to low cost for the agreement: low to
medium for the implementation.
Recommendation:
Environment CanadaÕs satellite-derived snow water equivalent (SWE) should be
incorporated into the NOAA NOHRSC National Snow Analyses.
POC: Canada – EC; US – NOAA (NOHRSC)
Cost: low
Recommendation:
Canada and the US should lead in the value chain mapping/gap analysis of cryospheric and water cycle data and information, in
support of a new CEOS-SIT activity to support GEO.
POC: US – NOAA, NASA; Canada – AAFC,EC,CGEO, U of Manitoba, CSA
Cost:
low
Recommendation:
Canada and the US should strengthen collaborations on the Cold Land Processes
Experiment (CLPX) and the CoreH2O mission.
POC: US –NOAA (NOHRSC); Canada - EC
Cost: low
