Climate Change Science Program Review on Climate Quality and Data Management Systems

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Climate Change Science Program Review onClimate
Quality and Data Management Systems
Tom Boden Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis
Center (CDIAC) Environmental Sciences
Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Climate
Change Science Program Planning Workshop December
4, 2002 Washington, D.C. CDIAC data management
activities at ORNL are supported by the U.S.
DOE, Office of Science, Biological and
Environmental Research Program
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Chapters 3 and 12 of the CCSP Strategic
PlanGeneral Comments

• Proposed plan will improve and further global
  climate-change research and data management.
• Proposed plan builds on and transitions nicely
  from many existing programs.
• The questions, objectives, and priorities
  discussed are relevant and contemporary with
  sound scientific basis.
• The Plan recognizes the need for a life-cycle
  data management approach and reflects many of the
  present trends in computing and data management.
• The CCSP Strategic Plan recognizes that basic
  climate measurements alone are not adequate to
  address global climate-change issues.
• Promotes active collaboration among measurement,
  modelling, data management, and policy
  communities.

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Chapters 3 and 12 of the CCSP Strategic
PlanGeneral Comments (continued)

• Most key data management issues are discussed in
  the report, however, some data issues require
  further attention.
• Proper focus on oceanic and atmospheric processes
  but too little coverage of the terrestrial
  influence on climate.
• Plan identifies the major science and data issues
  but strategic plans, by nature, often fail to
  address how Research Needs will be met or
  Products and Payoffs will be accomplished.
• I like the plan now please let me see the
  budget!

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Chapter 3 Climate Quality Observations,
Monitoring, and Data Management Chapter 12 Grand
Challenges in Modeling, Observations, and
Information SystemsResearch Needs

• Observations
• Sustained, commitment to long-term monitoring
  and data information systems!
• Single coordinated measurement framework to
  include aerosol measurements, cloud observations,
  and surface observations.
• Coordination and stronger ties to the
  terrestrial monitoring networks (LTER, AmeriFlux)
• New Climate Simulations With
• Interactive carbon cycle budgets
• Volcanic and solar ensembles
• Energy-use impacts
• Sulfur cycle linkages (e.g., with varying SO2
  emissions)

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Chapter 3 Climate Quality Observations,
Monitoring, and Data Management Chapter 12 Grand
Challenges in Modeling, Observations, and
Information Systems Data Management Gaps

• Plan needs stronger linkages to existing data
  center networks and data projects.
• Needs to recognize that the data system is a
  distributed WWW-based system adhering to existing
  XML-based metadata and spatial standards.
• Fails to recognize that unavailability of
  existing data is still an impediment to climate
  modeling efforts.
• Needs greater emphasis on metadata detecting
  biases requires supporting documentation.
• Fails to properly address the caveats and
  limitations of historical data and historical
  proxy records or the difficulties in documenting
  these databases.
• What are the data assimilation requirements for
  data assimilation modeling?
• Lacks an education component we must recruit
  and train future generations of data specialists,
  micrometeorologists, climate modelers, .

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An ExampleAmeriFlux/MODIS/Model Evaluation
Exercise
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Willow Creek, WI
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Problems and ComplexitiesA Data Managers
Perspective

• Voluntary exercise
• 3 sites have ceased since the exercise began
• Data issues
• Inconsistent units and time reporting intervals
• Varying data submission formats
• Erroneous values
• Data gaps
• Absence of key parameters
• Modeling issues
• Varying temporal data requirements
• Varying initialization requirements
• Inadequate site characterizations
• Land-use histories
• Carbon nitrogen stocks
• Absence of GIS coverages

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Willow Creek, WI
4 EBF 5 Mixed Forest 12 Cropland
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Concluding Remarks

• Good strategic plan now implement.
• Stay the course - success requires a sustained,
  long-term commitment to observations, model
  development, and data information systems.
• Encourage funding support to strengthen existing
  data efforts (QA/QC, data rescue, data synthesis,
  metadata assembly, GIS compilations)
• Encourage continued system development featuring
• WWW-based distributed systems with archival
  capabilities
• Automated data processing capabilities
• Data visualization/analysis capabilities
• XML-based metadata
• GIS coverages
• Ready access to ancillary data