GGMT-2011

16th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases, and Related Measurement Techniques Wellington, New Zealand 25th–28th October 2011.

New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is pleased to invite you to participate in the 16th WMO/IAEA meeting on measurement techniques for the accurate observation of long-lived greenhouse and related gases in the atmosphere, their isotopic composition, calibration procedures and quality control. This meeting, known most recently as the WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases, and Related Measurement Techniques and commonly referred to as the “CO2 Experts Meeting” will be held over 4 days from 25–28 October (Tue–Fri), 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand (Mon 24th October is a holiday in NZ).

The initial meeting in this series was organized by Dave Keeling in La Jolla, California in 1975, and was attended by a small group of true CO2 experts. Since that time, the focus of the meeting has expanded to include a host of related greenhouse gases and tracers, including CH4, N2O, SF6, O2, CO, H2, and isotopes of CO2 and CH4. In addition, the target audience has broadened to include those new to the field, who stand to benefit from exposure to established techniques/practitioners and can contribute new ideas to the discussions on methods and observational strategies.

As in previous meetings, topics will include laboratory and field techniques for measurement,calibration, and quality control; reports on comparison efforts; reports from national and regional observing networks; strategies for optimizing and expanding the observing networks; data management,distribution, and archiving; and new instrument capabilities and assessments. Emphasis will also continue to increase on designing observation networks to validate and integrate with burgeoning satellite capabilities and to address emissions tracking, in addition to the more traditional scientific goals.

In recognition of busy schedules, tight travel budgets, and the frequent need to include meeting travel in research proposals, we are sending out this advance notice in hopes that you will be able to make necessary arrangements to attend. Whilst New Zealand is far from Europe and North America, please note that (with the exception of Melbourne in 1997) your Southern Hemisphere colleagues have been travelling north to this meeting for 35 years, high southern latitudes play a particularly important role in the global carbon cycle and greenhouse gas observations, and opportunities abound for professional interactions and personal adventures on either side of this meeting. Attractions include the Rugby World Cup, immediately preceding the October meeting, a country full of famously friendly people, and some of the most beautiful natural landscapes on Earth.

Very limited travel support can be provided on request from the WMO/GAW Programme, (for more information please contact Oksana Tarasova at [email protected]).

We encourage wide dissemination of this information, in particular to early career scientists, scientists new to the field of global greenhouse gas observations, or anyone we may have missed with this mailing (please see the accompanying file showing the initial distribution list). If you have received this as a forward and would like to receive future mailings directly, please email Gordon Brailsford([email protected]) and request to be added to the mailing list. We apologize in advance for any cross postings. If you wish to be removed from future mailings concerning this meeting, please send an e-mail to Gordon.

We have formed a local organizing committee and a scientific steering committee. Future emails will include a link to a meeting web page for further information on venue, programme, abstract submission and registration, as well as friendly reminders about tasks that were promised at our last meeting. We will also announce planned mini-meetings to be held immediately before and after the four day meeting. Our field is changing rapidly and in exciting ways from both internal technological developments and external societal pressures. We look forward to a dynamic and productive meeting,and the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues both old and new.

See you in Wellington next October!

Sincerely,

Scientific Steering Committee: Gordon Brailsford, NIWA, NZ (Chair) Britton Stephens, NCAR, USA Andrew Manning, UEA, UK Arlyn Andrews, NOAA, USA Armin Jordan, MPI-BGC, Germany Ingeborg Levin, UHEI, Germany Toshinobu Machida, NIES, Japan Martin Manning, VUW, NZ Pieter Tans, NOAA, USA Marcel van der Schoot, CMAR, Australia Lingxi Zhou, CAMS, China

WMO/GAW Oksana Tarasova, (WMO/GAW Secretariat) Edward Dlugokencky, (Chair of the WMO/GAW Scientific Advisory Group on Greenhouse gases)