More than 30 international experts in climate science will meet in Queenstown this week to discuss implementing a new a state-of-the-art global network to improve the quality of measurements of upper air climate variables.

For the first time the GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) will allow scientists to get the highest possible quality measurements of upper air climate variables. This will increase the accuracy of estimates of how changes in the global climate could be attributed to human activities, natural factors or a combination of both.

Established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), GRUAN will improve international upper air climate monitoring by validating global satellite remote-sensing atmospheric observations using precision profile data, and providing further insight into atmospheric processes that are not currently well enough understood.

The monitoring network is made up of 15 sites across the world from Alaska to New Zealand. The NIWA atmospheric and climate research facility at Lauder, Central Otago, is the only GRUAN station monitoring from the middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. There are no Antarctic region sites so far.

At each site climate variables such as temperature, water vapour, pressure, wind speed, wind direction and ozone levels will be recorded using sensor packages carried by a balloon up to about 30 kilometres above the earth. Other ground-based remote measurements will include LIDAR (laser radar) measurements, sensing of aerosols, solar radiation and cloud parameters.

NIWA’s Group Manager of Atmospheric Processes, Paul Johnston, says the GRUAN monitoring will fill an important gap in international climate research and complements atmospheric observations NIWA is already researching.

“NIWA is already collecting vertical profile measurements of ozone, water vapour, temperature and pressure in the upper atmosphere so it’s a natural fit to join in with the rest of the international climate research community on this important project.

“Changes in climate variables such as temperature and water vapour in the upper atmosphere provide a fingerprint of changes in climate, which gives us very important information for improving our predictions of future climate change.”

“The precise measurements we will be able to get from GRUAN will help us to better predict what might happen in 30 or 40 years, and that’s essential to help mitigate the effects of climate change and help plan future adaptation. NIWA is privileged to be part of this international collaborative effort to improve the global climate monitoring system.”
It’s likely the GRUAN network will extend its number of monitoring sites around the world in the long term.

International climate scientists from New Zealand, the United States, Europe, Japan and the United Kingdom will be attending the GRUAN meeting in Queenstown.

Other information about this item

1. For more information about the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) visit: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index.php?name=AboutGCOS

2. For more information about the GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) visit: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index.php?name=GRUAN

3. This Map shows the primary GRUAN sites around the world