Task Team on Site Intercommunication and Reporting

A Task Team of AOPC Working Group on GRUAN (WG-GRUAN)

Background

The GCOS/WCRP Atmospheric Observation Panel for Climate (AOPC) Working Group on the GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (WG-GRUAN) was established in 2006 in recognition of the importance of initiating reference-quality observations of atmospheric column properties, in particular temperature and water vapour, from the surface into the stratosphere to enhance the monitoring and understanding of climate variability and change. A GRUAN Implementation Plan was published in July 2009 covering the period until 2013. At the second Implementation and Coordination Meeting held in Payerne, Switzerland in March 2010 the Working Group, Lead Centre and initial sites agreed to the instigation of a number of task teams.

The task team on site intercommunication and reporting exists to provide and maintain a convenient mechanism for each GRUAN site to communicate with other sites, the WG-GRUAN and the Lead Centre, and for the WG-GRUAN and Lead Centre to disseminate information to all GRUAN sites through their task team representative. Each site is encouraged to have one representative on this task team and if possible, to provide other task teams with knowledgeable members such that each site has wide-ranging representation within GRUAN. The task team on site intercommunication and reporting should include a shared member from the task team on measurement schedules, preferably from an institution/program that is under-represented within GRUAN, so that each task team is promptly informed about any recent activities of the other.

The success of GRUAN is critically dependent on the efficiency of communication between sites, the WG-GRUAN and the Lead Centre. Sites experiencing problems, concerns, breakthroughs in best practices and/or important discoveries are expected to initially communicate these to the task team on site representation. After internal discussion, the task team will communicate this information to the appropriate GRUAN representatives.

Duties

Under the auspices of the WG-GRUAN the task team was established to:

Ensure that sites’ concerns are communicated to Lead Centre and WG-GRUAN on an ad-hoc basis

Facilitate the dissemination of best practices and information between sites

Provide solicited or ad-hoc recommendations to the WG-GRUAN on technical documents that affect site operations, namely procedural changes in measurement techniques and data flow

Champion the work of sites within the GRUAN process and facilitate inter-site collaboration on projects of mutual interest in GRUAN

Liaise with remaining Task Team chairs to ensure that sites concerns are adequately discussed within those groups

Reporting and governance

The task team shall be run by at least one Chair and preferably two Co-Chairs. They should use as primary points of contact the Co-Chairs of WG-GRUAN and Head of Lead Centre as deemed appropriate. Co-Chairs will be elected from and by members with consultation with WG-GRUAN and LC and will have a six-year term.

The task team co-chairs shall report on a six-monthly basis in February and August to the WG-GRUAN via a brief written progress report that will also be posted as part of official documentation relating to GRUAN. These reports will be discussed on a phone conference between WG-GRUAN, the Lead Centre and all task teams with representation from at least one co-chair from this task team.

At least one task team co-chair and potentially additional task team members shall attend as deemed appropriate and affordable the annual ICMs to report in person on progress.

The task team will be expected to respond to all reasonable formal requests for advice from the WG-GRUAN, Lead Centre, other task teams or sites made on an ad-hoc basis in a timely manner. Guidance on what constitutes “reasonable request” can be solicited from WG-GRUAN as required.

Operation

The task team will largely coordinate by email and teleconference and take advantage of other meetings where a quoracy is in attendance to undertake in person meetings. It is expected that teleconferences between all task team members will be undertaken at a minimum 6-monthly frequency.

Task team chairs will seek funding for dedicated meetings if deemed appropriate.

The task team will exist until such time as its duties are deemed to have been completed by the WG-GRUAN. It is envisioned that the duties of this task team will be ongoing.

Task team terms of reference and membership will be revised at the very latest 2 years from the date of this version, or earlier if requested by any of the task team members in consultation with WG-GRUAN and Lead Center.

New GRUAN sites, as they are added by WG-GRUAN, will be asked to provide a member to the task team on site representation as soon as possible.

Members

(as at 2023-07-07)

Site	Name
AWI/ Ny-Ålesund, Norway	Marion Maturilli (co-chair)
Boulder, USA	Elizabeth Asher
Beltsville, USA	Belay B. Demoz
Cabauw, Netherlands	Arnoud Apituley
Lauder, New Zealand	Richard Querel
Sodankylä, Finland	Rigel Kivi
Potenza, Italy	Marco Rosoldi
Payerne, Switzerland	Gianni Martucci
Tateno, Japan	KAWAGUCHI Toshiyuki
ARM Sites, USA	Evan Keeler
Xilinhot, China	Rongkang Yang
Lindenberg, Germany	Ruud Dirksen
Australian sites	Matt Tully
Réunion Island, France	Stephanie Evan
Singapore	Kwok Wah CHOW
Dolgoprudny, Russia	Nadeschda Krestyanikova
Trappes Palaiseau, France	Jean-Charles Dupont
Tenerife, Spain	Miguel Hernández Martínez de la Peña
Syowa, Japan	IJIMA Osamu
Minamitorishima, Japan	HISAMITSU Junji
Neumayer, Antarctica (DE)	Holger Schmithüsen
Ross Island, Antarctica (NZ, US)	Richard Querel
Hong Kong, China	David Lam
Dakar, Senegal	Seydi Ababacar Ndiaye
Paramaribo, Suriname	Ankie Piters