14 April 2011: The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) has released its first newsletter for 2011 describing: scientific highlights; observing domains, networks and measuring systems; sponsoring organizations and partners; activities of the GCOS Secretariat; and events.

On scientific highlights, the newsletter outlines efforts on the International Polar Year to develop the summary report titled “Understanding Earth’s Polar Challenges.” In the section on observing domains, networks and measuring systems, it describes the outcomes of the sixth meeting of the GCOS Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) Board held on 27 September 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland. The GCOS Cooperation Mechanism was established in 2002/2003 to improve global climate observing systems in developing countries, as well as implementation projects to provide instruments to observation stations in Tanzania, Mauritius, Sudan, the Maldives, Guinea, Madagascar, Mexico and Armenia.

In the section on sponsoring organization and partners, the newsletter notes that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has been accredited as a multilateral implementing entity by the Adaptation Fund. It also provides updates on the Global Framework for Climate Services and on the 24th Plenary Session of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), which discussed the CEOS data strategy for forest carbon tracking. The newsletter also describes a new GCOS brochure on “Opportunities to Improve Climate Observing Networks through Engagement with the UNFCCC,” as well as participation in a GEOSS-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) workshop on improving delivery of multi-disciplinary data to researchers studying climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. [Publication: GCOS Newsletter Issue 7]