December 2008: The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) has released the report of the 16th session of its Steering Committee (SC), which convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from 14-17 October 2008, at World Meteorological Organization (WMO) headquarters.

The report provides an overview
of the presentations and discussion at the session and identifies specific
action items flowing from the deliberations of the SC. The actions agreed upon
by the SC include: a request to the Chairman,
the Secretariat and the Sponsors to help ensure the success of OceanObs’09,
especially in respect of its outcomes on ocean observations for climate; the support of the development of
soil moisture as an essential climate variable; the encouragement of joint/combined side events at the 30th
session of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies when the 2009 Progress Report and
Update of GCOS92 are introduced; the request to the Secretariat to consult with
the Joint Planning Staff for the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) with a view to a joint approach from
the Chairs of the Joint Scientific Committee of WCRP and the GCOS SC to the
Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to urge that the
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report address future needs for research and observations
to support future assessments; the request to the Secretariat to consult with
UNEP and others in assessing and building observation capacity for adaptation;
and the request to its members and the Secretariat to contribute as much as
possible to helping the GCOS representative during the third World Climate
Conference planning process. [The Report]