1 April 2010: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Bureau for Weights and Measures organized a workshop on “Measurement Challenges for Global Observation Systems for Climate Change Monitoring — Traceability, Stability and Uncertainty” from 1-3 April 2010, at WMO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The event aimed to explore ways to deliver more accurate and reliable observations of the Earth’s climate.

Today, many of the challenges faced by climate science are measurement challenges. They include, for example: assessing the trends in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and their regional sources and sinks, and assessing the radiative impacts of these gases, as well as the the resulting changes in surface and atmospheric temperature. The workshop brought together around 120 experts to debate and review the status of applied meteorology, with respect to meteorological traceability, in several specific theme areas. The outcomes of the workshop will be published by the WMO.
The workshop concluded with the WMO signing the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee for Weights and Measures. The objective of this Arrangement is to establish the degree of equivalence of national measurement standards, to provide for the mutual recognition of calibration and measurement certificates and thereby to provide government and other parties with a secure technical foundation for wider agreements related to international trade, commerce and regulatory affairs. This is of particular importance for ensuring the traceability of worldwide measurements to international standards and quality of observations, which are crucial to assess climate change. [WMO Press Release] [Workshop Information] [International Bureau for Weights and Measures]