Global Terrestrial Observing System

1. Global Terrestrial Observing System linking the world’s terrestrial monitoring systems to provide a global vision of the Earth we share

2. GTOS Mission Statement To provide policy makers, resource managers and researchers with access to the data they need to detect, quantify, locate, understand and warn of changes (especially reductions) in the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to support sustainable development.

3. Focuses on five issues of global concern: 1. Changes in land quality 2. Availability of freshwater resources 3. Loss of biodiversity 4. Impacts of climate change 5. Effect of pollution and toxicity

4. GTOS Sponsors Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Council of Science Unions (ICSU) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

5. Key Partners Countries (Europe, Southern Africa, South Asia) Research institutes and universities Global change programmes (GCOS, GOOS, IGBP ... ) Committee of earth observation satellites Framework convention on climate change Convention on biodiversity

6. The global observation hierarchy 1. Large-area experiments 2. Long-term research centres 3. Field stations 4. Periodic, unstaffed sample sites 5. Frequent low resolution remote sensing

7. GT-Net Structure GTOS Secretariat Steering Committee (GTSC) GT-Net Panel Thematic Networks Regional / National Networks Ecology-Net Coastal-Net Glacier-Net Hydrology-Net Southern Asia Central Europe Southern Africa

8. GT-Net demonstration project Demonstrate the value of linking existing networks by generating products that are useful in studying global change. Serve as a test bed for collaboration among networks and sites, including data sharing and exchange, and obtain the experience needed for further GT-Net development.

9. GT-Net demonstration project The first project concentrates on improving current estimates of global terrestrial primary productivity. It adopts a hierarchical approach and uses models which combine satellite data with in situ observations. A set of products, which have Net Primary Production (NPP) as their common foundation, will be produced. The NPP project will: 1) distribute a standard global NPP product to regional networks for evaluation; and 2) derive regionally specific crop, range and forest yield maps for land management applications.

10. Net Primary Productivity Critical vegetation variables such as LC, LAI and NPP are measured at local and regional scales, and used to validate global satellite based estimates. NEP measurements provide a separate validation and translation of the carbon budget based NPP to estimate commodity yields (with local weather data).

11. Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Sites TEMS Meta-database • A register of long-term terrestrial observation • sites around the world • Information on more than 700 sites • Searchable on the Web: http://www.fao.org/gtos/ • Supporting GT-Net, the NPP project and TCI

12. Value-Added of GTOS • Operational links between terrestrial databases, sites, networks • Improved access to terrestrial data & information and better collaboration between networks • Filling gaps in key observations and harmonization of measurements & terminology • Stronger links between satellite and ground research (IGOS) • Stronger links between science and policy