The Integrated Global Water Cycle
Observations (IGWCO) Theme

The Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations (IGWCO) Theme was approved by the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P) in November 2003. The IGWCO Theme was initiated by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and supported by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the November 2000 IGOS-P meeting in Brazil. The theme was developed in response to the needs of the World Summit on Sustainable Development Agenda 21, the Millennium Development Goals and the UN Convention on Climate Change. The IGWCO Theme has made a major contribution to the definition of targets and work packets for the Water Resources Societal Benefit Area of the Global Earth Observations Systems of Systems (GEOSS).

The overall objective of the IGWCO is to provide a framework and strategy for coordinating the diverse observations from the land surface, subsurface, atmosphere and the ocean that are available through space agencies, resource agencies and weather services and to facilitate the use of these diverse data products in an inter-operational system of data processing, assimilation, prediction and decision support systems.

IGWCO Theme Objectives:

1) Guide decisions on water cycle observations for:

• Monitoring climate variability and change;
• Effective water management and sustainable development;
• Resource development and environmental management applications;
• Numerical weather, water forecasts, and intraseasonal to interannual climate predictions; and
• Critical climate research.

2) Promote strategies for the acquisition, processing and distribution of data products needed for effective management of the world's water resources.

Future Plans

In 2006-2007 high priority will be given to completing those aspects of its implementation plan that relate to the GEO work plan. One priority here is to take action in GEO WA-06 02 (Hydrological Ensemble Prediction) and to coordinate with GEO on several work plan goals including the organization of one or two water cycle workshops in 2007.

A focus will be placed on moving the Capacity Building activities forward through efforts in South America (Buenos Aires, 2005) followed by a workshop in Asia and another in Africa in collaboration with the Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environment Research (TIGER) Project. A related activity is the effort IGWCO directed towards the World Water Forum 4 that was held in Mexico City in March 2006 (see report below).

Of special importance is the fast-track development of a GEO Water Cycle Community of Practice. A first draft outline of a proposal for a community of practice that will be fully developed for the next GEO Users Interface Committee meeting. A number of new topics will also be advanced in 2006. These include:

• Develop a flood project to fill an apparent gap in the Integrated Global Observing Strategy-Partners (IGOS-P) themes and possibly the GEO Plan.
• Propose a planning workshop held in collaboration with the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) Program (Japan) and other organizations.
• Propose "drought" as a possible demonstration project of how to link remote sensing and socioeconomic data.
• Form a UNESCO-IGWCO-GARS Working Group on groundwater and the establishment of an initial task list.

IGWCO Secretariat

On behalf of WCRP, the Director of the International GEWEX Project Office (IGPO) served until mid-2006 as the chair of the Executive that oversaw the implementation of the IGWCO Theme. He was also the co-chair of the writing team for the IGWCO Theme Report (see below), which was published in April 2004.  The IGPO Director continues to support IGWCO as a member of the Science Advisory Group.

From mid-2006, the IGWCO-Secretariat will be a distributed Secretariat with distributed responsibilities for JAXA and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as WMO has assumed responsibilities to chair the IGWCO Executive and provide secretarial support to the Executive Committee.

For More information, Contact:

Wolfgang Grabs, Chief
Water Resources Division, WMO
E-mail: WGrabs"at"wmo.int

Chu Ishida
Earth Observation Research Center/JAXA
E-mail: ishida.chu"at"jaxa.jp

Richard Lawford, Director
International GEWEX Project Office
E-mail:  gewex"at"gewex.org

Click here to view the Acrobat PDF version of the April 2004 report: "A Global Water Cycle Theme for the IGOS Partnership" For a copy of the report, send an e-mail with your mailing address to  gewex@gewex.org

Click here to view the Acrobat PDF version of the IGWCO Brochure

IGWCO REPORT TO IGOS-P, May 23, 2006, Geneva, Switzerland

IGWCO Related Reports

During the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City, 16-22 March 2006, IGWCO conducted a special session on space observations for water management.  Click here for the session report published in the May 2006 issue of GEWEX News.  Also, see Summary and recommendations from Session FT5.18, Space Based Water Observations held at the Fourth World Water Forum: Local Actions for a Global Challenge Session.

Second IGWCO Theme Workshop and CEOP Science Meeting, UNESCO, Paris, 28 February - 3 March 2006. Click here for the workshop summary published in the May 2006 issue of GEWEX News.  To see the presentations from the meeting, click here.