Global Atmosphere Watch
One of the core tasks of the GAW programme is the coordination of the activities and data of currently 32 Global, more than 400 Regional atmospheric monitoring stations, and around 100 Contributing stations operated by contributing networks to produce data that are relevant to air pollution and climate change.
The GAW monitoring programme targets six classes of variables (i.e. ozone, UV radiation, greenhouse gases, aerosols, selected reactive gases and precipitation chemistry). Each of the six variable groups is supported by a Scientific Advisory Group and so called GAW Central Facilities (Quality Assurance/Science Activity Centres, Central Calibration Laboratories, World and Regional Calibration Centres and World Data Centres) responsible for quality control, scientific guidance and technical details of the global network.
GAW at Empa
Mission Statement
The mission of WCC-Empa and QA/SAC Switzerland is to improve and maintain the quality and public access of surface ozone, carbon monoxide, methane and carbon dioxide data measured at Global Atmosphere Watch stations, primarily through system and performance audits at GAW stations, inter-comparison and calibration of instrumentation, one-to-one training and workshops, as well as continuous operational and strategic support for the GAW programme, in order to contribute to the scientific basis of our understanding of climate change.
From 2011 to 2016, the GAW team at Empa was also involved in the CATCOS (Capacity Building and Twinning for Climate Observing Systems) project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) with MeteoSwiss as the coordinating partner. Within CATCOS, Empa was responsible for the implementation of greenhouse gas observation capabilities in Vietnam, Chile and Kyrgyzstan & associated twinning / support. To ensure sustainability of the implementation beyond the end of the project, reduced twinning & support is still provided through WCC-Empa and QA/SAC Switzerland activities.
GAW Station Support
Contact
WCC-Empa (World Calibration Centre for Surface Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Methane and Carbon Dioxide)
QA/SAC Switzerland (Quality Assurance/Scientific Activity Centre)
The Global Atmosphere Watch Programme: 25 Years of Global Coordinated Atmospheric Composition Observations and Analyses
GAW Report No. 228: WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Implementation Plan: 2016-2023
GAW Report No. 255: 20th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases and Related Measurement Techniques (GGMT-2019)
GAW Report No. 242: 19th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases and Related Measurement Techniques (GGMT-2017)
Link to GGMT-2017 meeting web page
GAW Report No. 229: 18th WMO/IAEA Meeting on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases and Related Measurement Techniques (GGMT-2015)
WMO Report No. 1215: Low-cost sensors for the measurement of atmospheric composition: overview of topic and future applications (2018)