The Copernicus Climate Change Service’s data rescue and surface meterological data collection effort

 

Access to climate data is essential if we are to better understand the climate of the past, present and future. Climate scientists require data to reconstruct past climate and extreme weather events, to create seasonal forecasts and to produce climate projections. Various private and public sector actors also require climate data as part of their climate-related decision-making and planning. Historical data can assist the insurance sector by providing information on past extreme weather events. Farmers require data to understand how the future climate will impact their output. The data can also help populations who live along coastlines better understand the changing nature of storm surges. Finally, those concerned about biodiversity can use the data to understand how climate change may impact flora and fauna in future.  

Our proposed poster will provide a visual representation of the various services offered by the Copernicus Climate Change Service for data rescue and surface meteorological data access over land and marine domains. We shall outline key tools available including the data rescue service and the data deposition service. We will also provide an overview of the data available via the C3S data store (CDS). We shall outline progress to date on improved curation of the fundamental data record of surface meteorological holdings. This includes key collections that have been recently secured via Copernicus agreements and new open data policies from various European National Meteorological and Hydrological Services. We will provide information on what data will be available in the next data release and plans for the very final release of the current contract. Finally, we will highlight how you can get involved to help improve the curation and access to the fundamental data record. 

The core mission of the Copernicus Climate Change Service is to “support adaptation and mitigation policies of the European Union by providing consistent and authoritative information about climate change”. Rescuing historical data and making that data freely accessible forms an important part of this core mission and is vital as Europe and the rest of the world prepare for further changes to the global climate.