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Meeting List


Upcoming and past GCW and GCW-related meetings are listed here. Additional information for some meetings is available via the Meetings menu item. Other (non-GCW) meetings, workshops, and some conferences are available on the Community Calendar.

Upcoming Meetings

2019:

Past Meetings

2018:

  • GCW Steering Group meeting (reduced), 26-28 November 2018, Davos, Switzerland. The 6th session of the GCW Steering Group was hosted by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, in Davos, Switzerland, from 26 to 28 November. This was a "reduced" meeting with only a subset of the Steering Group. The primary goal was to further develop the GCW Preoperational Plan. [More info]
  • GCW Working Groups and Steering Group meetings, 8-12 January 2018, Oslo, Norway. The GCW Steering Group held its fifth meeting in Oslo, Norway, 10-12 January 2018. Various GCW working group meetings were held earlier in the week. The meetings were hosted by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute ("Metno"). [More info]

2017:

  • GCW Portal Team meeting, 14-15 September 2017, Montreal, Canada. In this small but productive meeting, participants reviewed the GCW Operational Manual for contributing data centres and the document on GCW Guidance for data centres contributing to GCW, developed a road map of engagement for the development and testing of the GCW Interoperability Package for CryoNet stations, discussed requirements for compliance to the WMO Information System (WIS) and the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS), and developed a road map for advancing the development of standard metadata vocabularies for cryosphere variables that are recommended for the GCW observing program. [More info]
  • Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) - Arctic Polar Regional Climate Centres (PRCC) Planning meeting, 13 September 2017, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. WMO activities that focus on the Polar and High Mountain Regions are one of the seven priorities for WMO and its Members during the current financial period. This meeting is the first formal joint session between the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) and Arctic Polar Regional Climate Centre (A-PRCC) communities. The meeting resulted in agreements and recommendations to facilitate the implementation of both efforts. [More info]
  • Tropical CryoNet Workshop, 4-6 July 2017, Arusha, Tanzania. GCW held its first Tropical Cryosphere Workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, 4-6 July 2017. The workshop was hosted by the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA). Participants were from Tanzania, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Indonesia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Austria, Iceland, Switzerland, and the United States. [More info]
  • Fourth Steering Group Meeting, 16-19 January 2017, Cambridge, UK. The fourth session of the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) Steering Group (GSG) took place from 16 to 19 January 2017. It was hosted by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The meeting reviewed the progress on the implementation of GCW, and towards its operationalization by 2020. Reports of progress since the 3rd session of the Steering Group in December 2015 were presented by the Working Group Chairs and Team Leads. The participants examined the interaction with partners and identified actions for furthering these engagements in a more structured manner, and in the context of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) framework. [More info]

2016:

  • CryoNet and Best Practices Teams Meeting, 20-24 September 2016, Graz, Austria. GCW held meetings of the CryoNet Team and the Best Practices Team 20-24 September 2016 in Graz, Austria. The meetings were hosted by the University of Graz. The CryoNet Team finalized the criteria by which surface stations will be added to the GCW network and evaluated many of the proposed sites. The Best Practices Team began the long process of compiling the GCW Guide, which will focus on recommended practices for measuring snow, ice, and permafrost properties, but will also include sections on data and metadata exchange, observational requirements, and integrated products. [More info]
  • Snow Watch Team meeting, 13-14 June 2016, Columbus, Ohio, USA. The Second Session of the Global Cryosphere Watch Snow Watch Team was held at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center in Columbus Ohio, June 13-14, 2016. The meeting was attended by seven members of the Snow Watch Team and ten invited experts. [More info]
  • GCW Second Asia CryoNet Workshop, Salekhard, Russia, western Siberia, 2-5 February 2016. CryoNet is the core of the GCW surface observing network. The workshop was organized by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) of Roshydromet and the Administration of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO). There were three days of plenary meetings in the YaNAO Administration building and one day of field training on Ob River north of Salekhard. The main objective of the workshop was to develop practical aspects of the implementation of CryoNet in Asia based on the decisions of the Seventeenth World Meteorological Congress (25 May – 12 June 2015). This includes, among others, identifying new stations/sites that could become CryoNet or contributing sites in both terrestrial and marine environments in Asia, reviewing existing observing practices for cryospheric observations and examining advances in measurement techniques, and discussing data policies. There was considerable media coverage of the event, including four of the workshop organizers discussing the cryosphere on a local TV show. Media coverage is listed on the GCW website at http://globalcryospherewatch.org/meetings/salekhard2016/media.html. The workshop was very productive, with more than 20 sites in the "Third Pole" (Himalaya) region and Siberia being proposed as new CryoNet sites. [More info]

2015:

  • GCW CryoNet Team and Steering Group Meetings, 7-11 December 2015, Boulder, Colorado, USA: A joint meeting of the CryoNet Team and Portal and Website Teams was held at the University of Colorado, December 7-9 in Boulder Colorado. It was hosted by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The GCW Steering Committee (GSG) met December 10-11, hosted by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). The meetings established key steps for the next 1-2 years. [More info]
  • Second SnowPEx Workshop, 14-16 September 2015, Boulder, Colorado, USA: The 2nd International Satellite Snow Products Intercomparison Workshop was held in Boulder, Colorado, 14-16 September 2015. The objective of the "SnowPEx" project is the intercomparison and validation of hemispheric and global satellite snow products for estimating temporal trends of the seasonal snow cover and assessing their accuracy. In the 1st International Satellite Snow Products Intercomparison Workshop, held at NOAA, Maryland, in July 2014, the community discussed and agreed on methods and protocols for the intercomparison of products and their validation using reference data sets from various environments and surface types around the world. The original snow product intercomparison project was started by the Snow Watch group of the World Meteorological Organization's Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) initiative in 2013. The SnowPEx project grew out of the first GCW Snow Watch workshop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in January 2013. SnowPEx is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). [More info]
  • Polar Panel Discussion at the 17th World Meteorological Congress, 25 May - 12 June 2015, Geneva, Switzerland. The 17th World Meteorological Congress was held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 25 - June 12, 2015. A special panel discussion on WMO"s polar activities was held as a side event on May 28. The panel discussion included the activities of the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), and other activities of the WMO Executive Council expert panel on Polar Observations, Research, and Services (EC-PORS). It was very well attended, with over 70 participants from around the world, including the directors of many meteorological service agencies. [More info]
  • GCW Science Steering Group and CryoNet Team meetings, 19-23 January 2015, Copenhagen. GCW held two meetings in Copenhagen, Denmark, 19-23 January 2015. The CryoNet Team and the Portal and Website Team worked on issues of satellite product intercomparisons and inventories, product metadata, portal interoperability with various data centers and information systems, and the CryoNet site application form. The GCW Steering Group met for higher-level discussions of GCW activities, progress, and plans. The meetings were hosted by the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). [More info]

2014:

  • South America CryoNet workshop, 27-29 October 2014, Santiago, Chile. The 1st CryoNet South America Workshop was held on 27, 28 and 29 October in Santiago, Chile, with the attendance of 65 participants from 16 countries. The Workshop was sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) through the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) initiative. Co-sponsors included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile; the University of Magallanes, Chile (UMAG); the Chilean Weather Service (DMC); the Chilean Water Directorate (DGA); the University of Talca, Chile (UTAL); and the company Geoestudios, Chile. It was concluded that systematic long-term monitoring of the cryosphere is critically needed in Latin America, especially in view of the drastic changes experimented by snow and ice masses at a continental scale. In this regard CryoNet Latin America will provide a key contribution to the global CryoNet initiative. [More info]
  • SnowPEX Workshop, 21-23 July 2014, College Park, Maryland. The first International Satellite Snow Product Intercomparison and Evaluation Experiment Workshop (SnowPEX) was held in College Park, MD, July 21-23, 2014. SnowPEX is an international collaborative effort, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), aiming to intercompare and evaluate satellite-based seasonal snow cover products of hemispheric to global extent in order to assess their accuracy, resolve possible discrepancies and elaborate guidelines for further improvement. The workshop was hosted by NOAA. The SnowPEX project is an extension of the "Snow Watch" intercomparison project initiated by the World Meteorological Organization's Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) in 2013. More information on SnowPEX and this first workshop is available at http://calvalportal.ceos.org/projects/snowpex.
  • Joint CryoNet and Portal Team meeting, 11-13 June, Davos, Switzerland. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) program held a meeting of two of its teams in Davos, Switzerland, 11-13 June 2014. The meeting was hosted by the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. The CryoNet Team and the Portal Team worked on issues of satellite product intercomparisons and inventories, product metadata, portal interoperability with various data centers and information systems, and a CryoNet site application. [More info]
  • EC-PORS-5, 25-28 February 2014, Wellington, New Zealand. The WMO Executive Council expert panel on Polar Observations, Research, and Service (EC-PORS) held its fifth session at the University of Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand in February 2014. [More info]
  • Advisory Group meeting, 23-24 January 2014, Reykjavik, Iceland. GCW held its first Advisory Group meeting in Reykjavik, hosted by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). It immediately followed the CryoNet Team meeting, also held at IMO. The purpose of this "interim" Advisory Group meeting was to evaluate recent progress and near-future plans, prepare terms of reference for the various Task Teams, discuss partnerships, examine the role of satellite products, refine GCW governance, and prepare for the upcoming EC-PORS meeting. [More info]
  • CryoNet Team meeting, 20-22 January 2014, Reykjavik, Iceland. GCW held a CryoNet Team meeting in Reykjavik. It was hosted by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). The primary goals of the meeting were to create a final draft of site requirements and site types, revise the site questionnaire, formulate the way forward for best practices, select the first CryoNet sites, and draft a CryoNet data policy. [More info]

2013:

  • Asia CryoNet Workshop, 2-5 December 2013, CMA, Beijing, China. WMO held its First Asia CryoNet meeting in Beijing hosted by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). CryoNet is the surface-based network of WMO"s Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) program. The focus of this meeting was snow and ice measurements in the "Third Pole" (Himalaya) region. Participants were from China, Pakistan, India, Japan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, USA, Canada, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. The meeting created a foundation for unified measurements of snow and ice in the region. More information is available on the meeting page. [More info]
  • WGMS Summer School, 2-7 September 2013. The World Glacier Monitoring Service's (WGMS) Summer School on Mass Balance Measurements and Analysis 2013, 2-7 September 2013, was a great success. The Executive Summary is available here and on the WGMS workshop web page. GCW was one of the sponsors.
  • National Correspondents Workshop on GTN-P Implementation and Data Policy, 6-8 May 2013, WMO HQ, Geneva, Switzerland. The International Permafrost Association and the International Arctic Science Committee held a workshop to continue the development of a long-term, international network of permafrost observatories that will provide data to document the state and changes in frozen ground temperatures and active layer thickness. In total there were 50 registered attendees including 19 NCs representing Austria, Canada, China, Denmark/Greenland, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Kyrkyz Republic, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Antarctica, Svalbard. (GCW was one of the sponsors)
  • Third Meeting of the WMO Polar Space Task Group, 22-23 May 2013, Paris, France
  • Fourth Meeting of the WMO Panel on Polar Observations, Research, and Services, 13-15 March 2013, Lanzhou, China
  • First GCW Snow Watch Workshop, 28-30 January 2013, Toronto, Canada. The meeting was hosted by Environment Canada. The purpose of this first workshop was to (1) determine the current state of snow data, products and information, particularly satellite products, (2) identify any critical issues that need to be addressed, (3) make recommendations on the initial content and structure of a GCW Snow Watch project, and (4) establish a GCW task team to oversee the development of a GCW Snow Watch. It is hoped that Snow Watch workshops will become an annual event. The workshop recommendations were to
    • initiate a satellite snow products validation/intercomparison activity,
    • initiate a PI self-assessment for snow products,
    • initiate a global snow data rescue activity,
    • develop "Snow Trackers" for SE and SWE at the Finnish Meteorological Institute,
    • develop inventory of existing snow datasets,
    • develop better linkages GCW products team,
    • initiate activity to standardize snow-related nomenclature, and
    • improve snow depth obs on GTS (zero value reporting, missing regions.

    [More info]

2012:

  • First Cryonet Workshop, 20-22 November 2012, Vienna, Austria The meeting was hosted by the Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG, the Austrian weather service). There were about 30 workshop participants representing observing sites in China, Japan, USA, Canada, Austria, Norway, Finland, Germany, Argentina, Russia, and Antarctica (France). Presentations were given on each of the observing sites, complemented by presentations on data assimilation (ECMWF), satellite observing systems, and WMO measurement standards. Three breakout groups were each given the task of creating a structure for CryoNet by defining different types of sites, basic measurements for each of the site types, requirements for inclusion in CryoNet. They were also asked to identify existing documents on snow and ice measurement standards and practices. The workshop was very productive overall, and a critical step in the deveopment of CryoNet and the implementation of GCW. Workshop recommendations and outcomes include:
    • CryoNet should be a three-tier network of Baseline, Reference, and Integrated sites.
    • Create an inventory of existing measurement standards and practices.
    • Develop requirements for site inclusion in CryoNet.
    • Develop a CryoNet Manual and a GCW Measurement Guide.
    • Develop a cryosphere terminology
    • A CryoNet Team was defined.

    [More info]

  • Third Meeting of the WMO Panel on Polar Observations, Research, and Services, 6-9 January 2012, Sodanklya, Finland. The third EC-PORS meeting was hosted by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) in northern Finland. The final report is available.

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