Events----Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth

International Workshop on

Terrestrial Water Cycle Observation and Modeling from Space:

Innovation and Reliability of Data Products

(WATGLOBS)

26 – 30 April, 2013, Beijing, China

First Announcement and Call for Papers

http://watglobs.csp.escience.cn

Background

The last ten years of Earth Observation have witnessed two simultaneous major developments: an increasing diversity

of primary measurements and a concerted effort of the Earth Observation community to develop and use higher

level data products. This has been particularly true for observations to capture the complexity of the terrestrial water

cycle. Two fundamentally different but complementary groups of state variables need to be captured: the amount of

water in the Earth System and the response of the land surface to water availability.

The former can be observed globally using microwave radiometry at multiple frequencies, while the latter requires

multispectral radiometry of reflected and emitted light. In both cases current data records extend to about 30 years,

thus paving the way for analyses of climatological relevance.

The simultaneous development of computational technology has brought many new actors to the field of development

and generation of higher level data and information products. While this has stimulated competition and innovation, the

knowledge gap and the inherent uncertainty of primary measurements led to algorithms and data products which show

evident disagreements.

Further progress requires the systematic and on-going evaluation of competing data and information products according

to precise protocols to pin-point the precise causes of observed disagreements.

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is fostering international cooperation on earth observations with a number of

societal benefit foci, including water resources. The Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Project of the World

Climate Research program (WCRP) places a renewed emphasis on the exploitation of improved data sets of precipitation,

soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and related variables.

The workshop aims at providing a state-of-the-art review of current satellite data products on the terrestrial water cycle

generated using the primary measurements by satellite developers and operators of all Nations.

Emphasis will be on identifying current shortcomings and develop protocols for the comparative evaluation of higher

level data products towards improved accuracy and reliability.

Theme

Theme 1: Observing the terrestrial water cycle from space: current data and information products

(1) Water in the Earth System

　　 - Atmospheric Water Vapour

　　 - Precipitation

　　 - Soil Water Content

　　 - Evapotranspiration

　　 - Lakes

　　 - Snow

　　 - Glaciers

　　 - Permafrost

　　 - Groundwater

(2) State of the Land Surface

　　 - Albedo

　　 - Land Surface Temperature

　　 - LAI

　　 - Vegetation Chlorophyll and Canopy Water Content

　　 - Radiative Forcing (net radiation)

　　 - Sensible and Latent Heat Flux

　　 - Soil Heat Flux

　　 - Biomass of Terrestrial Vegetation

(3) Modeling and Data Assimilation

　　 - Processes: soil water and land surface energy balance, photosynthesis, plant functional types

　　 - Hydrology of River Basins

　　 - Large Area and Global Terrestrial Hydrology

　　 - Data Assimilation in Hydrological Models

Theme 2: Earth Observation of the Terrestrial Water Cycle: the Next Generation

　　 - Young scientists’ innovations and perspectives: “PhD for PhD” workshop

Important Dates

15 November 2012

Call for papers

15 January 2013

Deadline for abstract submission

15 February 2013

Acceptance notification

01 March 2013

Deadline for early registration

01 April 2013

Deadline for paper submission and regular registration

26 – 30 April 2013

WATGLOBS workshop