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Chapter 11
The International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) was established
in 1986 by ICSU with the objective “to describe and understand the
interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate the
total Earth system, the unique environment that it provides for life, the
changes that are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are
influenced by human activities”. For this purpose it has developed science
plans in its eleven Program Elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
BAHC: Biospheric Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle;
DIS: Data and Information System of the IGBP;
GAIM: Global Analysis, Interpretation and Modeling;
GCTE: Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems;
GLOBEC: Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Program;
IGAC: International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project;
JGOFS: Joint Global Ocean Flux Studies;
LOICZ: Land-Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone;
LUCC: Land Use/Cover Change;
PAGES: Past Global Changes; and
START: System for Analysis, Research, and Training (jointly with
WCRP and IHDP).
The International Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Research
Program (IHDP), sponsored by the International Social Science Council
(ISSC) complements IGBP and WCRP by focusing on the socio-economic
aspects of global change.
Both WCRP and IGBP include program elements dedicated to the landsurface processes. Land covers a total of 35% of the Earth’s surface.
Processes at the land-surface represent one of the most important climate
forcings. Understanding, modeling and monitoring the physical, biological
and chemical processes occurring at the land-atmosphere interface is,
therefore, crucial for the analysis and prediction of regional and global
climate change.
Internationally coordinated research efforts in this area have focused on
extensive field experiments involving considerable resources in terms of
ground-, aircraft- and satellite-based observation systems. The driving forces
were the global climate modeling (GCM) community on one hand (seeking
improved and calibrated land-surface parameterizations) and the remote
sensing community on the other (seeking calibration of satellite observing
systems).
In the following two sections we describe in some more detail those
program elements of IGBP and WCRP which have played a central role in
defining and implementing these land-surface experiments (Section 4).
These are IGBP-BAHC and WCRP-GEWEX/ISLSCP. They both focus on
the interaction between the land-surface and the atmosphere, but each from a
Chapter 11
The International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) was established
in 1986 by ICSU with the objective “to describe and understand the
interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate the
total Earth system, the unique environment that it provides for life, the
changes that are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are
influenced by human activities”. For this purpose it has developed science
plans in its eleven Program Elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
BAHC: Biospheric Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle;
DIS: Data and Information System of the IGBP;
GAIM: Global Analysis, Interpretation and Modeling;
GCTE: Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems;
GLOBEC: Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Program;
IGAC: International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project;
JGOFS: Joint Global Ocean Flux Studies;
LOICZ: Land-Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone;
LUCC: Land Use/Cover Change;
PAGES: Past Global Changes; and
START: System for Analysis, Research, and Training (jointly with
WCRP and IHDP).
The International Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Research
Program (IHDP), sponsored by the International Social Science Council
(ISSC) complements IGBP and WCRP by focusing on the socio-economic
aspects of global change.
Both WCRP and IGBP include program elements dedicated to the landsurface processes. Land covers a total of 35% of the Earth’s surface.
Processes at the land-surface represent one of the most important climate
forcings. Understanding, modeling and monitoring the physical, biological
and chemical processes occurring at the land-atmosphere interface is,
therefore, crucial for the analysis and prediction of regional and global
climate change.
Internationally coordinated research efforts in this area have focused on
extensive field experiments involving considerable resources in terms of
ground-, aircraft- and satellite-based observation systems. The driving forces
were the global climate modeling (GCM) community on one hand (seeking
improved and calibrated land-surface parameterizations) and the remote
sensing community on the other (seeking calibration of satellite observing
systems).
In the following two sections we describe in some more detail those
program elements of IGBP and WCRP which have played a central role in
defining and implementing these land-surface experiments (Section 4).
These are IGBP-BAHC and WCRP-GEWEX/ISLSCP. They both focus on
the interaction between the land-surface and the atmosphere, but each from a