COORDINATED ENHANCED OBSERVING PERIOD (CEOP) INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

The Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) International Workshop, sponsored by NOAA Office of Global Programs and NASA Land Surface Hydrology Program, was held on 27 February 1 March 2001 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. CEOP has been proposed under the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) to coordinate the data from GEWEX Continental Scale Experiments (CSEs) and other regions as well as from regional modeling, remote sensing, and data assimilation sources. Furthermore, this coordination extends beyond data management to the science issues involving water and energy cycle simulation, and prediction and monsoon system studies. The primary purpose of the workshop was to discuss and resolve details regarding the CEOP implementation plan. The following actions are required immediately: • Model output location time series (MOLTS) are required for high temporal resolution modeling studies. The geographic distribution and temporal frequency of the MOLTS be finalized in a way that best suits the identified science plan. • The characteristics (sampling times, data quality, and metadata) and data types of the CSE reference sites need to be further specified for each case. For example, a lack of river flow data at some CSEs may prevent the water balance from being closed. • A pre-CEOP data collection exercise should be undertaken to evaluate the level of effort needed to provide a common format, given the disparate nature of the data sources. • A plan to handle satellite observations initiated in the satellite working group meeting needs to be finalized. • Data assimilation and numerical prediction efforts should be encouraged to participate in CEOP. The implementation plan will be finalized by May 2001. The collection of data for the first phase of CEOP began in July 2001, and will continue through September 2004. This is an optimal period based on considerations of the availability of in situ (CSE) observations as well as new remote sensing platforms.