| Abstrakt: |
Climate monitoring, prediction and research have become a core pillar of the global response to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Improved accuracy about the pace of change and better definition of uncertainty levels improves policy definition and may accelerate a global consensus. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), along other international organizations, sponsor the Global Climate Observation System (GCOS). GCOS supports the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Operationally, the GCOS has identified 44 Essential Climate Variables (ECV) as being essential to understanding the climate change process and developing the appropriate mitigation and adaptation policies. They are needed to determine the prevailing climate of any given region and to measure rates of change of variables, such as temperature and rainfall (monitoring), to assess the future state of the climate system, years and decades ahead (prediction), supported by continued developments in the collection, archiving, analysis and application of climate data (research). A considerable number of the identified ECVs can be obtained through or at least with significant input from space-based observations. All space-based observations, including ECVs, can be and are already used for a multiplicity of policy applications across policy areas such as climate change, biodiversity, disaster response or monitoring etc. This paper reviews the status of earth observing satellites within the framework of the GCOS, the basic requirements for generating ECVs are identified. Finally the status of space based data for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Nigeria is appraised and suggestions are put forward for an optimal utilisation of space based data within GCOS specification in the country; particularly with the launching of the Nigerian earth observing satellite (Nigeria Sat-2) and the ample number of GNSS-CORS in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
