December 2009 Coastal GTOS: Priorities, Status and Potential Directions Robert R. Christian East Carolina University

Outline Context for CGTOS Priorities Accomplishments, status, connections and potential directions

Coastal Observing Systems GCOS GTOS GOOS The UN Coast C-GOOS (COOP)C-GTOS Coral Reef programs Land and freshwater Oceans and coastal seas Atmosphere IGOS Coastal Theme GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice Other activities

Primary Goal of Coastal GTOS To detect, assess and predict global and large-scale regional change associated with land-based, wetland and freshwater (and when appropriate transitional waters) ecosystems along coasts. Strategic design and phase 1 implementation plan

Mature system to interface with CGOOS –Four key issues of concern –>70 variables –Including socio-economic variables Five immediate, priority products to –Initiate system –Establish improved capability –Provide proofs of concept –Advertise the program Two stages of implementation

Issues of Concern  Population dimensions, land use/land cover and critical habitat alteration (B, C, D);  Sediment delivery (D);  Water cycle/water quality (B, C);  Effects of sea level change, storms and flooding (C). Mature System (to interface with CGOOS)

Proposed Initial Products of C-GTOS Enhancement of TEMS Distribution and rate of change of population, urbanization and land use in the coastal environment (B, C, D) Vulnerability of ecosystem services in deltaic systems (B, C, D) Management of conservation and cultural sites in the coastal zone (B) Distribution of sites appropriate for analyses of delivery systems (D)

Coastal variables & Sites added The list of coastal variables result of efforts by the Coastal GTOS scientific panel, through the development of the C-GTOS Plan, identifying variables that best describe monitoring activities taking place at TEMS sites dealing with coastal issues. Variables are grouped according to the four priority coastal issues addressed by C-GTOS: C-GTOS PlanC-GTOS Sediment loss and delivery Water cycle/water quality Effects of sea level change, storms and flooding Population dimensions, land cover/land use and critical habitat alteration

Deltas Priority Product World Deltas Network

Initial Products of C-GTOS through GLCN 1) digital elevation data to perform geophysical analysis of the delta 2) use of land cover and in situ data to determine ecosystem extent and function 3) analysis of threats and vulnerability of ecosystem services

Potential link to Delta Research And Global Observation Network (DRAGON) The DRAGON partnership is creating an international community of practice to share data on the great deltas and rivers of the world and to develop comparative models and visualization tools in order to facilitate ecological forecasting regarding climate change and development that ultimately helps in guiding decision making.

Conservation of Cultural and Conservation Sites (Sentinel Systems in Observing Systems) Selected and limited number of systems to assess response to global and large-scale regional change and promote programme. Christian, R. R., and S. Mazzilli Defining the coast and sentinel ecosystems for coastal observations of global change. Hydrobiologia 577: (see Hydrobiologia 583:385 for erratum on order of authorship from original. It should read Mazzilli and Christian)

Potential networks of sites ILTER MAB MedWet TNC Ramsar World heritage Etc.

Initial Product of CGTOS Table 3. Number of global program sites located within various coastal area delineations. Percentage of total number of program sites is indicated in parenthesis (%). Coastal area delineationTEMSRamsar UNESCO - MAB UNESCO - WH Within 5km of the coast291 (13%)592 (43%)98 (22%)169 (19%) Within 10km of the coast374 (17%)670 (48%)121 (27%)210 (23%) Within 50km of the coast678 (31%)861 (62%)177 (40%)333 (37%) Within 100km of the coast931 (43%)907 (66%)197 (44%)388 (43%) Less than 100m in elevation500 (23%)803 (58%)113 (25%)246 (27%) Within 100km of the coast and less than 100m elevation462 (21%)770 (56%)106 (24%)231 (26%) Total number of program sites (100%) 1384 (100%)448 (100%)901 (100%)

Wetland Inventory and Partnerships (Ramsar and MedWet) Of the 250 sites 69% are within 100 km of the coastline and 36% are within 5 km of the coastline.

C-GTOS Delivery System Network in Mediterranean & Black Sea Region Information collected on 127 sites Link to LOICZ

IGOS Coastal Theme The IGOS-P Coastal Zone Theme Report: The Theme Report provides the basis for the work of the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice.

GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice The GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) The CZCP brings together scientific and non-scientific experts in an effort to support coastal zone management through utilization of Earth observations and derived products. The CZCP focuses both on research and practical applications related to coastal zone management. The CZCP interacts directly with the User Interface Committee (UIC) of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO).GEO A main activity of the CZCP is the organization of a series of regional workshops addressing the decision support through Earth observations for integrated coastal zone management.

GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards in the Coastal Zone A series of (regional) GEO Workshops organized by the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice June Mediterranean Region (Greece) February 2010 – Africa (Benin) 2010– Northern Africa (Egypt) Sep/Oct 2010 – Americas (Puerto Rico)

Overview of potential future Important role in liaising with other coastal programmes in promoting regional OS –GOOS –LOICZ –GEO CZCP –Ramsar and partners –DRAGON –Coastal lagoon networks –US IOOS Develop deltaic change products Contribute to coastal vulnerability products and white papers

General recommendations for observing system sustainability: Sustainable systems need cultivation. Positive feedback mechanisms are required. Governments are unlikely to provide sustained support without connection to human wellbeing. Observing systems must provide clearly articulated value to society beyond “preserving nature.” Local monitoring programs in isolation have a significant probability of being non-sustainable. Redundancy among monitoring programs (resilience) should not be discouraged. Information management plays a central role and must target a timely delivery of products to address environmental problems appropriately. Sustainable observing systems in the developing world are the largest challenge to global coverage. Adapted from: Christian, R. R., P. M. DiGiacomo, T. C. Malone, and L. Talaue-McManus Opportunities and challenges of establishing coastal observing systems. Estuaries and Coasts 29: