1. AGG Report Back to AOPC Phil Jones and Tim Oakely

2. Changes to the GSN/GUAN Networks GSN Canada has informed GCOS of 4 closures and suggested 4 new sites (all less than a km away). Jordan has informed of 2 closures and suggested 2 new sites. Neither informed GCOS before the changes were made GUAN 3 sites are not reporting since 2013 – Karachi, Honiara and Port Moresby. Do we remove them from the list? What does AOPC/AGG do when stations don’t report? – to be discussed later

3. Project Reports Madagascar for GSN - need to learn from this project wrt future ones Reporting better, but it is from the original manned stations and not the AWSs? CLIMAT- producing software is working better and we’re getting CLIMATs from the manned stations! Problems with BUFR, but this is issues with BUFR and not this project. Issues: Can we get the parallel measurements from the manned and AWS sites? These are useful to look at as they are for a tropical location. AWSs here require the replacement of SIM Cards every year. Power outages at the centre mean that data doesn’t get out when down. Better if data went to the cloud and not to the centre, but this would have data issues with the NMS? Can the missing CLIMATs be rescued from the NMS if the Met Office go back?

4. Other Projects: Angola/DRC for the GSN and GUAN Other GSN-based projects in abeyance. Equipment at the HQ in the country (Angola/DRC), but no way of getting this to the stations. Tim now has a contact who can go to several African countries to check on issues GUAN Gan and Harare have had their hydrogen generators repaired. Yerevan – GCOS is supplying sondes. Hydrogen Generators, Lack of Sondes and Communication Problems are the main reasons why some GUAN sites don’t report.

5. Monitoring Undertaken at centres such as DWD/JMA and NCDC. Tim using these, but who else is? Tim produces these for GSN (and also RBCN) and also GUAN, based on statistics from NCDC/NCEI. NCEI maps differ from DWD for GSN for some countries. No station receipt (on some of Tim’s maps) in Sweden, Iran, Oman, Sudan – as well as the obvious ones – Iraq and Somalia, DRC? Comparison of GSN lists at the differing centres? Is it worth producing a Report Card on receipts at DWD/JMA, ECMWF, NCEI for each country? Tim has produced useful Tables of performance of GUAN stations, but could these be improved? These illustrate need to boost Pacific Islands for GUAN. East Africa poor for GUAN.

6. Actions from 2014 Little progress seems to have been made from our meeting at ISPRA last year. -Strengthening membership of GSN and GUAN -Manual for Congress -CCI Data Rescue -Tiered Networks Role of CBS Lead Centres - several appear to be doing nothing.

7. BUFR – based on a Report from the Met Office to ECMWF ECMWF were not making much use of significant levels cf MOHC. Taking account of position of the sonde during the ascent. Position unique to BUFR. 55% of countries using reformatted TEMPs for BUFR! 15% of native BUFR - mainly Europe, Canada and Mexico. Operational centres will whitelist BUFR stations, then use. Also discussed SYNOP data availability in BUFR.

8. In terms of strengthening GSN and GUAN, we need to do…. Need a Daily CLIMAT in the Implementation Plan. Vital to get access to daily data, for numerous reasons. What happened at CBS? The CBS Lead Centres are not always working – Chile, Iran, Mozambique, Morocco. Centres at BAS, NCDC, DWD and JMA are working. When will the lead centres meet next? Do these need re-invigorating? Convert the AGG into a WG of AOPC? Does AGG need to meet more regularly? This doesn’t need to be physically meet. Could this include more of the CBS Lead Centres? Update regulations – GCOS 144 and 182

9. Other issues Indian sondes? 4 seem to be producing good data according to Tim. Emails to India haven’t been answered. Do we and how do we get them added to GUAN? Russian network – will go back to two sondes per day from April 1. Went to one a day from Jan 1, 2015. NCDC Archive is what NCDC collects and not what DWD/JMA monitor. WWR volume for the 2000s – NCDC. For previous decades that has greatly improved monthly station data availability in Africa, South America and southern Asia. Daily station data is often available in some countries – to those country scientists, but these can not be disseminated beyond the country.

10. Daily CLIMAT message summary of an email from Jay Lawrimore 1.) CCL endorsed the need for this. CBS developed a template for 'daily CLIMAT' messages; it is expected to be classified 'operational' as of 6 May 2015; 2.) Jay will consider proposing national use of the template and validation of its usefulness in the United States (to be done in 2015 if possible at all); 3.) Jay/Tom/Peer to help identifying a CCl representative from a different country to accompany the validation exercise and submit a report to CCl MG with recommendations re global implementation of daily CLIMAT messages; 4.) CCl MG to advise on further steps; Secretariat to assist regarding formalities.