|Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)| |The Global Climate
Observing System (GCOS) was established in 1992 to ensure that
the observations and information needed to address climate-
related issues are obtained and made available to all potential
users. It is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the International Council for Science
(ICSU). GCOS is intended to be a long-term, user-driven
operational system capable of providing the comprehensive
observations required for monitoring the climate system, for
detecting and attributing climate change, for assessing the
impacts of climate variability and change, and for supporting
research toward improved understanding, modelling and prediction
of the climate system. It addresses the total climate system
including physical, chemical and biological properties, and
atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, cryospheric and terrestrial
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