World Meteorological Organization’s Global Cryosphere Watch launches revamped website
The World Meteorological Organization’s Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) has launched its redesigned website that enhances both its functionality and user experience. The site serves as a key gateway to the GCW Data Portal, providing users with access to valuable cryosphere metadata. GCW and PCAPS are closely interconnected, with GCW's efforts in advancing cryospheric observation, data standardization and data sharing contributing to PCAPS' objective of providing more accurate and reliable analyses and predictions in polar regions.
Home page of the GCW website, operated on behalf of the WMO, by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC).
GCW is an initiative of the WMO that fosters international coordination and partnerships between operational and research communities. Its primary goals are to enhance the availability of cryospheric observations and to provide access to authoritative data, information, and analyses on the past, current, and future state of the cryosphere.
Operating under the authority of the Infrastructure Commission of WMO, GCW acts as the cryosphere subject-matter expert body of the Commission, with a focus on the application of cryospheric sciences and the relevant WMO activities in Antarctica.
GCW provides bridges between research and operational activities of WMO and serves as a pathway for the transfer of mature research results related to polar regions and the cryosphere into operations. For example, GCW is working with PCAPS to support innovation in observing methods, standardization of data formats in the WMO Information System, and increasing access to cryospheric data.
One of the flagship activities of GCW is to foster the development of pilot project proposals for cryospheric products incorporated into the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS), based on mature research results. PCAPS co-chair Jørn Kristiansen recently presented on ‘Sea ice activities in PCAPS’ at the GCW-WIPPS Meeting, held at the WMO Headquarters in Geneva in December 2024.
The GCW website is operated on behalf of the WMO by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC). The website also offers many other features, such as selection of cryosphere “trackers” developed by GCW and its partners. These trackers, which are updated every few days based on recent satellite observations and model simulations, provide near-real-time information about the current state of the cryosphere relative to the past few decades.
The FMI/GCW SWE Tracker, developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) based on GlobSnow snow water equivalent (SWE). Figure credit: FMI
For more information about GCW and its activities, please visit the GCW website or follow GCW on LinkedIn.