Global Energy and Water Cylcle Experiment (GEWEX)

Mission: To observe, understand and model the hydrological cycle and energy fluxes in the Earth's atmosphere and at the surface. The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) is an integrated program of research, observations, and science activities ultimately leading to the prediction of global and regional climate change. The International GEWEX Project Office (IGPO) is the focal point for the planning and implementation of all GEWEX activities. The goal of GEWEX is to reproduce and predict, by means of suitable models, the variations of the global hydrological regime, its impact on atmospheric and surface dynamics, and variations in regional hydrological processes and water resources and their response to changes in the environment, such as the increase in greenhouse gases. GEWEX will provide an order of magnitude improvement in the ability to model global precipitation and evaporation, as well as accurate assessment of the sensitivity of atmospheric radiation and clouds to climate change. GEWEX is the core project in the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) concerned with studying the dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmosphere and interactions with the Earth's surface. By virtue of this central role, GEWEX has links with all other WCRP projects, in particular, the Climate Variability and Predictablity (CLIVAR) Project, the Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC) Project, and the Climate and Cryosphere (CIiC) Project. GEWEX plays a central role in the interaction of WCRP with many international organizations and programs dealing with climate observations. As part of WCRP's input to the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), GEWEX brings its unique expertise in two specific societal benefit areas, climate and water. GEWEX is leading in the development of plans for the global data reprocessing effort and a observation strategy, and serves as a demonstration project for future climate observational networks in GEOSS. GEWEX supports the Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations (IGWCO) Theme developed under the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P) and currently part of GEO (activities were merged in 2008). GEWEX also maintains close links to the International Land Ecosystem-Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPs) of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP).