Climate Indicators
Climate Indicators – Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)
An Essential Climate Variable (ECV), also known as Climate Indicator, is a physical, chemical, biological variable or a group linked variables that critically contributes to the characterization of Earth’s climate. ECV datasets provide empirical evidence needed to understand and predict evolution of climate, to guide mitigation and adaptation measures, to assess risks and enable attribution of climate events to underlying causes and to underpin climate services. They support the work of United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) works towards a world where climate observations are accurate, sustained and access to climate data is free and open. It is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Inter-Governmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment) and the International Science Council (ISC). GCOS expert panels maintain definitions of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) which are required to systematically observe Earth’s changing climate
GCOS currently specifies 55 ECVs under different categories and subcategories.
55 Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)
Core variables used to monitor the Earth system – organised under Atmosphere, Land and Ocean.
SURFACE
- Precipitation
- Surface Pressure
- Surface Radiation Budget
- Surface Temperature
- Surface Water Vapour
- Surface Wind Speed & Direction
- Upper-air Temperature
UPPER ATMOSPHERE
- Earth Radiation Budget
- Lightning
- Upper-air Water Vapour
- Upper-air Wind Speed & Direction
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION
- Clouds
- Aerosols
- CO₂, CH₄ & other GHGs
- Ozone
- Precursors for Aerosols & Ozone
HYDROLOGY
- Groundwater
- Lakes
- River Discharge
- Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS)
- Evaporation from Land
- Soil Moisture
CRYOSPHERE
- Glaciers
- Ice Sheets & Ice Shelves
- Permafrost
- Snow
BIOLOGY
- Above-ground Biomass
- Albedo
- Fire
- FAPAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation)
- Land Cover
- Land Surface Temperature
- Leaf Area Index
- Soil Carbon
HUMAN USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
- Anthropogenic GHG Emissions
- Anthropogenic Water Use
PHYSICAL
- Ocean Surface Heat Flux
- Sea Ice
- Sea Level
- Sea State
- Surface Currents
- Sea Surface Salinity
- Surface Stress
- Sea Surface Temperature
- Subsurface Currents
- Subsurface Salinity
- Subsurface Temperature
BIOGEOCHEMICAL
- Inorganic Carbon
- Nitrous Oxide
- Nutrients
- Ocean Colour
- Oxygen
- Transient Tracers
BIOLOGICAL / ECOSYSTEMS
- Marine Habitats
- Plankton
ECVs Monitored by SUPARCO
Aerosols
PARTICULATE MATTER & AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH
Greenhouse Gases
Spaceborne gas concentration tracking
CO₂ & CH₄
Ozone
TOTAL ATMOSPHERIC OZONE VARIABILITY AND TRENDS
Lakes
Water Quality
Glaciers
Extent and retreat monitoring
Mass Balance
Snow Cover
Seasonal dynamics & water equivalent
SWE Mapping
Biomass
Vegetation estimation & accounting
Forest Carbon
Wildfires
Active detection & severity analysis
Burn Mapping
Land Cover
Classification & change detection
LULC Maps
Land Temp
Urban & agricultural temperature
LST Data
Sea Surface Temp
Coastal & ocean observations
SST Mapping
Leaf Area Index
Vegetation structure & phenology
LAI Metrics
Coastal Habitat
Ecosystem extent & change tracking
Mangrove Maps