Coastal initiative of the Global Terrestrial Observing System

The three global observing systems (the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS); the Global Oceanographic Observing System (GOOS); and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS)) are designed to detect and assess global change. A land-based coastal observing system initiative under GTOS is at the beginnings and will lead toward the integration of terrestrial and freshwater observations with marine observations under the auspices of coastal GOOS. The GTOS infrastructure already builds on national, regional and global programs for terrestrial observations, but more emphasis is needed on the unique circumstances of coastal ecosystems. Coastal GTOS will use the observing system philosophy and infrastructure to identify and improve access to data and information about coastal change; assist users to make that access systematically; ensure that appropriate measures are being or can be made; and integrate terrestrial observations with marine observations. Key variables have been defined for GTOS. But major challenges include evaluating these and others for coastal ecosystems and identifying the indicators of coastal condition that operate at appropriate scales.