Scientists in South Africa in the fields of ocean, terrestrial, and atmospheric carbon observation have recently concluded a workshop focused on building capacity to accurately observe changing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sources and sinks. The workshop, titled “Integrated Regional Observation Carbon-Climate Constraints,” aimed to bring together various scientists in these fields to collaborate and strengthen South Africa’s ability to monitor carbon.
The workshop was described as a bottom-up initiative to establish a gold standard of carbon observation within the next three to five years. Prior to the workshop, scientists in the country were individually conducting related research but lacked coordination. The workshop and future initiatives seek to address this issue and combine efforts to create a more comprehensive approach.
Professor Pedro Monteiro from Stellenbosch University’s School for Climate Studies highlighted the progress that has already been made in certain areas of the regional ocean-land-atmosphere system. Through machine learning techniques, scientists have been able to reconstruct 20-30 year maps of regional carbon variability. The goal now is to extend this capability to the entire region and integrate it into a cohesive framework.
To facilitate collaboration and strengthen the impact of South African carbon-climate science, institutions such as the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) have been instrumental. The DSI has made investments in scientific and engineering infrastructure capabilities through programs like the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR).
Improving carbon dioxide emissions observations is crucial for South Africa to increase confidence in model projections and support national and international mitigation policies, including efforts towards net-zero CO2 emissions and negative emissions. Dr. Gregor Feig, manager of the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON), emphasized the importance of monitoring carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and described it as a priority for South Africa.
The workshop was held in Pretoria and included participation from various institutions such as the NRF, universities, the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment, the SA Weather Service, and the DSI-CSIR Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observatory (SOCCO). The workshop provided a platform for scientists in South Africa to collaborate and work towards a common goal of enhancing carbon observation capabilities.
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