Climate Monitoring:

1
Climate Monitoring  What can a small group of
Expert Team volunteers accomplish?

• Thomas C. Peterson
• Chair, CCl Open Programme Area Group on
  Monitoring and Analysis of Climate Variability
  and Change

2
What can a small group of volunteers accomplish?

• It is a good question.
• I asked myself that at the first meeting of a
  Working Group I chaired.
• Before I give the answer . . .

3
What is an Expert?

• An Expert is someone who knows some of the worst
  mistakes that can be made in his subject, and how
  to avoid them.
• Werner Heisenberg, 1971
• Was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1932
• Heisenberg uncertainty principle The more
  precisely the position is determined, the less
  precisely the momentum is known in this instant,
  and vice versa. --Heisenberg, 1927

4
What is a Goal?

• Goals are dreams with deadlines.
• Diana Scharf Hunt, author of a time management
  book

5
Determining what is Important

• Maturation as a scientist involves many
  components, but a key one for me was the
  development of taste, much as it is in the
  enjoyment of art, music, food, or wine. One
  needs to learn what problems are important. I
  sensed myself developing taste, distinguishing
  what was interesting from what was not and
  among the things that were interesting, I also
  learned what was doable.
• Eric R. Kandal, 2006
• Recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology
  or Medicine
• From his book In Search of Memory

6
What can a small group of volunteers accomplish?

• What ever you want.
• So choose things that are
• Important
• Doable
• Unlikely to be done without you
• Beyond what any one of you acting alone without
  the WMO banner could do

7
What are your strong points?

• International recognition
• Global coordination
• Inspiration of local and regional activity
• Some remarkable individuals in this room
• With energy and desire to contribute

8
What are your weak points?

• Some individuals may not follow through with
  their agreed upon action
• Best intentions at a meeting can conflict with a
  sudden new request from a boss when you get home
• Team members who dont contribute are seldom
  asked to serve on a team again
• Remind your boss that agreeing to serve on the
  team means having agreed to work with the team

9
Optimal projects

• Tasks that are win/win
• Where they help the global climate monitoring
  community (CCl goal)
• Help you accomplish your institutions goals
• Help you accomplish your personal professional
  goals
• Good opportunity to raise your international
  visibility
• Good results lead to interesting new opportunities

10
But the main thing is

• Do something!

11

• It is doubtful whether a man ever brings his
  faculties to bear with their full force on a
  subject until he writes upon it.
• Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106 BC to 43 BC