ICOS-ESPAÑA: Consolidation and growth of the ICOS-Spain greenhouse gas observation network

The European Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS-ERIC) has established an observation network that operates under the same technical and scientific standards to have high-precision and long-term measurements of concentrations and flows of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) that allow the development of high-impact research. These data will help quantify and understand the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and other GHGs in the Earth-Atmosphere system and its response to climate change and other environmental challenges. To achieve this, ICOS-ERIC offers public data to researchers and society in general on the carbon cycle and other GHGs, collected by 170 stations distributed in 16 national nodes: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Spain.

Spain officially joined ICOS-RI in 2021, once its membership application was approved at the 12th General Assembly, held in November 2020. Spain’s participation has allowed us to expand the geographical coverage of the network’s observations to the Iberian Peninsula, to the northern subtropical zone of the Atlantic Ocean and to the Mediterranean coast.

Currently, ICOS-Spain is made up of six stations and has the participation of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN), the Spanish Institute of Oceanography of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (IEO-CSIC), the Center for Mediterranean Environmental Studies (CEAM), the University of Valladolid (UVa) and the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). The Ministry of Science, Innovation and University (MICIU), through the General Subdirectorate of Internationalization of Science and Innovation, represents Spain in ICOS-ERIC and, through an agreement with AEMET, transfers technical coordination to this institution of the national node.

The General Objective of ICOS-ESPAÑA is to strengthen its internal coordination to consolidate its existing GHG monitoring stations and incorporate new stations that help extend the geographical coverage of the national network, search for and support potential candidate stations that could be part of the network for the development of climate actions necessary to achieve the objectives of the Climate Change Law, promoting greater interoperability between various actors, from research centers to government agencies and private companies, including educational centers as the basis for social formation.

The hottest topic in environmental sciences is, without a doubt, the transition to a sustainable society, which achieves the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of the European Green Deal. By studying changes in existing carbon sinks in nature and the potential to create new natural sinks, ICOS-Spain provides key knowledge and data for a science-based transition. As part of ICOS, we will contribute to the development of the WMO Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring (GGGW), a monitoring initiative aimed at supporting WMO members in mitigation actions to implement the Paris Agreement.