Greenhouse Gases and Other Atmospheric Gases

The World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) collects, archives, and distributes observation data regarding concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases, and provides analytical results on the collected data. This database presents long-term trends and seasonal variations in concentrations of CO2, CH4, and CO derived for the global, hemispheric and zonal means. For N2O, halocarbons, surface O3, NOx and SO2, only time series of monthly mean concentrations are presented because only a small number of stations have reported data thus far. To promote systematic and reliable observation of the global environment, including greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, CFCs, N2O, etc.) and other related gases (e.g., CO, NOx and SO2) in the atmosphere, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) started the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme in 1989. In October 1990, the WMP established the World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in Tokyo as one of the GAW World Central Facilities to collect, archive and distribute data for greenhouse and related gases in the atmosphere and oceans. In August 2002, the WDCGG took over from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) the role of the Data Centre for surface ozone and started to collect data from a number of observation sites throughout the world which are involved in GAW and other scientific monitoring programmes. Mailing address: WMO World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) c/o Japan Meteorological Agency 1-3-4, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8122, Japan Email: [e-mail] Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] Web Site: http://gaw.kishou.go.jp/wdcgg.html