The level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rises constantly, heating up our planet. Observing the levels of greenhouse gas emissions is essential to predict climate change and mitigate its consequences.
The Integrated Carbon Observation System, ICOS provides standardised and open data from close to 180 measurement stations across 16 European countries. The stations observe greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere as well as carbon fluxes between the atmosphere, the land surface and the oceans. Thus, ICOS is rooted in three domains: Atmosphere, Ecosystem and Ocean.
The ICOS community consists of more than 500 scientists in both its current Member and Observer countries and beyond. More than 80 renowned universities or institutes are a part of the ICOS community. The ICOS community has strong connections to colleagues and operators outside ICOS. ICOS-based knowledge supports policy- and decision-making to combat climate change and its impacts.
We produce standardised, high-precision and long-term observations on greenhouse gases, used by scientists and decision makers in predicting and mitigating climate change
We aim to provide high-quality data and elaborated data products for science on the carbon cycle and for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and sinks across Europe.
What means ICOS RI? What are GHGs? The list contains the most common abbreviations used in the ICOS.