In this issue:
- The 'new' WCRP will soft launch in 2021
- Two new JSC members bring social science to WCRP
- New WCRP Lighthouse Activities
- WCRP Climate Research Forums
- New Head of WCRP Secretariat
- Updates from the Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) and the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP)
- Selected community, sponsor and partner news
Please see our online calendar for the status of meetings and other events.
WCRP Secretariat
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The 'new' WCRP will soft launch in 2021
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In December 2019, WCRP launched its new Strategic Plan. Throughout this year, the community has been discussing how the plan can be implemented to deliver a new WCRP that is ready to tackle the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of climate science in the next decade. This will involve simplifying the WCRP structure and launching a number of ambitious new activities. The details of a 'soft implementation' of the new WCRP will be decided at the Extraordinary Session of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee (30 Nov — 3 Dec 2020). Find out more about what to expect here:
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Draft WCRP Structure: This will be finalized and implemented slowly in early 2021.
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Two new JSC members bring social science to WCRP
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We are pleased to announce that Maria Ivanov and Roberto Sánchez Rodríguez were selected from over 130 excellent applications to join the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee. Both Maria and Roberto come from a social science background and will bring unique and important perspectives to WCRP. You can find out more here.
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New WCRP Lighthouse Activities
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Some of the most exciting ideas being developed as part of the new WCRP are the Lighthouse Activities. They are intended to be:
- Major experiments, high-visibility projects, or infrastructure building blocks
- Activities that truly integrate capabilities across WCRP and with partners
There are five proposed Lighthouse Activities:
- Explaining and Predicting Earth System Change
- My Climate Risk
- Safe Landing Climates
- Digital Earths
- WCRP Academy
Brief outlines of each activity and a list of members of the Science Plan Development Teams can be found here. The outline and any further ideas will be presented at the upcoming Extraordinary Session of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee.
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Image modififed from Pixabay 1838593.
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WCRP Climate Research Forums
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As part of our commitment to being a true 'World' Climate Research Programme, we are embarking on a series of Climate Research Forums. In these forums we will exchange ideas, discuss how to get involved in new activities being developed by WCRP, and, in the longer-term, contribute to building "a world that uses sound, relevant, and timely climate science to ensure a more resilient present and sustainable future for humankind." (our vision)
Fifty scientists from around the world have been nominated as WCRP Regional Focal Points. We are now working with them to design events that are relevant to the places where they live and — we hope — to where you live!
Please find out more and register your interest:
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Image modified from Pixabay 3344515.
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Dr. Mike Sparrow is appointed as Head of WCRP Secretariat
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We are delighted to announce that Dr. Mike Sparrow has been appointed as Head of the WCRP Secretariat and Head of the World Climate Research Division, Science and Innovation Department, WMO. He says, "This is an exciting and challenging time for WCRP. The next few years will bring challenges that can only be addressed through worldwide cooperation and coordination on a number of important issues. Reliable and informative climate science is needed more than ever and WCRP is crucial to this endeavor. I look forward to working with WCRP's Joint Scientific Committee, our co-sponsors, and the many dedicated scientists that are the foundation of our work."
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Fostering next generation Earth system science leaders:
the YESS Strategic Action Plan and virtual engagement
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In the past year, the Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) have developed a new Strategic Action Plan and have been working to understand and support Early Career Researchers (ECRs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also be involved in the upcoming American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, including in a session entitled “Moving Beyond the Standard: A Transdisciplinary Virtual Event for Early-Career Scientists." Discover more here.
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World Weather Research Programme Meetings 2020
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The World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) organized its 2020 meeting from September to October. These sessions assessed the progress of the Programme's working groups and core projects in working towards the goals of the WWRP Implementation Plan (2016-2023) and included two sessions on: 1) Urbanization and 2) Global Data Processing Forecasting Systems (GDPFS) pilot projects. The meetings included invited guests from WCRP, YESS, the Aviation Research Demonstration Project, CoastPredict, TeamX, and Waves to Weather (W2W).
Some of the key points that WWRP will take forward are:
- It would be beneficial to enhance links within the WMO Science and Innovation Department, including WCRP and the Global Atmosphere Watch, and other WMO departments, such as Infrastructure and Services
- WWRP should consider evaluating its three core projects to measure outcomes, successes, and legacy, as they approach the end of the Implementation Plan period in 2023
- WWRP should work towards an Earth system approach and include users and decision-makers to ensure the transfer of science to services
We welcome further interaction with WWRP as we develop the new WCRP.
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- Check out the latest news from GEWEX in their August 2020 Quarterly.
- Read the CLIVAR November Bulletin.
- Scientific highlights at the Polar CORDEX meeting here.
- CORDEX Southeast Asia Outreach and Capacity Building Workshop 17-19 November 2020. Deadline for registration: 13 November 2020. More here.
- The Fifth Meeting of WCRP Grand Challenge on Regional Sea Level Change and Coastal Impacts will be held virtually on 17-18 November 2020. It will include a report on progress and achievements and planning for the second sea level conference planned in Singapore in 2022. More here.
- SPARC is looking for individuals with a broad view of atmospheric science and climate change, as well as expertise in their own field, to join their Scientific Steering Group (SSG). The deadline for nominations is extended until 21 November 2020. You can find out more here.
- The WCRP-CLIVAR Workshop on Climate Interactions among the Tropical Basins will be held online, 24-26 February 2021. This workshop is free of charge but registration is required. Abstract submission deadline: 30 November 2020. More here.
- The deadline for manuscript submission to the research topic on ‘Climate Services for Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise’ in Frontiers in Marine Science, has now been extended to 20 February 2021. The issue is coordinated by the WCRP Grand Challenge on Regional Sea Level Change and Coastal Impacts.
- The new meeting date for the event: QBO@60 – Celebrating 60 years of discovery within the tropical stratosphere has now been fixed to 5-9 July 2021 (the meeting was previously planned for 2020). This will be an in-person meeting at the UK Met Office in Exeter. More here.
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Selected science highlights
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A selection of recent papers chosen the WCRP Secretariat and International Offices.
- Overview: Estimating and reporting uncertainties in remotely sensed atmospheric composition and temperature. Link to paper.
- Butterfly effect and a self-modulating El Niño response to global warming. Learn more here.
- The future sea-level contribution of the Greenland ice sheet: a multi-model ensemble study of ISMIP6. Link to paper.
- Current and Emerging Developments in Subseasonal to Decadal Prediction. Back in June, but a really good overview. Link to paper.
- A monograph written for the AGU Centennial entitled ‘El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate’ was published in October 2020. The book presents the latest theories, models, and observations, and explores the challenges of forecasting ENSO as the climate continues to change. Read more here.
- A framework for research linking weather, climate and COVID-19. Link to paper.
Also: SOLARIS-HEPPA has generated and made available solar forcing recommendations for the planned CCMI experiments in support of the 2022 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion (CCMI-2020). Find out more here. |
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Selected sponsor and partner news
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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
- Multi-agency report highlights the current and future state of the climate in Africa. More here.
- WMO Data Conference will take place from 16 - 19 November 2020, bringing all sectors of society together and discuss the international exchange of Earth System data in the 21st Century. More here.
International Science Council (ISC)
- How can we transform evidence on the human-ocean-health nexus into action? More here.
- Find out about the ISC Awards Programme: Celebrating excellence for the advancement of science as a global public good
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO)
- The Ocean Decade: An opportunity to increase ocean data sharing worldwide. More here.
- New webinar series shares latest research on ocean deoxygenation. More here.
World Health Organization
- WHO published a series of profiles on climate change and health in island states. More here.
Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS)
- SOLAS has released its Implementation Strategy 2020. Read more about the strategy here.
Past Global Changes (PAGES)
- The new Past Global Changes Magazine, titled "Climate Reconstruction and Impacts from the Archives of Societies" is now available here.
- The 6th Open Science Meeting and 4th Young Scientists Meeting in Agadir, Morocco, have been postponed from May 2021 to May 2022.
- The inaugural PAGES Early-Career Award (ECA) recipient is Dr Alicja Bonk, an Assistant Professor at the University of Gdańsk, Poland. More here.
- Applications to join the PAGES Scientific Steering Committee are due 2 April 2021. The term starts January 2022 and runs for three to six years. All details are here.
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A picture worth 1000 words
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Total sea level change between 1992 and 2019, based on data collected from the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3 satellites. See the visualization here.
Visualization by Devika Elakara and Trent L. Schindler. Released on November 5, 2020
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You are receiving this email because you either signed up for the newsletter, signed up for updates on the Implementation of WCRP's Strategic Plan, or because you are a leader within the WCRP community. This newsletter contains information relevant to all three audiences.
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