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Report 2008: Arctic Ocean Observing System 10.03.09
The integrated Arctic Ocean Observing System (iAOOS) is designed to optimize the cohesion and coverage of Arctic ocean science during the International Polar Year (IPY) and beyond. iAOOS' main concern is with arctic change, including all aspects of the role of the Northen Seas in climate. WCRP, through its Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project, established the basis for an Arctic Ocean Observing System and sustained Arctic observing networks. Find report.
SPARC Report: The Role of Halogen Chemistry in Polar Stratospheric Ozone Depletion 05.03.09
There is a strong scientific link between the emissions of organic chlorine and bromine containing compounds and the catalytic loss of ozone over polar regions in the late winter and spring of each year since the 1970s. An initiative of the WCRP project on Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC) created in 2007 focuses on halogen chemistry and in particular, on the chlorine monoxide (ClO) dimer photolysis rate and its role in stratospheric ozone depletion. Read report of the June 2008 Cambridge, UK Workshop.
Journal of Climatology - Special Issue: Climate Extremes - Progress and Future Directions 05.03.09
CLIVAR scientist Dr Lisa Alexander and colleagues have issued a compilation of articles related to climate extremes (International Journal of Climatology: Vol. 29, No. 3). The WCRP Task Force on Climate Extremes focuses on understanding the occurrence, evolution and role of extreme events within the Earth's climate system and their representation in climate prediction models. More.
CLIVAR-Vamos Exchanges: February 2009 05.03.09
The WCRP project on Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) and its Variability of the American Monsoons Systems panel (VAMOS) have published a joint newsletter with feature articles including The Horn of Africa Regional Climate Model Inter-comparison Project; VAMOS Activities on Anthropogenic Climate Change; Variability of the American Monsoon Systems and Extremes. Download Exchanges No. 48.
WCRP e-zine No. 13 05.03.09
Science highlights in the WCRP March newsletter include: First WCRP Regional Climate Projections Workshop held in Toulouse, France; WMO-ICSU International Polar Year ceremony; CLIVAR Spain network discusses Climate in Spain: Past, Present and Future; IOC-UNESCO declaration and report on Ocean Acidification. Download WCRP e-zine No. 13.
EOS transactions: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions During Cyclone Nargis 03.03.09
Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Myanmar on 2 May 2008 during a time, when the international community was implementing a sustained Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS), an initiative coordinated by the WCRP-CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel. Read EOS transactions article by Dr McPhaden and colleagues (open access to supplementary material, AGU password required for access to full article).
BAMS: Revolution in Climate Prediction is both Necessary and Possible 26.02.09
The need for a quantum leap in advancing climate modelling and tackling its challenges was the background of the historical World Modelling Summit for Climate Prediction, held in Reading, UK, May 2008. BAMS recently issued the Summit Declaration prepared by Prof. Jagadish Shukla and colleagues. BAMS; WCRP report No. 131.
SPARC news: January 2009 17.02.09
The WCRP project on Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC) has issued an update on its activities including feature articles on the SPARC Dynamics and Variability Project (DynVar); the SPARC Perspective on the World Modelling Summit (WCRP report No. 131); and the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change. Download SPARC newsletter No. 32.
World Modelling Summit for Climate Prediction 26.01.09
The need for a quantum leap in advancing climate modelling and tackling its challenges was the background of the historical World Modelling Summit for Climate Prediction, held in Reading, UK, May 2008. The Summit brought together, perhaps for the first time, a diverse set of experts from the weather, climate and environment community (now online: WCRP report No. 131).
Special Issue: Hydrologic Effect of a Shrinking Cryosphere 13.01.09
The WCRP Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project and the Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre (W-CIRC) have joined expertise to prepare a special issue on the Hydrologic Effect of a Shrinking Cryosphere. The publication edited by Terry Prowse, member of the CliC Scientific Steering Group, contains comprehensive review articles on the response of the world's glaciers and ice sheets, snowpack and permafrost to global warming and their effects on river run-off, water quality and geomorphology. More.
WCRP Accomplishment Report 2007-2008: Climate Research in Service to Society 18.12.08
The WCRP Accomplishment Report 2007-2008, with a feature article on Advances in Modelling and Seamless Prediction chronicles recent activities and achievements of WCRP and its four core projects (CLIVAR, GEWEX, SPARC and CliC), diverse cross-cutting initiatives and many collaborations. Print the PDF or order hard copy from wcrp@wmo.int.
WCRP e-zine: December issue 01.12.08
Science Highlights include: WCRP 2007-2008 Accomplishment Report now available; CLIVAR endorses Southwest Pacific Ocean Circulation-Climate Experiment (SPICE); SPARC invites the atmospheric community to participate in discussions on its research agenda; GEWEX and the Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) reinvigorate model parameterization research; 7th International Polar Day: Above the Poles. E-zine.
Report: Third Meeting of WCRP Observation and Assimilation Panel (WOAP) 01.12.08
A major concern at the Third WOAP Meeting held September 2008 in Boulder, CO, USA, was the development and improvement of climate data records which are used for studies and assessments of climate variability and change. Find report.
Latest news from GEWEX and CLIVAR 25.11.08
Highlights in the November issue of GEWEX news include: advances in collaboration on parameterizations; progress in quantifying cloud-climate feedback uncertainties; latest research on cloud microphysics (more). No. 47 of CLIVAR Exchanges features articles on the launch of the new CLIVAR programme SPICE; the role of West African coastal upwelling in the genesis of tropical cyclones; Madden-Julian Oscillation forecasting at operational modelling centres (more).
WCRP e-zine: September issue 02.09.08
Science Highlights include: GEWEX Global Precipitation Climatology Project's record shows precipitation trends; Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC) commenced 1 August; CEOP Satellite Data Gateway opens; WCRP seeks dialogue with policy makers at UNFCCC SBSTA; WMO Executive Council established a Research Task Team on Seamless Prediction; African Climate Change Fellowship. Download WCRP e-zine No. 11.
27-year precipitation record shows regional/global trends and correlation with temperature 19.08.08
Two recent papers based upon the GEWEX Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) 27-year data set highlight strong tropical but weak global trends for increasing precipitation, as well as a correlation with increasing surface temperature. More. See also the GEWEX May newsletter.
CLIVAR Exchanges: Natural Modes of Variability under Anthropogenic Climate Change 14.08.08
The July issue of WCRP/CLIVAR Exchanges (No. 46) on Natural Modes of Variability under Anthropogenic Climate Change is now available for download.
Revolutionising Climate Prediction 10.06.08
The World Modelling Summit for Climate Prediction, jointly organized by WCRP, IGBP and the World Weather Research Programme (6-9 May 2008, Reading, UK) was organised to develop a strategy to revolutionise prediction of the climate through the 21st century to help address the threat of climate change. Read more on the Climate Prediction Project.
Assessment of Global Precipitation Products 10.06.08
The comprehensive assessment conducted by the WCRP/Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Radiation Panel compiles and reviews current global precipitation data records which have been assembled by combining observations from space-based and in situ measurements covering land and oceans for a period of 25 years. Download report (pdf, 2.3 MB).
Climate model projects short-term cooling 06.05.08
A new study published on 1 May in Nature predicts a slight cooling of Europe and North America due to a temporary weakening of the ocean current which regulates global temperatures, masking the effect of human-induced climate change. "Global warming may enter into a lull period until 2015" says the study. WCRP is advancing the science of decadal-scale climate prediction in a new cross-cutting initative.
CLIVAR Exchanges: the North American Monsoon Experiment 05.05.08
The April issue of WCRP/CLIVAR Exchanges is dedicated to the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME). NAME is a ten year, international, multi-agency and multi-institution research programme aimed at improving predictions of warm season precipitation over North America associated with variations in the North American Monsoon system. Download newsletter.
More evidence for man-made changes in precipitation 24.04.08
An international team of scientists has detected the first direct evidence of human influence on changes in global patterns of rain and snowfall. "We find that anthropogenic forcing has had a detectable and attributable influence on the latitudinal pattern of large-scale precipitation change", says the study led by Drs Xuebin Zhang and Francis Zwiers. Read feature article.
Drift expedition has produced unique data about the hibernal atmosphere above the central Arctic 24.04.08
The Russian expedition NP35 has spent seven months on a drifting ice floe in the central Arctic studying for the first time the atmosphere during polar night. Results from the NP35 expedition will deliver an important output for the CliC and SPARC projects of the WCRP. Read AWI press release.
CLIVAR/VAMOS! Newsletter of the American Monsoon Systems project 26.03.08
Issue 4 of the Variability of the American Monsoon Systems (VAMOS) project newsletter is highlighting progress made in the understanding of the intraseasonal variability of the summer monsoons of the Americas - on time scales longer than a week but shorter than a season - and discusses how this knowledge is applied for prediction of the summer climate. Download newsletter (PDF, 1.6 MB).
Special issue dedicated to GEWEX research 19.02.08
Volume 8, issue 4 of the Journal of Hydrometeorology is dedicated to WCRP/GEWEX contributions to large-scale hydrometeorology. Hydrometeorological research has been used to improve process understanding and forecast models, provide datasets for model validation, and support water resource applications. More.
Proposed roadmap for improving skill in seasonal prediction 19.02.08
A Position Paper of the First WCRP Seasonal Prediction Workshop (4-7 June 2007, Barcelona, Spain) has been issued outlining a set of specific recommendations for improving seasonal prediction skill and enhancing the use of seasonal prediction information for societal benefit. Download report.
Lessons learnt for better climate change observations and research 04.02.08
Learning from the authors of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and its findings to help guide future strategies for climate change observations and research was the key objective of the GCOS-WCRP-IGBP Sydney Workshop held in Australia, October 2007. The 'lessons learnt' have now been published; full report (pdf, 1.5 MB).
BALTEX has a success story to tell 23.01.08
The "BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin" (BACC) is now published as a book at Springer. GKSS, the home institution of the BALTEX Secretariat has issued a press release about the book. For more information, see the BACC website.
The Workshop on Western Tropical Pacific 17.01.08
The Workshop on Western Tropical Pacific: Hatchery for ENSO and Global Teleconnections that took place in Guangzhou, China, 26-28 November 2007, was organized to bring together the relevant scientific expertise to assess, amongst others, the role of the South China Sea in the climate system, the improvements in ENSO predictions, the links between the Madden Julian Oscillation, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the mean state, and the global impacts of the latest ENSO event. See more information.
Regional-Scale Climate Modelling Workshop 12.10.07
Extended abstracts of a WMO/WCRP-sponsored Regional-Scale Climate Modelling Workshop
High-resolution climate modelling: assessment, added value and applications
Lund, Sweden, 29 March-2 April 2004
Editors: Lars Bärring and René Laprise
Climate Change in the La Plata Basin 18.09.07
A 200-page strong report has been published resulting from the IAI-project Trends in the hydrological cycle of the la Plata basin: Raising awareness and new tools for water management. WCRP through GEWEX and CLIVAR runs a long-standing project, the La Plata Basin (LPB) project, that focusses on the basin's hydrology and climate. The la Plata basin is the fifth largest basin in the world, second only to the Amazon Basin.
Day-to-Day Monsoon Monitoring 22.06.07
A new website launched by the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) shows daily updates on the Asian monsoon circulation and time series of monsoon indices for the Indian, the Western North Pacific and the Australian monsoon. More.
Designing Next Generation Models 06.06.07
Modeling groups are now making decisions on what form their next generation models will take to be used for climate change projections as well as a possible IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. The new summary report 'A strategy for climate change stabilization experiments with atmosphere-ocean general circulation models and Earth system models' (WCRP Informal Report No.3/2007) results from the Aspen Workshop held from 30 July to 5 August 2006 in Aspen, Colorado, USA, and proposes a new set of experiments to be designed.
African Climate Research - new insights on DVD 06.06.07
WCRP has produced a DVD jointly with the World Climate Programme and START on a Workshop for Young Scientists held in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania, 28 March 2007. Watch the DVD and see their presentations.
New
Study on Under-Ice Lakes in Antarctica
25.02.07
Scientists have discovered an extensive labyrinth of
connected lakes and rivers beneath a fast-moving Antarctic ice
stream through deformations in the ice-sheet surface that provide
clues as to how 'leaks' in the system impact sea-level and behaviour
of the world's largest ice sheet. Read feature
article on WCRP/CliC research.
2006 - Ranking among Record Years
15.02.07
'Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12
warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface
temperature (since 1850)' says the IPCC AR4 Summary for
Policymakers. With the Annual Statements, the
World Climate
Programme (WCP) provides a comprehensive historical perspective
on the variability and trends of surface temperatures, precipitation
and extreme events since the nineteenth century. The WCP February
Newsletter features the 2006 state of climate. Download
feature article.
Sea-Level on the Rise 2.02.2007
The Sea-level is rising at a faster rate than previously estimated. A new comparison of actual sea-level measurements with corresponding predictions from computer models suggests that past projections may have underestimated the extent of global sea-level rise. 'Our study reveals alarming sea-level trends based on data that has not been available before' says John Church, WCRP Chair and co-author of the study, which was published online 1 February 2007 in Science.
Special Issues on Climate Predictability 8.01.2007
Since 1995 CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability) is the main focus in WCRP
for studies of climate variability, predictability and change. Two
latest volumes of the AMS Journal of Climate include special
sections with papers on major CLIVAR events: on the 1st
WCRP CLIVAR Science Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA,
21-25 June 2004 (Vol.
19, Issue 20), and on the CLIVAR
Workshop on Atlantic Climate Predictability held in Reading, UK,
19-22 April 2004 (Vol.
19, Issue 23).
Monthly GPCP Precipitation Product
25.09.06
The distribution of precipitation around the globe is critical in determining the habitability of various locations. Water management for agriculture,
electrical power and flood control, and drought and flood monitoring all require
quantitative information. The WCRP Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) quantifies the distribution of precipitation around the globe since 1986. In support of this work, an international group of precipitation experts
develops the monthly GPCP Version 2 Satellite-Gauge Combined Precipitation Product available on the www.gewex.org website.
Research Activities in Atmospheric and Ocean Modelling
30.08.06
The Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) publishes annually the report entitled "Research Activities in Atmospheric and Ocean Modelling" also known as 'Blue Book'. To gain access to it's digital version first visit the WGNE site and get a login ID/Username and password. If you have difficulties accessing the site please contact wcrp@wmo.int.
DVDs from the US
Joint Global Ocean Flux Study 07.08.06
WCRP ocean scientists have long been awaiting them: the last two
volumes of the US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) Final Data
Report (3 and 4, results from the Synthesis and Modelling Project)
are now available on request.
Documentation
of the Big Melt 05.07.2006
The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder Colorado displays an image gallery of 14 pairs of photos taken of Alaska's glaciers from the same locations as much of 104
year apart. Curators plan to post more photos to illustrate the dramatic shrinkage of glaciers. |
