WCRP Open Science Conference

Plenary Sessions
The plenary sessions consist of invited talks by leading scientists. The plenary talks will address the overall research and intellectual challenges across the WCRP spectrum of activities on a specified topic.
MONDAY 24 October 8:30-10:30 Session A1	Theme A1: Climate Research in Service to Society (Chair: G. Asrar) Welcoming Remarks by Bill Ritter, former Governor of the State of Colorado Opening Remarks and Expectations for the Week (A. Busalacchi) Welcome by Local Host: Roger Wakimoto, Director of National Center for Atmospheric Research Keynote address by Thomas R. Karl (NOAA, chair USGCRP Subcommittee on Global Change Research): Scientific Grand Challenges from the USGCRP Perspective Welcome Address and Expectations from the WCRP sponsors: - WCRP: a Key Instrument for UN Climate Research - Wendy Watson-Wright, Executive Director of Intergovernmental Oceans Commission (IOC) - Climate Research in Service to Society: a WMO Perspective - Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Climate Research in the Next Decade of Earth System Research: an ICSU Perspective - Deliang Chen, Executive Director of International Council for Science (ICSU) Welcoming Remarks by European Commission (Claus Bruening) Keynote Talk by David Behar: Collaborative Climate Science: a User's Perspective on Need, Communication and Application
MONDAY 24 October 11:00-12:30 Session A2	Theme A2: The Climate System Components and Their Interactions (Chair: B. Hoskins) Scientific Grand Challenges for Global Research Addressing Societies Needs (M. Visbeck) Uncertainties in aerosol cloud-mediated radiative forcing: two large and highly uncertain opposite effects from shallow and deep clouds (D. Rosenfeld) Biogeochemical, Ecosystem and Human Interactions with Climate and the Complexity of the Earth System (C. Nobre)
TUESDAY 25 October 8:30-10:00 Session A3	Theme A3: Observation and Analysis of the Climate System (Chair: A. Simmons) Challenges of a Sustained Climate Observing System (K. Trenberth) Understanding of the Global Hydrological Cycle and Water Management Challenges in the 21st Century (P. Gleick) The Ocean Observation for Climate: Progress and Challenges (S. Wijffels)
WEDNESDAY 26 October 8:30-10:00 Session A4	Theme A4: Assessing and Improving Model and Predictive Capabilities (Chair: M. Kimoto) From Regional Weather to Global Climate: Challenges and Progress in Improving Models (C. Jakob) Challenges and Progress in sub-Seasonal to Decadal Prediction on Regional Scales (A. Scaife) Long-term Climate Change: Forcing, Response and Climate Sensitivity (S. Bony)
THURSDAY 27 October 8:30-10:00 Session A5	Theme A5: Climate Assessments and Future Challenges (Chair: T. Stocker) Changes in Atmospheric Composition: Implication for Irreversible Climate Change and Mitigation Choices (S. Solomon) Cryosphere and Sea-Level Variability and Change (K. Steffen) Attribution of Weather and Climate-Related Extreme Events (P. Stott)
FRIDAY 28 October 8:00-11:30 Session A6 with Morning break from 10:15 to 10:45	Theme A6: Strengthening Policy Relevance of Scientific Assessments (Chair: L. Goddard) Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability and Change in Developing Countries (M. C. Lemos) Climate and Public Health - The MERIT Initiative (M. Thomson) Meeting User Needs: Limits, Ideals and Realities (B. Hewitson) Earth System Research for Global Sustainability (J. Rockström ) Policy Challenges of Scientific Assessments: IPCC WGI (D. Qin) IPCC WGII (C. Field) IPCC WGIII (O. Edenhofer)
FRIDAY 28 October 11:30-13:00 Session A7	Theme A7: The Future of WCRP (Chair: C. Vera) Panel Discussion with Plenary Chairs Major Challenges of Monday-Thursday Sessions and how well WCRP is Positioned to Address Them Future of WCRP and Closing (A. Busalacchi)