WCRP is pleased to announce that the 2018 WCRP/WWRP International Prize for Model Development has been awarded to Dr Thomas Melvin from the UK Met Office; and the 2018 WCRP/GCOS International Data Prize has been awarded to Dr Paul Durack (Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA). Click the headline for the full announcement.

We are excited to announce that a new book, entitled 'Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Prediction: The Gap Between Weather and Climate Forecasting,' has just been published. It is edited by Andrew Robertson and Frederic Vitart, co-chairs of the Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction Project. To find out more click the heading above.

The IPCC invites nominations for Expert Reviewers for two Special Reports' Second Order Drafts: both the "IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land" and "IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere" will be open to government and expert review between November 2018 and January 2019. Click the headline for details.

The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (BCCR) is currently seeking a senior adviser to coordinate the newly established office for the World Climate Research Program's regional activities. For more information, click the heading above.

Credit: Tore Furevik, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research

Is there a connection between climate change and wildfires? Kevin Trenberth, Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, explains that "Global warming does not cause wildfires ... global warming exacerbates the conditions and raises the risk of wildfire." To find out how this relates to the Earth's energy imbalance, click the headline above.

A satellite image of the Carr Fire in California (NASA.)

The IPCC today announced the approval of the "Summary for Policymakers" of its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. The full report will soon be released in final form, pending small changes that arose from the consideration of the Summary for Policymakers. For details, click the headline above.

WMO Chief Scientist and Research Director, Pavel Kabat, is currently at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting to consider its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 ºC. He specifically mentions the role of WCRP in convening the global research community, both to advance our understanding of fundamental processes and to develop and continuously improve climate models. To read more, click the heading above (photo: IPCC).

At the 48th Plenary session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the IPCC has taken note of the Research and Action Agenda on Cities and Climate Change Science, the primary outcome of the Cities and Climate Change Science Conference held earlier in the year and co-sponsored by WCRP. Click the heading above to find out more.

Photo: IPCC

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) is very excited to announce the opening of the new WCRP Coordination Office for Regional Activities (CORA), jointly hosted by the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) in Hamburg, Germany, and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (BCCR) in Bergen, Norway. To find out more click the headline above.

Left: Tore Furevik, Director of BCCR (Photo: Gudrun Sylte, Bjerknes Centre) and right, Daniela Jacob, Director of GERICS (Photo: Christian Schmid/HZG).

The Risk KAN invites interested researchers to self-nominate for a membership in the Knowledge Action Network on Emergent Risks and Extreme Events, in the Development Team (DT) and/or working groups. The deadline for nomination is 15 November 2018.

The Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Prediction Project (S2S) was launched as a joint project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP). This article gives an overview of the project and outlines plans for phase II, from the end of this year until 2023. Click the headline above for more details.

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society Data Library (IRIDL) allows you to view, analyze, or download hundreds of terabytes of climate-related data through a standard web browser available on a tablet, computer or smartphone. Best of all, there are really great instructions to get started right away. To find out more about this incredible initiative, click the heading above.

The members of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) as of January 2019 are now confirmed. To see who has been newly appointed and reappointed, click the headline above.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) is seeking nominations to join the Executive Planning Group of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. To find out more click the heading above.

24-26 June 2018 | Davos, Switzerland

The Arctic Observing Summit 2018 organizers are seeking community input on the summit's topics in the form of brief statements. Click the headline above for more information.

The WCRP Strategic Plan is currently open for public comment. Why is this plan important? What are the future priorities for climate research? Click the heading above to find out and to have your say on how we conduct climate-related sciences in the next decade.

WCRP's Core Project on "Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate" (SPARC) is seeking nominations for new Scientific Steering Group (SSG) members to serve a four-year term from 2020. Nominations or self-nominations should be submitted by 15 September 2018 - click the headline for details.

The WCRP Global Sea Level Budget Group has published a paper providing a comprehensive 'state of the science' review of global mean sea level from 1993 to present. Click the headline above to find out more.