With the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) mostly completed, the WCRP Working Group on Coupled Modelling have prompted the preparations of the next phase. A brief overview of the initial proposed design of CMIP6 has recently been published in EOS with the aim to generate discussion and feedbacks ... read the article

The electronic version of the SPARC Report on Lifetimes of Stratospheric Ozone-Depleting Substances is now available here. This report was prepared by an international team of 55 scientists and reviewed by over 30 ... read the report

The current slowdown in warming is becoming a hot topic among scientists and decision makers. GEWEX and CLIVAR SSG co-chairs have recently added more thoughts in the current debate by publishing their commentaries in the latest issues of Nature Climate Change ("Heat hide and seek", one article by Lisa Goddard and another "No pause in the increase of hot temperature extremes" by Sonia Seneviratne et al.) and Nature Geoscience ("Bumpy path to a warmer world", by Martin Visbeck).

Approximately 300 scientists from around the world participated in the 5th SPARC General Assembly, which was held in Queenstown, New Zealand, on 12-17 January 2014. The program reflected the recently increased scope of SPARC activities and included six main themes. Most of the presentations and posters are available ... read more

Save the dates for the Third International Symposium on Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans 23–27 March 2015, Santos, Brazil.

The strong linkage between ocean dynamics and societal needs is the rationale for a series of Climate Change meetings coordinated by ICES, PICES and IOC-UNESCO ... read more

Watch scientists involved in EU project NACLIM explaining the importance of understanding the mechanisms of climate variability in the North Atlantic.

The North Atlantic Climate: what we need to find out from NACLIM on Vimeo.

The WCRP call for expressions of interest for hosting an international project office for CORDEX has been extended to April 30th 2014. Following the success of the CORDEX initiative, WCRP is proposing to establish a dedicated office and staff to support its development. Interested institutions and organizations are invited to download the details of the call and the submission guidelines here

The International and US CLIVAR hosted a Town Hall at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Both projects have new structures and redefined science foci and strategies for involving the wider community. The event was well attended by Early Career Scientists (ECS), that are key for the evolution of CLIVAR's scientific agenda in the next decade ... read more

Watch this educational video on the three main causes of uncertainty in global and regional climate change scenarios.

The uncertainties in climate change scenarios from Vegas-Deluxe on Vimeo.

At the initiative of MIT's Lorenz Center, a workshop on Water and Climate was held in Boston, USA, from 10-12 February 2014. The ideas and topics of the event were coordinated with the WCRP Grand Challenge on Clouds, Circulation and Climate Sensitivity.  To read the summary of the workshop, click here.

The 7th GEWEX International Scientific Conference will celebrate 25 years of research in global water and energy cycle and set the stage for the next phase of research addressing water resources, extreme and climate sensitivity. The deadline for abstracts submission has been extended to 28 February 2014.

Future Earth is now issuing a call for a set of Fast Track Initiatives (FTIs) and Cluster Activities to kick-start integration among the GEC projects. For more information on the call for proposal click here. Applicants have to submit a completed application form no later than April 4th 2014.

The WMO Commission on Climatology is organizing a Technical Conference on Climate Services that will take place in Heidelberg, Germany, on 30 June - 2 July. The agenda includes a joint session with WCRP on new research and operational challenges aiming at strengthening the collaboration between the two groups ... download the brochure 

The WCRP Joint Planning Staff is seeking a Senior Scientific Officer to take duty in Geneva, at the WMO headquarters. For more details on the vacancy please click here. The deadline for application submission is 10 March 2014.

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) has released a call for expressions of interest from institutions to host an international project office for the CORDEX Initiative (CIPO). The need has arisen due to the success of the first phase of CORDEX resulting in the requirement for a dedicated staff and office to support and develop the initiative as it enters its second phase. Click here to download the application documents. Deadline for submission: 31st March 2014

Professor Julia Slingo, UK Met Office Chief scientist and former WCRP JSC member has been made Dame for her contribution to weather and climate science. Professor Slingo has driven a ground-breaking programme of research to underpin weather and climate services. The whole WCRP community congratulates Julia ... Read more on metoffice.gov.uk

The Working Group on Regional Climate organized a side-event at the 3rd International Conference on Climate Services (ICCS-3) to inform the climate services community about the CORDEX initiative. The discussions among the participants provided inputs on research priorities in support of climate services ... Read more

“Ocean Circulation and Climate – A 21st Century Perspective”, edited by Siedler, Griffies, Gould, and Church, is the second edition of a highly successful book on the circulation of water masses in the ocean and the role of the ocean in the climate system, published in 2001 at the end of WOCE. The current state of knowledge is summarized in this new book,  written by 76 authors from 15 countries... read more

Registration now open for the Climate Symposium 2014 to be held in Darmstadt, Germany, 13-17 October 2014. The Science Committee under the leadership of Julia Slingo, former WCRP JSC member, will be shaping the overall agenda. More details of the event can be found in the second announcement

The report of the workshop convened by WCRP/CliC in October 2013 has been published. The goal of the workshop was to further develop the strategy to address the WCRP Cryosphere in a Changing Climate Grand Challenge. The workshop report serves to frame the outcomes and future actions to move forwards.

We invite applications for the WCRP-ICTP Summer School on Attribution and Prediction of Extreme Events that will take place in Trieste, Italy, from 21st July to 1 August 2014. The submission deadline is 31 January 2014. Detailed information on the school lecturers and directors and how to apply can be found here. 

The Scientists attending the Cordex Conference identified future challenges for the follow up of the initiative and proposed some concrete actions. Implementing these actions will lead to the second phase of CORDEX and will represent another milestone in the delivery of climate services. Read more

A summary and a final declaration of the Africa Climate Conference have been agreed and are available online. The main outcomes of ACC2013 are an Agenda on Climate Research for Development in Africa and the necessity to establish a coordination platform on African Climate Research. Read more (on clivar.org)

After serving five years and half as Director of WCRP, Ghassem Asrar left WMO to face a new challenge. He is the new Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute in Maryland, USA. We wish him all the best for his new position. 

Meanwhile, Valery Detemmerman has accepted to be acting Director till the position is filled. Valery has been with WCRP for 26 years and is well known among the Climate Research Community. The Joint Planning Staff congratulates Ghassem and Valery on their new responsibilities!