The Grand Challenge on Carbon Feedbacks in the Climate System was launched via a kick-off workshop held in Hamburg, Germany, on the 21st and 22nd of November 2016. The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the links between the Grand Challenge's guiding questions and research initiatives as well as to emphasize major gaps and to sharpen the priorities and plans of the program as a whole. Discussions amongst the 35 participants was centered around the Grand Challenge's four research areas: process understanding on land; process understanding in the ocean; learning from the existing record; and towards improving projections. The Carbon Feedbacks in the Climate System report from the Kick-off Workshop summarizes these discussions and lists proposed actions for 2017/2018.

The 13th Session of the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project Scientific Steering Group (SSG) took place on 17-18 February 2017 in New Zealand. The meeting was hosted at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and was co‐sponsored by WCRP, the CliC International Project Office, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and VUW.

CliC SSG‐13 took place in conjunction with the IGS/IACS/CliC International Symposium on the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, held at VUW from 13‐17 February 2017. Twenty‐seven participants from thirteen different countries attended the meeting, which was chaired by CliC Co‐Chairs Gerhard Krinner and James Renwick. A summary of presentations, discussions, and action items is available in the SSG-13 Report.

The latest SPARC eNews bulletin includes SPARC news and announcements, latest SPARC publications, journal special issues relevant to SPARC science, early career information, upcoming SPARC meetings and latest science updates. 

21-25 August 2017

The 10th anniversary International Carbon Dioxide Conference will provide participants with an integrated, interdisciplinary view of the global carbon cycle and its perturbation by humans. Please see the 10th International Carbon Dioxide Conference website for full details.

Highlights of CLIVAR's March Bulletin include:

• Outcomes of the CLIVAR/IOC GOOS Indian Ocean Regional Panel Workshop
• Link to US CLIVAR VARIATIONS Newsletter, focusing on forecasting ENSO impacts in the California current system 
• New SOLAS Science Plan
• The Vision of AtlantOS
• The Third Blue Plenet Symposium
• SOLAS Workshop on 'Air-sea interface and fluxes of mass and energy'
• 2017 SCOR Annual Meeting  

After an extensive search, we would like to welcome the new Executive Director of the International Climate and Ocean Variability, Predictability and Change (CLIVAR) Project Office (ICPO), José Luis Santos Davila.