Welcome to IGBP

Venue announced for Third Symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO2 World

A consortium of institutions and organizations from Monterey, California has successfully bid to host the third symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO₂ World in late 2012. The symposium aims to attract more than 300 of the world's leading scientists to discuss the impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms, ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles. It will also cover socio-economic consequences of ocean acidification, including policy and management implications. 

The symposium is sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), which selected the Monterey consortium from eight bids to host the meeting. The international Planning Committee is led by Prof. Dr. Ulf Riebesell of the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (Germany), and the local organization is led by Dr. Jim Barry of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and supported by a consortium of institutions. Click here for more information.

United Nations' award presented to GLOBEC Executive Officer, Manuel Barange

The UN's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has presented Manuel Barange, Executive Officer of IGBP's Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics programme  with the prestigious Roger Revelle award. The award is named in honour of Roger Revelle, whose important contributions to the awareness of global change form the basis of many IOC initiatives. Dr Barange is Director of Science at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK.

Just published: special issue of Energy Policy focusing on cities

Energy Policy: Carbon Emissions and Carbon Management in Cities. Edited by Shobhakar Dhakal and Ram M. Shrestha.

Latest issue: Global Change magazine

The second issue of IGBP's Global Change magazine is out now. It includes an interview with 2009 Nobel Prize-winner (Economics) Elinor Ostrom, and articles on land grabs in Africa, climate communication and future emissions scenarios.

Carbon governance in Asia: bridging scales and disciplines

Capacity building workshop, 1-3 November, 2010, Yokohama, Japan. The deadline for applications is 8 July 2010.

International nitrogen conference, December 2010,

Conference: Reactive nitrogen management for sustainable development. Deadline for abstract submissions: 30 June, 2010, New Delhi. Sponsored by the International Nitrogen Initiative.

Earth System Visioning: Open Forum on Institutional Structure for new vision, Paris 22 June.

DEADLINE to apply: 4 June 2010.

On 22 June, 2010, the International Council for Science (ICSU) hosts an Open Forum to explore institutional frameworks to deliver the Grand Challenges in global sustainability research. Themes to be discussed include:

• Grand Challenges in global sustainability research
• Possible institutional frameworks to support the Grand Challenges research
• Funding perspectives
• Policy relevance/communication

International science community reports at Bonn climate talks, June 2010

The subsidiary bodies of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change meet in Germany this week to discuss, among other things, the latest research findings in the field of climate change. The Earth System Science Partnership (IGBP plus three other global change programmes) will discuss with policymakers the most recent findings. IGBP director, Sybil Seitzinger, will give a talk on ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification summary for policymakers now available in French and Spanish

French and Spanish summaries

IGBP statement of support for the IPCC

IGBP has published a statement confirming its support for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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Vacancy: Director of the International CLIVAR Project Office

The World Climate Research Programme and the UK's National Oceanography Centre invite applications for the position of Director of the International CLIVAR Project Office, CLIVAR is the Climate Variability and Predictability project. Deadline: 18 April, 2010.

Supplement to the IMBER Science Plan and Implementation Strategy published

Although the Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) project finished at the end of 2009, it has identified many interesting research questions. With the understanding that the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project would be best suited to pursue the outstanding questions, IGBP and SCOR commissioned a supplement to the IMBER Science Plan and Implementation Strategy to facilitate a successful transition. The supplement (IGBP Report No. 52A) can be accessed here. 

Major global-change conference focusing on solutions announced

The UK has successfully bid to host a major international science conference in 2012. The London conference, Planet Under Pressure: new knowledge, new solutions, aims to attract 2500 of the world's leading thinkers on global-change research.

The four-day conference is sponsored by the International Council for Science's (ICSU) global-environmental-change research programmes. It will bring together natural, physical and social scientists, together with economists. It will also involve  engineers, health specialists and many others disciplines, plus with national and international policymakers, industry representatives, technologists, NGOs and development experts.

The conference will help provide a scientific focus for the 2012 Earth Summit, Rio +20.

More information

Storm surge risk and management congress

Storm Surges Congress
Risk and Management of current and future Storm Surges, Hamburg, Germany
13-17 September 2010

More information

Marine meeting deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2010

The IGBP marine project IMBER (Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research) is holding an imbizo - the Zulu word for gathering - in Crete, Greece, 10-14 October 2010. See Imbizo

Climate open science conference announced

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) has announced it will hold an Open Science Conference in October 2011 in Denver Colarado, USA. WCRP is one of four international global-change research programmes, which includes IGBP.

Call for bids to host the third symposium on the ocean in a high-CO2 world

The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme are planning a third symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO₂ World, to take place in 2012.  The three-day symposium will focus on ocean acidification and its impacts on marine organisms, ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. It will also cover socio-economic consequences of ocean acidification, including policy and management implications.

Click here for more information

Vacancy announcement: Director, ICSU Regional Office for Africa

The International Council for Science (ICSU) invites applications for the post of Director of its Regional Office for Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa), which was established at the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa in 2005.

Click here for more information

Are drylands overlooked in Earth-system research?

A dryland forest in Israel takes up carbon at rates similar to those of pine forests in continental Europe.

Link: Science 22 January

Earth-system science visioning: international consultation

The International Council for Science (ICSU) is inviting organisations and individuals for their input on the challenges in global sustainability research for the next decade, via an online consultation. Deadline: 21 February 2010. ICSU is IGBP's parent organisation.

International conference: ‘Global Change and the World's Mountains’

Final call for papers: Deadline 1 March 2010

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change call for nominations for authors of Fifth Assessment Report

Deadline: 12 March 2010

For more information see: IPCC

Nominations portal

Major international synthesis - Planet Under Pressure: knowledge and solutions

IGBP is launching a second major international synthesis of key policy-relevant areas within global environmental-change research. Research areas under consideration:

• Earth system impacts from changes in the cryosphere
• Megacities in the coastal zone
• Global environmental change and sustainable development: needs of least developed countries
• Geoengineering
• The role of changing nutrient loads in coastal zones and the open ocean in an increased CO₂ world
• Global nitrogen assessment
• Future Earth-system resilience (rates of change with respect to forcing): Earth-system prediction
• The role of land cover and land use in modulating climate
• Aerosols in the Earth system
• Supporting adaptation responses to climate change

IGBP Climate-Change Index

At the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen, the International Geosphere-Biosphere programme launches the IGBP Climate-Change Index.

The index brings together key indicators of global change: carbon dioxide, temperature, sea level and sea ice to give an annual snapshot of how the planet's complex systems - the ice, the oceans, the atmosphere - are responding to the changing climate. More

Watch a two-minute film of the index on YouTube

IGBP Climate-Change Index

At the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen, the International Geosphere-Biosphere programme launches the IGBP Climate-Change Index.

The index brings together key indicators of global change: carbon dioxide, temperature, sea level and sea ice to give an annual snapshot of how the planet's complex systems - the ice, the oceans, the atmosphere - are responding to the changing climate. More

Watch a two-minute film of the index on YouTube

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme events at the Copenhagen climate negotiations (COP15)

Scientists at climate talks say major changes to the nitrogen cycle cannot be ignored

An international group of scientists speaking at the Copenhagen climate talks say there is an immediate need for a global assesment of the nitrogen cycle and its impact on climate.

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2008 Global Carbon Budget: Economic crisis makes discernible dent in emissions growth

The global recession probably explains the modest 2% growth in carbon dioxide emissions in 2008 compared with 2007 according to the 2008 global carbon budget, published in the journal Nature Geoscience 17 November. Between 2000 and 2007, the average growth rate of emissions was 3.4% a year. 

The new budget from the Global Carbon Project, an IGBP joint project, shows the human impact on the carbon cycle continues to grow strongly, tracking the most carbon intensive scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world's leading authority on climate. The research also shows the amount of atmospheric CO₂ absorbed by the land and oceans has declined during the last 60 years, so more emissions from human activities remain in the atmosphere.

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Vacancy at PAGES IPO

Project and Communications Officer Position at the IGBP-PAGES Office in Bern, Switzerland (part-time)

Approximately CHF 45,000 - CHF 55,000 per annum before tax (based on qualification and experience)

PAGES is seeking a Project and Communications Officer for its International Project Office in Bern, Switzerland to take over project organization and coordination, as well as some science communication and office management. The position starts 1 February 2010.

Please email your application as an attached pdf file (cover letter and CV) by 14 December 2009 to Dr. Thorsten Kiefer. Enquiries should be directed by email or phone to Thorsten Kiefer, PAGES Executive Director, or to Leah Witton, the current Project and Communications Officer.

More information

20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall: Suzanne Nash reminisces

Twenty years ago, during the week of 6-10 November 1989, momentous events unwound in Germany. In the leafy suburbs of West Berlin IGBP's Special Committee met for the fifth time at the Wissenschaftskolleg. The committee was there to put the final touches on what would become the first core projects covering global atmospheric change and global land change.

As we launched our mission to research how people are changing the planet, we could not fail to notice that the Iron Curtain was getting rustier by the day: Poland and Hungary had held real elections. The East Germans were crowding the US Embassy for visas to go abroad. And, on 7 November  the Communist government of East Germany resigned, leaving Egon Krenz (the politician with the bedroom eyes) head of state. It didn't help much. On 9 November Günter Schabowski jumped the gun and announced that rules for travelling outside the country were lifted.  The East Germans were not exactly free to travel, but if they did, no one was going to stop them.

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Developing countries must prepare for large-scale change

Impact, adaptation and vulnerability

Joint IPCC/IGBP workshop, 4-6 November 2009

Brazil

An international group of experts meet in Brazil this week to discuss how global change will affect the world, with a focus on developing countries. 

The researchers will talk about the most effective ways societies might respond to the inevitable temperature rise and related global environmental changes.  An important part of this work is to consider how climate-change mitigation and adaptation could underpin the needed economic growth, social justice and sustainability in developing countries.

More information

International climate change adaptation conference - call for abstracts

2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference: Climate Adaptation Futures: preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. 

29 Jun-1 Jul 2010

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Registrations and call for abstracts now open

Nine planetary boundaries identified

An international group of scientists, including two former IGBP directors, has identified nine planetary boundaries. The researchers, led by the Stockholm Resilience Centre with close involvement from the IGBP community, say crossing these boundaries could cause the planet to slide out of the relative stability of the Holocene era. This era has lasted 12,000 years and allowed agriculture and complex society to flourish.

The nine boundaries are climate change, stratospheric ozone, land-use change, freshwater use, biological diversity, ocean acidification, nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the biosphere and oceans, aerosol loading and chemical pollution. Lead author Johan Rockstöm told the IGBP symposium, Planet Under Pressure, (24 September) that three of these boundaries - climate change, biological diversity and nitrogen input to the biosphere - may already have been transgressed.

IGBP Executive Director, Professor Sybil Seitzinger and Chairman Professor Carlos Nobre, and others in the IGBP community involved in the planetary boundaries concept are presently involved in research to advance this work.  The paper was published in Nature, 24 September.

Planetary boundaries powerpoint presentation

Stockholm Resilience Centre

2008 Annual Report now available

The 2008 IGBP annual report is now available. The report highlights IGBP's role in supplying information to the United Nations, new emissions scenarios for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the rate of retreat of South American glaciers.

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Workshop: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to global change

IGBP co-sponsored workshop, 4-6 November, Brazilian Institute for Space Research, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. Invite only.

The workshop will ensure researchers from developing countries have a central role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report process at an early stage.The workshop aims to help form an Earth-system science agenda reflecting the key roles played by developing countries in identifying and evaluating impacts, adaptation and vulnerability associated with global environmental changes.

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Global Change and the World's Mountains: call for papers

International conference: Global Change and the World's Mountains, Perth, Scotland, 26-30 September 2010.

The Global Change and the World's Mountains conference is being organised by the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development at the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI, in collaboration with the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), a joint project of the International Human Dimensions of Global Change Programme (IHDP) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The conference is also endorsed by the Global Land Project of the IGBP and IHDP and by UNESCOs MAB programme.

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Third World Climate Conference announces global framework on climate services

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, heard the case for a new global framework for climate services from scientists at the Third World Climate Conference this morning.

A key recommendation is more interaction between the World Climate Research Programme, IGBP, DIVERSITAS, the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP). The Geneva conference also called on governments to provide more powerful computing resources for the Earth-system research community.  

Ban Ki-moon warned the UN delegates not to ignore the scientific community: "Our foot is stuck on the accelerator and we are heading for an abyss."

World Climate Conference

Has northern-hemisphere pollution affected Australian rainfall?

New research announced at the international Water in a changing climate science conference in Melbourne, 24-28 August, implicates pollution from Asia, Europe and North America as a contributor to recent Australian rainfall changes.

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Deadline extension for Earth-system visioning process

The International Council for Science has extended the deadline to 1 September for the online consultation to develop a new Earth-system research vision.

http://www.icsu-visioning.org/

Earth-system research visioning process closes 15 August

The International Council for Science’s online consultation for its Earth-system research visioning process closes 15 August.

http://www.icsu-visioning.org/

The online consultation marks the beginning of ICSU’s plan to develop an integrated research approach to the Earth system and its coordination.

Earth System Science: Climate, Global Change and People Open Science Conference

The IGBP project Analysis, Integration and Modelling of the Earth System (AIMES) holds its Open Science Conference 10-13 May 2010 in Edinburgh, UK.

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Call for proposals to host a major international global-change Open Science Conference in 2012

IGBP is seeking sponsors and a host city for its 2012 Open Science Conference, Planet Under Pressure: new knowledge, new solutions. The three-day science conference will attract around 2500 world-leading environmental-change scientists. It will be followed by a day dedicated to discussing the findings with policymakers, the public, and funders of environmental science.

Deadline for proposals 30 October 2009

More information

Call for proposals for environmental-change research in Africa

The IGBP co-sponsored project START, or global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training, has announced a call for proposals for START grants for global environmental change research in Africa.

Deadline for proposals:  30 August 2009.
For more information email Charles S. Kauffman cskauffman@agu.org
www.start.org

Arctic holds more than double previous estimates of carbon in its soils

The vast amount of carbon stored in the Arctic and boreal regions of the world is more than double that previously estimated, according to researchers from the Global Carbon Project, a joint IGBP project. The new estimate is over 1.5 trillion tons of frozen carbon, about twice as much carbon as contained in the atmosphere.

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Ocean acidification: Summary for Policymakers

The sponsors of the second symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO₂ World publish today an eight-page ocean acidification summary for policymakers including key recommendations.

The summary is available from www.ocean-acidification.net, the ocean acidification website supported by the sponsors.

To order hard copies email: comms@igbp.kva.se

Sponsors

•    Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research
•    Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
•    International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
•    Marine Environment Laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Marine geochemistry executive officer vacancy

The international marine geochemistry programme, GEOTRACES, has an executive officer vacancy at its international project office based in Toulouse, France.

Deadline for applications: 15 August 2009.

More information: GEOTRACES

Call for scientific steering committee candidates

The Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) project has issued a call for candidates for its scientific steering committee.

LOICZ is a joint core project of IGBP and the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP). Its activities are overseen by an international Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). The SSC represents a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines and nationalities.

Deadline for applications: 1 August 2009.

More information: LOICZ

IGBP/KVA Symposium

Planet under pressure: global changes, regional challenges

Thursday 24 September 2009

Stockholm

The symposium will highlight recent advances in global environmental change research, focusing on regional challenges at the science-policy interface. Themes on the Arctic, land-atmosphere-ocean interactions, and planetary boundaries will showcase some IGBP-led research and demonstrate how this research helps formulate policy.

This symposium aims to strengthen IGBP and the Academy’s role in global change research in Sweden, and to improve links with policymakers. The afternoon will include a panel debate on communicating risk and uncertainty, involving decision makers, industry and media representatives.

Organised by: The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Environment Committee.

More information >

REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Reconciling opposing views on carbon cycling in the coastal ocean

New research indicates continental shelves absorb atmospheric CO2 at a rate ranging between 0.33 and 0.36 PgC/yr. The results mean continental shelves provide a carbon sink equivalent to 27-30% of the CO2 uptake by the open oceans. On the other hand, inner estuaries, salt marshes and mangroves could emit up to 0.5 PgC/yr. The conclusion of continental shelves as sinks and near-shore ecosystems as sources of atmospheric CO2 allows reconciling long-lived opposing views on carbon cycling in the coastal ocean. (contact persons CTA Chen, ctchen@mail.nsysu.edu.tw AVB, alberto.borges@ulg.ac.be)

Reference:
Chen, Chen-Tung Arthur and Alberto V. Borges (2009) Reconciling opposing views on carbon cycling in the coastal ocean: continental shelves as sinks and near-shore ecosystems as sources of atmospheric CO2. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, (Corrected proof available online 16 January 2009 at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.01.001

IGBP Newsletter 73

The Ocean in a Changing World: The role of the ocean in regulating climate change is now recognised as being critical. But there are consequences for marine ecosystems and human livelihoods.  This issue of the IGBP NewsLetter allows readers to wet their feet and sample marine results from across IGBP core projects.

Read more:

New Director of Communications at the IGBP Secretariat

On 1 May Owen Gaffney joined IGBP as director of communications. He came to the IGBP from the Natural Environment Research Council, where he was head of publications. NERC is the UK's largest funder of environmental science and makes substantial contributions to IGBP, largely through the SOLAS and GLOBEC programmes.
 
His background is in journalism and science writing. In what he feels is the dim and distant past he earned a degree in Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering so when people ask if he is a scientist, he can truthfully say that he has a degree in rocket science.
 
For over ten years he has worked as a journalist, science writer and broadcaster. Within NERC he was the editor of the award-winning magazine Planet Earth and he recently launched the news site, Planet Earth online http://www.planetearth.nerc.ac.uk

He has written for the BBC's Focus magazine and the American journal Science. He still occasionally writes for the Irish daily newspaper, the Irish Examiner and will be keeping a blog about his time in Stockholm for the Environment Researchers Funders' Forum in the UK.

Programme Fellowships Available

The APN Secretariat is pleased to announce that as part of the APN's capacity building efforts, we are now inviting applications from highly motivated individuals for the positions of Programme Fellow for Communications and Development and Programme Fellow for Science and Institutional Affairs. The application deadline is on 2nd June 2009.

More information:

Former IGBP Chair receives the Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Peter Liss, Past Chair of the SOLAS Scientific Steering Committee (2001-2007) and former Chair of the Scientific Committee for the IGBP (1993-1997), formally received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Prince Charles in March 2009.  Peter was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in May 2008, and in June was on the Queen's birthday list of honours to receive the CBE for his services to science.

IAI Assistant Director

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is recruiting an Assistant Director to manage its science programme.

The IAI office is located in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The initial term is for three years.

Read more: (on vacant position):

Read more: (message from IAI Directorate)

IGBP Science Plan and Implementation Strategy (IGBP Report 55)

Translation of IGBP Science Plan and Implementation Strategy (IGBP Report 55) into Urdu by the Punjab University Press.

More information:

PCMIP: The PalaeoCarbon Modelling Intercomparison Project

AIMES, following the precedent set by the GAIM task force, continues to sponsor international projects that bring together different groups involved in aspects of Earth System modeling to compare results among models, and model results with observations, in order to address interdisciplinary questions. Together with PAGES, AIMES now sponsors PCMIP which focuses on the coupling between climate and the carbon cycle on Quaternary time scales.

More information:

New Science Directions and Activities Relevant to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Honolulu was the meeting place for over 150 leading climate scientists from around the world who gathered at the International Pacific Research Center of the University of Hawaii to discuss the latest developments in climate change science between 3 to 6 March.

More information:

Did wildfires impact abrupt climate change in North America?

Fire is the most ubiquitous form of landscape disturbance, and has important effects on climate through the global carbon cycle and changing atmospheric chemistry. There has been a significant increase in large-scale wildfires in all regions of the world during the past decade.

More information:

New Director of ICSU

On 1 February, Deliang Chen took over the Directorship of ICSU from Thomas Rosswall, founder of IGBP.

More information:

Press Release: Ocean acidification is accelerating and severe damages are imminent

Urgent action is needed to limit damages to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries, due to increasing ocean acidity, according to 155 of the world’s scientific experts who will release the Monaco Declaration today.

Download Monaco Declaration and The Research Priorities Report of the Ocean in a High-CO2 World II Symposium

More information is available from - http://www.ocean-acidification.net/

Call for Fast Track Initiatives

IHDP Executive Director

The International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) announces the vacancy of the Executive Director position, located in Bonn (Germany). Applications are to be sent to the United Nations University in Tokyo, email:

IHDPED@hq.unu.edu

You may view the formal vacancy announcement through the link:

http://www.ihdp.unu.edu/article/623

Application deadline 31st March 2009

IGBP Science Editor

Applications are invited for the position of Science Editor for the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

The position will be based at the IGBP Secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden.

Review of applications will begin on 6th February 2009.

IGBP Director of Communications

Applications are invited for the position of Director of Communications for the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

The position will be based at the IGBP Secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden.

Review of applications will begin on 30th January 2009. 

Latest IGBP Newsletter now available

The latest issue of the IGBP Newsletter highlights the 4th IGBP Congress and the workshop held in 2007 to celebrate IGBP's 20th anniversary.

GWSP Employment Opportunities - Application deadline extended

The Changing Earth Science Network: Call for Proposals now open

Press Release: Science, Social Solutions Key to Sustainable Land & Water Use in Egypt

Sustainable Water and Land Management in Semi-Arid Regions

How important is natural variability in explaining global warming?

This book aims to place the past few decades of warming in the context of longer term climate variability and considers the causes of such variability on different time-scales through the Holocene. In particular, it reviews the evidence for past climate change based on the analysis of data from naturally occurring climate archives and describes progress being made in developing the climate models needed to simulate and explain past climate variability.

Nobel Prize winning scientist elected as future President of ICSU

Professor Yuan Tseh Lee from Taipei, China, a world leader in the field of chemical dynamics, has been elected as the future President of the International Council for Science (ICSU), the sponsor of IGBP. He will take up the appointment in April 2010.

Read more »

Press Release: Top scientific meeting urges coordinated response to economic and environmental crises

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IGBP National Committee News

European National Committee Meeting

A meeting of the European National Committees is scheduled for 13-14 November 2008. This inaugural meeting will establish the European Chapter of NCs and will pave the way for an active collaboration. The meeting is organised by the German committee and the Portuguese committee is hosting the event. For more information contact Wolfram Mauser.

Latin American National Committee Meeting

The IGBP Regional Support Office in Brazil is hosting a two-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 27-28, 2008. The purpose is to diagnose the state of global environmental change science in the region and discuss strategies for how to improve the scope of IGBP National Committees and the effectiveness of their activities in Latin America. For more information, contact Jean Ometto or Myanna Lahsen.

Vacancy: Executive Officer for IMBER

The international research project IMBER (Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research) is seeking to appoint an Executive Officer to lead the International Project Office (IPO) at the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Brest, France. Application deadline: 6 December 2008.

Read more »

IGBP Annual Report

IGBP's Annual Report 2007 is now available for download from its website. The report has been redesigned in content and layout to appeal to a broader audience of policy makers and potential funders as well as the global environmental change science community.

Press Release: Ocean Acidification – The Other CO2 Problem

The world’s oceans are at risk of becoming too acidic to support coral reefs and certain marine life, and a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions is urgently needed to stem the dramatic rate of acidification, according to research presented at “The Second International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World”.

Employment Opportunities: Global Water System Project

GLP Science Plan now available in Chinese

The Global Land Project (GLP) Science Plan and Implementation Strategy, widely used as a reference in the global community of researchers working on land-change issues and GEC in coupled human-environmental systems, is now available in Chinese. The translation was produced by the GLP Beijing Nodal Office.

International Scientific Congress on Climate Change

The focus of the International Association of Research Universities (IARU) Congress, that will convene in Copenhagen, 10 -12 March 2009, is to provide a picture of the "big issues" that the scientific community considers necessary for policy makers to be aware of in order to make informed decisions concerning balancing adaptation and mitigation in societal responses to climate change. The main findings of the congress will be reviewed by the four global change programmes (IGBP, IHDP, DIVERSITAS and WCRP) and will feed directly into the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 15) hosted by the Danish government. The call for abstracts is open until 1 November 2008.  

Latest GLOBEC Newsletter

The October issue of the GLOBEC International Newsletter is now available for download. This issue includes reports from recent GLOBEC symposia and a review of the achievements of GLOBEC Mexico over the past 10 year.

Download newsletter »

Global Carbon Emissions Rising Rapidly

What are the implications of ocean acidification?

Since the industrial revolution began, the acidity of the ocean has increased by 30%. The “Second Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World”, to be held 6-9 October at the Oceanography Museum in Monaco, will explore the increasingly urgent question of what are the long-term implications of this rapid change. The meeting is being convened by UNESCO-IOC, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

Read fact sheet on ocean acidification »

Visit symposium website »

Review of the ESSP: Report now available

The ICSU-IGFA Review of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) is now available online. It provides not only an assessment of the progress to date, but options and guidelines for the future development of the partnership.

PAGES Newsletter: Advances in speleothem research

There is a growing interest among paleoclimatologists in speleothems (stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones), a fairly novel climate archive that has yielded some spectacular climate records. The latest issue of the PAGES Newsletter features a special section on research advances in this field, and focuses on aspects ranging from cave monitoring and quantitative interpretation of the speleothem anaysis to dating issues and the development of long time series. 

Press release: Science paper examines role of aerosols in climate change

3rd GLOBEC Open Science Meeting

The IGBP Project on Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) will be hosting its 3rd Open Science Meeting in Victoria, BC, Canada on 22-26 June 2009. The meeting will culminate the integration and synthesis activities of GLOBEC, providing a new mechanistic understanding of the functioning of the marine ecosystem, in order to develop predictive capabilities and propose a framework for the management of marine ecosystems in the era of global change.

Welcome to IGBP’s new Executive Director

We welcome Prof. Sybil Seitzinger as the Executive Director of IGBP. Sybil has been Director of the Rutgers/NOAA CMER Program, Rutgers University and has been a visiting Professor at Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences since 1994. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island School of Oceanography, and then worked as Senior Scientist and Curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Sybil has been a member of the IGBP Scientific Committee since 2003, and her areas of expertise include biogeochemistry, nutrient dynamics, and land/atmosphere/ocean interactions.

DIVERSITAS OSC2: Symposium Call

DIVERSITAS is hosting its second Open Science Conference, "Biodiversity and society: understanding connections, adapting to change", in Cape Town, South Africa on 13-16 October 2009. The first call for symposia has been announced, and submissions are accepted until 15 September 2008.

SC-IGBP Meeting Minutes

The approved minutes of the 23rd SC-IGBP meeting are now available for  download (PDF, 240 KB). Discussions focussed on how to increase IGBP’s visibility and creating a library of added value of IGBP science; the roles of National Committees and IGBP projects; and the changing landscape of the international global environmental change programmes. A new fundraising strategy for IGBP was discussed and approved.

Download minutes »

Live Broadcast: E2E EcoModel Summer School

The E2E EcoModel Summer School: "Analyses of the interactions between end to end marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles" will broadcast its plenary lectures throughout the week. Broadcast will begin on Monday 11 August at 9.00 am EEST and the program will be displayed daily. This Summer School is co-sponsored by the the IGBP Project Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER).

Read more »

Revolutionising Climate Prediction

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Building Capacity: African Small Grants

START announced its 2009 call for pre-proposals for the African small grants program. This call is issued to scientists in Africa who intend to conduct research on global environmental change. Deadline for applications is 15 August 2008.

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ICSU Executive Director appointed

IGBP welcomes Professor Deliang Chen as new Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU), one of the sponsors of IGBP. He will take up the appointment on 1 February 2009, following the retirement of Professor Thomas Rosswall. 

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New Book: Real-time Coastal Observing Systems for Marine Ecosystem Dynamics and Harmful Algal Bloom

The proliferation of harmful phytoplankton in marine ecosystems can cause massive fish kills, contaminate seafood with toxins, impact local and regional economies and dramatically affect ecological balance. This volume offers guidance for developing real-time and near real-time sensing systems for observing and predicting plankton dynamics, including harmful algal blooms, in coastal waters. It explains the underlying theory and discusses current trends in research and monitoring. 

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New issue of the iLEAPS newsletter available

The recently published issue of the iLEAPS Newsletter is a special issue on Aerosols, Clouds, Precipitation, Climate initiative (ACPC) with excellent science papers related to the theme.

ESSP at Bonn Climate Change Talks 2008

The ESSP, its Parent Programmes (DIVERSITAS, IGBP, IHDP, and WCRP), the regional inter-governmental research networks (APN and IAI), and the IPCC presented to the Parties at the UNFCCC-SBSTA 28 in Bonn on 5 June. The goal of the meeting was to present emerging science and enhance dialogue between the research community and the Parties. Agenda, presentations and summary of the chair can be downloaded from the UNFCCC website. SBSTA is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice.

Vacancy at START

The International START (SysTEM for Analysis Reserach and Training) Secretariat announces an opening at its headquarters in Washington DC USA for the position of Program Associate or Program Director for the Environmental Risk, Vulnerability and Adaptation Program. Closing date is 14 July 2008. 

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Vacancy at IMBER

Applications are invited for the post of Executive Officer for the

Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project. Closing date is 23 June 2008.

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IGBP scientist elected a Fellow of the Royal Society

Prof. Peter Liss, former Chair (1994-97) of IGBP and SOLAS (2001-2007), has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science and was commended on 17 June 2008 The Fellowship of the Royal Society is composed of 1300 of the most distinguished scientists from the UK, other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland.

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New LOICZ website

The new LOICZ website has been launched and features a new visual profile as well as improved navigation and new content. Following the EU directives, the new site also offers accessibility for people with disabilities.

4th IGBP Congress, ‘Sustainable Livelihood in a Changing Earth System’

The 4th IGBP Congress was held in Cape Town, South Africa on 5-9 May 2008. About 380 delegates from 65 countries attended the event and contributed to the development of IGBP’s scientific agenda for the period 2008-2013, with a focus on how IGBP can better contribute to sustainable solutions including mitigation, innovation and adaptation. The Congress resulted in “The Cape Town Declaration on Science for Environmental Sustainability” which outlined an enhanced plan of international collaboration to pursue science that will help achieve sustainable development of common, global resources. A large public poster display to which local students were invited was one of the outreach activities undertaken as part of the Congress.

IGBP Congress presentations

The IGBP Congress presentations (in PDF format) download from IGBP's FTP site. Note that some of the files are quite large.

LOGIN INFORMATION

Host/Server: ftp2.igbp.kva.se

Username: congress 

Password: igbp2008 

The Cape Town Declaration on Science for Environmental Sustainability

In light of increasing global environmental problems related to climate change, international scientists today committed to an enhanced plan of international collaboration to pursue science that will help achieve sustainable development of common, global resources.

AfricanNESS Science Plan and Implementation Strategy published

The African Network for Earth System Science (AfricanNESS) science plan and implementation strategy “A Strategy for Global Environmental Change Research in Africa” focuses on four top-level issues: food and nutritional security; water resources; health; and ecosystem integrity. Framed around these issues, the science plan describes a strategy for global environmental change research in Africa that concentrates on eight thematic clusters: rainfall, land cover, livelihoods, cities, diseases & pests, Africa and the Earth System, marine, and integrated development.

Read more and download science plan »

IGBP Executive Director appointed

We are pleased to announce that Professor Sybil Seitzinger, Rutgers University, has been appointed Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. She will take up the appointment on 1 September 2008. 

Read the latest issue of the GLOBEC Newsletter

The April issue of the GLOBEC Newsletter contains a special section from Japan-China-Korea.

Download newsletter »

IGBP Congress Programme now available online

The Congress Programme is now available in electronic format. Please note that a hard copy will also be included in all conference bags.

Meeting on Global Environmental Change to Attract Top Scientists

Media are invited to attend the IGBP 4th Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, starting 5 May 2008. The theme is “Sustainable Livelihoods in a Changing Earth System”, and scientists at the meeting will be available, within the constraints of their meeting schedules, to talk with media about global environmental change issues ranging from adaptation and sustainable development, food security, and water resources, amongst other topics.

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Review of IGBP: Input sought by 15 May 2008

A review of IGBP is being conducted by ICSU, the programme’s sponsor, in collaboration with the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research.  The review centers on the overarching question of “what do scientists, sponsors, and end-users get out of participating in and supporting the international programme that they would not have gained if it did not exist?”

The Review Panel invites input at igbp.review@icsu.org.   Alternatively, you can complete a web-based survey.  

Comments will be particularly useful if received by 15 May 2008. Read further details of the review.

New issue of PAGES News

Paleodata and models have the potential for a truly symbiotic relationship but face various practical issues when it comes to their integration. The special section of this issue of PAGES News highlights the importance of validating the results of proxy reconstructions and model simulations. The issue also highlights objectives that can be achieved through model-data comparison, such as estimations of climate sensitivity, improvement of climate predictability, and clarification of the true environmental signal recorded by proxies. 

Continental Margins

AIACC Final Report and Summary Report

Twenty-four regional and national assessments were executed under the project Assessments of Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change (AIACC) over the period 2002-2006. The AIACC Final Report and Summary Report present the achievements of the AIACC project in advancing scientific knowledge, enhancing scientific capacity, and improving links between science and policy communities to enable climate change adaptation. The report also makes recommendations for better management of scientific assessment projects. AIACC is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme and executed jointly by START and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Net Carbon Dioxide Losses of Northern Ecosystems in Response to Autumn Warming

GWSP Digital Water Atlas Launched

Global change science poster competition

In November 2007 the Russian National Committee of IGBP organised a poster competition with the goal of popularising global change science. The competition was open to Russian students and young scientists, and participants were asked to write for a general audience and to utilise online resources such as the IGBP and IPCC websites in preparing their contributions. The winners have now been selected, and their posters can be downloaded from the IGBP website. First prize went to Anastasiya Revokatova whose poster focussed on the role of antropogenic and natural factors in climate changes. 

Read more » 

Carlos Nobre Featured in Nature Magazine

IGBP Chair Carlos Nobre was interviewed by Nature magazine (volume 452, 13 March 2008) about deforestation and the effects of climate change on the Amazon rainforest. In the interview, Dr. Nobre compares the threats of deforestation and global warming, talks about tipping points, and singles out the role of human-caused fire as a major issue facing Amazon researchers.  A related editorial in the same issue looks at the economics of deforestation.

Read interview »

New SOLAS website launched

The new SOLAS website features a new visual profile, an enhanced navigation structure, and aims to promote interaction between scientists by allowing scientists to publish news items reaching a very wide audience and hence give publicity to their projects.

Prof. Chris Rapley awarded for his work on climate change

Climate Change - A Teenager\'s View

This week IGBP is pleased to feature daily dispatches from 8th grade student Lien Le Hong Tran on our website. Lien will be with us for the week as part of a school/work programme, and is keen to learn about global environmental change. While here she will have the chance to talk with IGBP scientists and to research environmental issues.

Future Climate Change Research and Observations: GCOS, WCRP and IGBP Learning from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

About 65 experts on climate change, impacts and policy participated in a workshop in Sydney, Australia, 4-6 October 2007. The workshop was co-hosted by IGBP, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and was crucial in defining both climate observing strategies and climate research directions for the next decade and beyond.

PAGES special issue

A PAGES special issue on “Historical and Holocene glacier - climate variations” has been published in “Global and Planetary Change” (Jan. 2008, Vol. 60, Issues 1-2, 164 pp).

Read special issue 

PNAS special feature on Land Change Science

A number of Global Land Project (GLP) Scientific Steering Committee members and GLP-network members have contributed to the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) special feature on Land Change Science (issued December 26, 2007; 104 (52).

Read the special feature

IGBP Congress Update

Working Group speaker abstracts are now available on the Congress website.

New iLEAPS website

iLEAPS has launched a new website which, among other things, features the new ESSP visual profile, an enhanced navigation structure, and offers multisites for two iLEAPS projects (see entry on ACPC website below). The aim is to offer multisites for all iLEAPS projects/events. Comments, requests or questions related to the website are welcome, and can be sent to the iLEAPS IPO.

New Issues of IGBP Project Newsletters Available

IGBP’s project on Past Global Changes (PAGES) and the Global Land Project (GLP) are starting off the new year with fresh issues of their newsletters. The latest PAGES News focuses on recent advances in paleoceanography, highlighting studies presented at the 9th International Conference on Paleoceanography. GLP News has been beautifully redesigned and contains brief overviews of several GLP endorsed projects and networks.

Amazon Deforestation Rate Increasing

IGBP Chair Carlos Nobre said at a seminar in Washington that deforestation of the Amazon has surged during the last four months, due to activities such as illegal logging and land clearing for cattle farming. The destruction of Amazon rainforest is a major source of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.

Bert Bolin Remembered

IGBP friend and colleague Bert Bolin passed away on 30 December. Bert co-founded the Nobel prize-winning IPCC and was instrumental in launching IGBP. He had an enormous impact on the scientific community, in terms of his research contributions and his ability to show how international, interdisciplinary science can be organised and carried out.

IGBP Officers Meeting Minutes

The approved minutes of the 20th Officers meeting are now available for  download (PDF, 568 KB). The main points discussed were strategies for fundraising; finalization of the Congress Working Group sessions; going to an electronic-only NewsLetter as an additional cost-cutting activity; and various outreach activities and products to promote applied earth system science. 

Carbon sink slowdown contributing to rapid growth in atmospheric CO2

The Global Carbon Project has just published a new analysis of the state of the carbon cycle and its immediate drivers of perturbation - economic growth, carbon intensity of the global economy, and natural CO2 sinks on land and oceans. The paper, as well as a presentation with additional carbon trends and the global carbon budget to 2006, can be downloaded from the GCP website.

Download paper »

Sustainability or Collapse: What Can We Learn from Integrating the History of Humans and the Rest of Nature?

Convention discourages ocean fertilisation

Parties to the London Convention and London Protocol, one of the first global conventions to protect the marine environment from human activities, have released a statement of concern about the practice of ocean fertilisation to soak up atmospheric CO2.

Resilience, Adaptation and Transformation in Turbulent Times

The RESILIENCE 2008 workshop, organized by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and ICSU, will take place 14-16 April 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden. It will explore the current understanding of resilience, adaptability and pathways of
transformation in systems of humans and nature. Deadline for abstract submissions is 16 November 2007. 

Al Gore and the IPCC win Nobel Peace Prize

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Jr. Gore were awarded of the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change".

IGBP 20th Anniversary Symposium Update

Vacancy Announcement: IGBP Executive Director

IGBP 20th Anniversary Symposium

The symposium, titled Earth System Science and Society, was hosted at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on 17-18 September. The successful event wove together presentations and discussions between and among representatives from the scientific, policy, and private sectors. Sessions included presentations on adaptation and sustainable developement, climate change and the IPCC, ocean acidification, and consequences of renewable energy.

Listen to the introduction held by Kevin Noone, Excecutive Director of IGBP. To hear presentation, set output volume to max.

IGBP 20th Anniversary Symposium, 17-18 September 2007

IGBP’s 20th anniversary marks an important milestone in the study of the Earth as a system, and to mark the occasion, IGBP, in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, will host a two-day symposium on 'Earth System Science on Society'.

12 September: Symposium Program updated to include session abstracts.

Press Releases:

11 September 2007: Media Briefing: Science, policy and business sectors finding cooperative approaches to global environmental change

4 September 2007: Global Warming only one Symptom of Planet Earth Under Pressure.

Global Change National Committee established in Mongolia

Mongolia has established a Global Change National Committee under the auspices of the Ministry of Nature and the Environment. The goals of the committee are to organize global environmental change related activities in the country, and to coordinate their activities with other Ministries, research organizations, donor countries and organizations, projects and programs. The 14-member committee is chaired by B. Enhmandah (Vice-Minister of Nature and Environment).

Mongolian National Committee contacts »

PAGES book available for download

“Paleoclimate, Global Change and the Future” (eds. K. D. Alverson, R. S. Bradley, T. F. Pedersen), a volume in the IGBP book series currently out of print, is now available from the PAGES website where it can be downloaded either chapter by chapter, or as one large file.

World Water Week 2007

World Water Week took place on 12-18 August in Stockholm, Sweden and brought together 2500 experts from 140 countries. This year's theme was "Progress and Prospects on Water: Striving for Sustainability in a Changing World" and explored the complex relationships between economy, government, infrastructure and livelihoods. The linkages between climate change and potential water shortage in some regions, as well as to the diversion of water to crops for biofuels, was a the centre of the event.

Professor Perry L. McCarty from Stanford University, California, a pioneer in the development of the understanding of biological and chemical processes for the safe supply and treatment of water, was awarded the 2007 Stockholm Water Prize. Read the press release, or view a short Windows Media film from the ceremony.

For more information, visit the World Water Week website.

WGCM/AIMES: "Aspen Protocol" White Paper

IGBP Newsletter

The latest issue of the IGBP Newsletter, No. 69, is now available for download.

IGBP Annual Report for 2006 available

The report summarises the highlights from 2006 with updates on IGBP's research efforts, partnerships and finances. The report also features three science highlights: "Greenland ice sheet during the last interglacial period", "Palaeofires" and "A decade of iron-enrichment experiments", and highlights the progress of the ESSP Partnership.

Brazilian Symposium on Global Environmental Change

The successful symposium was held in Rio, Brazil on 11-12 March, and attracted 450 participants, including researchers, policy makers and industry representatives as well as researchers and students. The programme focussed on presenting the state-of-the-art environmental science in Brazil and promoted a forum to discuss the launch of a Brazilian National Committee on Global Environmental Change with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. The major Brazilian news outlets were present and the event generated extensive national media coverage.

IGBP Newsletter No. 68

The latest issue of the IGBP Newsletter, No. 68, is now available for download. Highlights include a science feature on satellite surveys of global ocean productivity and an integration article on the use of high-resolution past climate records for future predictions in the Australasian region.

Press Release: Latest IPCC Report Highlights Need for Integrated Climate/Human Behaviour Models

How can humans adapt to climate change without adding even more stress to the environment? Scientists are now looking at ways to integrate the human dimension of climate change — the choices we need to make to adapt to a changing global climate — with the sophisticated climate prediction models used for the IPCC Assessment Reports. The goal: to evaluate the best way forward.

SCOR announces Fellowship Program for 2007

The announcement for the 2007 POGO-SCOR Visiting Fellowships for Oceanographic Observations is available now on the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) website. The fellowship program is open to scientists, technicians, graduate students (PhD) and Post Doctoral Fellows involved in oceanographic work at centres in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The Global Carbon Project combating deforestation addresses UNFCCC policy

Recommendations to the UNFCCC Parties on the avoidance of deforestation for cattle production in tropical regions were published in the Science Policy Forum (Vol. 316, article). A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science shows accelerating trends in carbon emissions in recent years (read study).

Connecting Earth System Science Research to Climate Change Policy

4th IGBP Congress (Cape Town, South Africa, 5-9 May 2008)

The call for plenary presentations and parallel working groups is open until 1 May 2007, and we encourage the IGBP Scientific Committee, the Project SSCs, IPOs, National Committees and Adhering Bodies (DIVERSITAS, IHDP, WCRP, ESSP Projects, SCOR, IAI, APN, AfricanNESS) to submit proposals. Contacts: Wendy Broadgate and Joao Morais.

The programme has been changed in order to accommodate a 2-day meeting of the IGBP Scientific Committee on 10-11 May. Project SSC meetings are now planned for 5-6 May, on days 1 and 2.

A Congress website is under development and will be launched in the near future.

Launch of International Polar Year

The International Polar Year 2007-2008, organised by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), was launched today. IPY 2007-8 runs over two full annual cycles and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.

IGBP Guidelines Online

Carbon offsetting

To reduce the impact of GLOBEC’s activities on the world's climate, GLOBEC is offsetting carbon emissions through Climate Care.

Press Release: Climate Change only one Symptom of a Stressed Planet Earth

IGBP responds to the IPCC AR4, advocating an Earth Systems Science approach to the challenges posed by global environmental change. Several IGBP scientists who authored chapters of the IPCC WGI report are quoted.

UK IGBP National Committee

The UK NC has launched a website and  sent out the first issue of an electronic newsletter, two products designed to enhance the communication efforts of the committee. The website includes information on membership, terms of reference, activities and contacts, as well as minutes of all past committee meetings.

View NC website 

IGBP Newsletter No., 67

The latest issue of the IGBP Newsletter, No. 67, is now available for download. This issue of the Newsletter is focused around the Earth System Science Partnership Open Science Conference which was held in Beijing on 9-12 November 2006 and attracted more than 900 scientists from the IGBP, WCRP, IHDP and DIVERSITAS communities.

New GLP Website

The Global Land Project has launched a new website, featuring the ESSP visual elements as well as a number of content updates. GLP aims to re-connect researchers who were active in the two projects preceeding the GLP and attract new partners for cooperation, and the website features a section devoted to those interested in joining the GLP scientific network.

Sustainable Livelihood in a Changing Earth System

The 4th IGBP Congress, titled Sustainable Livelihood in a Changing Earth System, will be held on 4-9 May 2008 in Cape Town, South African.

GBP Book Series: GCTE Book published

Terrestrial Ecosystems in a Changing World, is the latest volume published in the IGBP Book Series. Over 100 authors present 25 contributions on the impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems including key processes of the earth system such as the CO2 fertilization effect; the saturation of the terrestrial carbon sink; and ecosystem services such the production of wheat, pest control, and carbon storage in croplands.

Global Environmental Change and Human Health

Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS)

ESSP Open Science Conference 2006

The 2nd ESSP Open Science Conference, titled Global Environmental Change: Regional Challenges, took place on 9-12 November in Bejing, China. More than 900 participants from around the world attended the Conference, including scientists specialised in various Earth System science disciplines, funding agency representatives, exhibitors, media representatives and government officials. The meeting concluded with the presentation of a Conference Statement urging scientists and policy makers to collaborate in order to ensure sustainable development. For further information, including information on media coverage resulting from the Conference, visit the ESSP website.

Read the Statement of the Beijing Conference on Global Environmental Change.

IGBP Newsletter No. 66

The latest issue of the IGBP Newsletter, No. 66, is now available for download. It features science articles with a focus on modelling, and the integration section highlights AfricanNESS as well as EUROCORES programmes in geo- and environmental sciences.

Newsletter Survey: help us improve the IGBP Newsletter by completing a brief survey.

IGAC Science Plan and Implementation Strategy

IGBP Annual Report for 2005

IGBP Book Series: LUCC Book published