Fast Track Initiatives (FTIs)

Fast-Track Initiatives (FTIs) are focused activities prioritised by the IGBP Scientific Committee (SC) to advance our knowledge of Earth System functioning. They address innovative, cross-cutting issues and gaps in the programme’s research and provide a means for the IGBP community to actively contribute to IGBP synthesies and the needs of international assessments such as the IPCC. Current FTIs have received seed funding towards workshops (and associated publications) and will run for no more than 3 years. No new FTIs will be launched in 2010.

Three Fast Track Initiatives have been launched for the period 2009-2011

Current FTIs:

• Upper-Ocean Nutrient Limitation: processes, patterns and potential for change in collaboration with SCOR (2009-2011)
• Regionalisation of the Nitrogen Visualisation Tool (2009-2011)
• Megacities and the Coastal Zone: air-sea interactions (2009-2011)

Completed FTIs:

• Plant Functional Classification (2006-2009) in collaboration with DIVERSITAS
• The Planet in 2050 (2006-2008)
• Ocean Acidification over Time (2005-2008) in collaboration with SCOR
• The Global Iron Cycle (2003-2005) in collaboration with SCOR
• The Role of Fire in the Earth System (2003-2006)
• The Global Nitrogen Cycle (2003-2005) in collaboration with SCOPE