date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 21:33:53 +0100
from: "Tim C. Atkinson" <t.atkinson@ucl.ac.uk>
subject: PRESCIENT: Something to consider
to: njs5 <njs5@cam.ac.uk>, "sandy.tudhope" <sandy.tudhope@ed.ac.uk>,  rbradley <rbradley@geo.umass.edu>,  "r.battarbee" <r.battarbee@geog.ucl.ac.uk>,  EWWO <EWWO@pcmail.nerc-bas.ac.uk>, "p.j.valdes" <p.j.valdes@reading.ac.uk>,  "J.Lowe" <J.Lowe@rhbnc.ac.uk>, "k.briffa" <k.briffa@uea.ac.uk>,  sfbtett <sfbtett@meto.gov.uk>, wigley <wigley@meeker.ucar.edu>,  t.atkinson@ukgateway.net

Dear PRESCIENT members,
Most of us will have heard by now that NERC will "unfreeze" PRESCIENT funds
but is likely to amalgamate our programme with a new one in oceanography,
"Abrupt Climatic Change and the thermohaline circulation" (ACC-THC).  This
was hinted at by David Brown in his e-mail (via Chris Franklin) of 15
February.  I got this news two weeks ago from a member of one of NERC's
higher boards, who indicated verbally that PRESCIENT members should "watch
out".  I don't think any of us has been informed by anyone at NERC, for
which they have their reasons, no doubt.

I think that this is very good news, but only because the alternative was
complete extinction for PRESCIENT.  The danger now is that PRESCIENT
objectives may be overshadowed by those of the ACC-THC.  There is a very
large disparity in funding between the two programmes - 17M to 3.5M.  The
best way to make sure PRESCIENT survives is for PRESCIENT folk and
PRESCIENT's scientific objectives to be adequately represented in the
Steering structure of the new programme.  If we wish to have any influence
on this, we should make our voice(s) heard NOW.

As a first step I have written the attached letter, following discussions
among Battarbee, Valdez, Briffa and myself.  Please read it and circulate
your reactions.  My personal preference would be for the non-NERC members
collectively to send a suitably revised version to David Brown , and I hope
we may have a consensus for that.

Use Reply-All, please, to keep the discussion open.  At this stage,
circulation is to non-NERC members only.  If there is a consensus to send
some sort of letter, I would be willing to edit it in the light of
comments, unless someone else feels strongly that they should do this task.

Let's hear from you.  Silence is deadening!
Yours,
Tim


Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\PRESCIENTlet1.0.doc"

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Dr.T.C. Atkinson,	=09
Groundwater Tracing Unit,	=09
Department of Geological Sciences,=09
University College London,	=09
Gower Street,			=09
London WC1E 6BT, 		=09
England.			=09
tel 0044 20 7679 7711		=09
fax 0044 20 7387 1612		=09
t.atkinson@ucl.ac.uk
t.atkinson@ukgateway.net=09
&
School of Environmental Sciences,
University of East Anglia,
Norwich NR4 7TJ,
England.
tel 0044(0)1603 592557/9
fax 0044(0)1603 507719
t.atkinson@uea.ac.uk
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