date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 21:26:57 +0100
from: Eystein Jansen <Jansen@geol.uib.no>
subject: URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR FWP6
to: Laurent Labeyrie <Laurent.Labeyrie@lsce.cnrs-gif.fr>, Gerald Ganssen <gang@geo.vu.nl>, rschneid@uni-bremen.de, N.McCave@uib.no, Keith Alverson <keith.alverson@pages.unibe.ch>, Rick Battarbee <r.battarbee@geog.ucl.ac.uk>, keith.alverson@pages.unibe.ch, Keith Briffa <k.briffa@uea.ac.uk>, jerome@glaciog.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr, domraynaud@glaciog.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr,  martin.miles@geol.uib.no, barnola@glaciog.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr,  didier.paillard@lsce.cnrs-gif.fr, Anne-Marie Lzine  <lezine@ccr.jussieu.fr>, Martin Claussen <claussen@pik-potsdam.de>, jean jouzel <jouzel@lsce.saclay.cea.fr>

   Dear friends,

   Things looked quite bright for the paleo-aspects of FWP 6 until October 18. However in the
   most recent version I have seen (dated Oct. 25), there is no longer an Integrated project
   nor Network of Excellence in our field, and Topic I.3.c - novel paleoreconstruction
   methodologies is now only an indicative topic for 2004, whereas it was for 2003 in the
   previous version.

   It now reads:

     I.3. Climate dynamics and variability
     */Research efforts should be concentrated on climate dynamics, climate variability, the
     hydrological cycle, feedback processes and rapid climate changes. Significant physical,
     chemical and biological processes as well as their interactions with the oceans,
     cryosphere,
     land and biosphere need to be quantified and be included in modelling work. Past climate
     variations, events and forcing factors should be investigated. Climate and environmental
     conditions should be reconstructed for periods that are relevant for the understanding
     of
     climate change and of climate system dynamics. The understanding of fundamental modes in
     the coupled climate system, in particular the ocean-atmosphere system (e.g. ENSO, NAO)
     is
     essential and should be advanced further.

     /Indicative topic for Network of Excellence or Integrated Project to implement* in 2004
     */I.3.a)* Hot spots in the earth system*. Dynamics and processes in regions of
     particular
     importance and sensitivity (e.g. Polar, tropicaland Mediterranean areas) should be
     better
     quantified. The focus will be on processes responsible for climate variability
     regionally and
     on larger scales (e.g. the drivers of the thermohaline circulation, feedback processes
     between
     atmosphere and biosphere, solar variability).

     /Indicative topics for STREPs and Co-ordination Actions to implement* in 2004
     */I.3.b)* Coupled climate system.* Improving the understanding of the coupled climate
     system,
     in particular the coupled ocean-atmosphere system and dynamics of El Nio Southern
     Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).

     I.3.c)* Novel palaeoreconstruction methods.* Development of novel palaeoreconstruction
     methodologies and multidisciplinary approaches for past climate conditions and climate

   dynamics.

   I have been strongly adviced to ask people in our community to put pressure on our national
   representatives in the Programme Comittee, and our contacts in Brussels. The task should be
   to redo the document so that the contents in the Oct. 18 version are put back again. The
   key meeting of the Programme Comittee is Nov. 12, and it is urgent that we react fast.

   This means:

   1. To insert into Topic I3. the following text in 1.3.a:

   Topic for Network of Excellence or Integrated Project to implement in 2003:  Past climates
   and its dynamics. Reconstruction and modelling of past climatic conditions and climatic
   events. Their analysis in a framework of climate variability and dynamics to significantly
   contribute to better climate change prediction.

   2. To Move I3.c to 2003 rather thanjust being an indicative topic for 2004.

   The arguments are:

   1. Withoud a more profound knowledge of climate variability over longer time scales, and
   under different climate forcing, it is very difficult to understand and predict how the
   system will react to future forcing.

   2. We need to have better data to evaluate the likelihood for climatic surprises.

   3. There is a large and well connected European community ready to act, which can provide
   major breakthroughs in our understanding of climate change.

   4. recent deleopments in reconstructions and modelling makes it possible to integrate the
   observation and modelling communities and to  provide climate records of decadal to annual
   resolution over several millennia, thus expanding the short period for which we have
   instrumental measurements by 1-2 orders of magnitude.

   5. New methodological efforts headed by European consortia will be able to significantly
   improve the accuracy of climate reconstructions.

   I hope some joint pressure here can give our community back what seems to have vanished in
   the process.

   Cheers,

   Eystein

--

   ______________________________________________________________
   Eystein Jansen
   Professor/Director
   Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research and
   Dep. of Geology, Univ. of Bergen
   Allgaten 55
   N-5007 Bergen
   NORWAY
   e-mail: eystein.jansen@geol.uib.no
   Phone: +47-55-583491  -  Home: +47-55-910661
   Fax:       +47-55-584330
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