date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:32:56 +1000 (EST)
from: Matthew England <m.england@unsw.edu.au>
to: Matthew England <m.england@unsw.edu.au>


Dear colleagues,
 
Please consider submitting an abstract to the "tipping points" session at 
the upcoming Copenhagen science congress on "Climate Change: Global Risks, 
Challenges and Decisions", to be held during 10-12 March, 2009.  Confirmed 
invited keynote speakers include Professor Peter Cox, Professor Kerry Cook 
and Professor Andrew Weaver.  This meeting forms a crucial lead-in to the 
COP15 meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009.  Details follow below.  Also 
note the abstract deadline is 30th September, 2008.
 
With best wishes, 
         Matthew England and Tim Lenton

__________________________________________________________________
 
Call for Abstracts:   Tipping Elements in the Earth System
                                      
SESSION CHAIRS:
Professor Matthew England, University of New South Wales
Professor Tim Lenton, University of East Anglia
 
SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The global climate system is highly complex and non-linear, with abrupt 
change a common feature of past climate records.  While most climate 
projections focus on the smooth, predictable aspects of climate change, it 
is highly likely that key thresholds for large scale, non-linear change, 
or "tipping points", will be encountered over the coming decades.  
Critical uncertainties include the amount of forcing required to pass 
particular tipping points and the severity of the resulting impacts. In 
this session we invite contributions on the nature, proximity and 
predictability of tipping points in the Earth's climate system. These may 
include: abrupt change in the ocean's thermohaline circulation and sea-ice 
cover, irreversible shrinkage of major ice sheets, rapid shifts in 
atmospheric systems, and abrupt shifts in some terrestrial and marine 
ecosystems.
 
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:
The abstract deadline is nominally Monday 1 September 2008 but please note 
that we will accept abstracts for the tipping points session up until 30 
September 2008.  See http://climatecongress.ku.dk/call-for-abstracts/ for 
further details.
 
CONFIRMED SESSION INVITED SPEAKERS:
Professor Kerry H. Cook, US              Atmospheric tipping points
Professor Andrew Weaver, Canada          Oceanic tipping points
Professor Peter Cox, UK                  Terrestrial tipping points
 
CONFERENCE INFORMATION:
 
"Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions"
10-12 March 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark.
http://climatecongress.ku.dk/ 
 
The Danish Government as host of the UN Conference on Climate Change 
(COP15) to be held in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 has asked the IARU to 
organise this conference as part of the run-up to the COP15. All findings 
will be compiled in a book on climate change, and an executive summary 
with the main findings from the congress will, after agreement with the 
Danish Government, be handed over to policy makers at the COP15 in 
Copenhagen at the end of 2009.
 
The conference organisers are expecting several 1000 delegates to attend 
the meeting.  Please circulate this announcement to others who may be 
interested inparticipating in this session or more broadly in the 
Copenhagen Congress.           
 
-----------------------------------------------------
Professor Matthew England
Climate Change Research Centre (CCRC)
Faculty of Science
The University of New South Wales
UNSW  SYDNEY  NSW  2052
Australia
 
Telephone: +61-2-9385-7065
Facsimile: +61-2-9385-7123
E-mail:    M.England@unsw.edu.au
Web:       www.maths.unsw.edu.au/~matthew 
CCRC Web:  www.ccrc.unsw.edu.au 

