World Climate Research Programme
Encyclopedia
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science
and the World Meteorological Organization
, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
of UNESCO
since 1993. It is a component of the World Climate Programme
. The objectives of the programme are to develop the fundamental scientific understanding of the physical climate
system and climate processes needed to determine to what extent climate can be predicted and the extent of human influence on climate. The programme encompasses studies of the global atmosphere
, ocean
s, sea ice
, land ice (such as glacier
s, ice cap
s and ice sheet
s), and the land surface which together constitute the Earth's physical climate system.
WCRP activities address issues of scientific uncertainty in the Earth's climate system including transport and storage of heat by the ocean, the global energy and hydrological cycle
, the formation of clouds and their effects on radiative transfer, and the role of the cryosphere
in climate. These activities match the scientific priorities identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
, and provide the basis for responding to issues raised in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
. WCRP also lays the scientific foundation for meeting the research challenges posed in Agenda 21. Together with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
and the International Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme, WCRP provides the international framework for scientific cooperation in the study of global climate change
.
Scientific guidance for the programme is provided by a Joint Scientific Committee consisting of 18 scientists selected by mutual agreement between the three sponsoring organizations.
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...
and the World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission was established by resolution 2.31 adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO. It first met in Paris at Unesco Headquarters from 19 to 27 October 1961. Initially, 40 States became members of the Commission.The IOC is composed of its Member States ,...
of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
since 1993. It is a component of the World Climate Programme
World Climate Programme
The World Climate Programme was established following the first World Climate Conference in 1979. The major sponsors are the World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and...
. The objectives of the programme are to develop the fundamental scientific understanding of the physical climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
system and climate processes needed to determine to what extent climate can be predicted and the extent of human influence on climate. The programme encompasses studies of the global atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
, ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s, sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
, land ice (such as glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s, ice cap
Ice cap
An ice cap is an ice mass that covers less than 50 000 km² of land area . Masses of ice covering more than 50 000 km² are termed an ice sheet....
s and ice sheet
Ice sheet
An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² , thus also known as continental glacier...
s), and the land surface which together constitute the Earth's physical climate system.
WCRP activities address issues of scientific uncertainty in the Earth's climate system including transport and storage of heat by the ocean, the global energy and hydrological cycle
Water cycle
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or H2O cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and solid at various places in the water cycle...
, the formation of clouds and their effects on radiative transfer, and the role of the cryosphere
Cryosphere
The cryosphere is the term which collectively describes the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground . Thus there is a wide overlap with the hydrosphere...
in climate. These activities match the scientific priorities identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
, and provide the basis for responding to issues raised in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992...
. WCRP also lays the scientific foundation for meeting the research challenges posed in Agenda 21. Together with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme is a research programme that studies the phenomenon of global change.The International Council of Scientific Unions, a coordinating body of national science organizations, launched IGBP in 1986...
and the International Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme, WCRP provides the international framework for scientific cooperation in the study of global climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
Scientific guidance for the programme is provided by a Joint Scientific Committee consisting of 18 scientists selected by mutual agreement between the three sponsoring organizations.
Major Projects
- Stratospheric Processes And their Role in ClimateStratospheric Processes And their Role in ClimateStratospheric Processes And their Role in Climate is a core project of the World Climate Research Programme.Because of the important role, which stratospheric processes play for the earth's climate system the World Climate Research Programme established this research project...
(SPARC) - http://isccp.giss.nasa.gov/ International Satellite Cloud Climatology ProjectInternational Satellite Cloud Climatology ProjectThe International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project was established as the first project of the World Climate Research Program . Since its inception in 1982, there have been two phases, 1983–1995 and 1995–present. The project is responsible for collection and analysis of weather satellite...
(ISCCP) - http://clic.npolar.no/ Climate and Cryosphere (CliC)
- http://www.clivar.org/ Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR)
- http://www.gewex.org/ Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX)
See also
- Atmospheric Model Intercomparison ProjectAtmospheric Model Intercomparison ProjectAtmospheric Model Intercomparison Project is a standard experimental protocol for global atmospheric general circulation models . It provides a community-based infrastructure in support of climate model diagnosis, validation, intercomparison, documentation and data access...
(AMIP) - David Carson (climatologist)David Carson (climatologist)David John Carson is a climatologist. He has been director of the Hadley Centre , director of Numerical Weather Prediction at the UKMO , and was director of the World Climate Research Programme from 2000-2005....
- Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere programTropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere programThe Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere program is a component of the World Climate Research Programme aimed specifically at the prediction of climate phenomena on time scales of months to years....