US CLIVAR Accomplishments Over the Past 15 Years and Research Challenges for the Future

Abstract:

The US Climate Variability and Predictability Program (CLIVAR) has brought meaningful contributions to the understanding of the role the ocean plays in the global climate system since its launch in 1998. By fostering community-based planning and implementation, US CLIVAR has made strides in increasing our understanding of the climate system and its predictability. Key accomplishments include a better understanding of intraseasonal-to-centennial timescales, expansion of a sustained ocean observing system for monitoring and assessing climate variability and change, improved understanding of critical physical processes and their representation in climate and Earth system models, and coordinated inter-comparisons of ocean and coupled simulations that have led to improved predictive capability.

Building upon these advancements, the new US CLIVAR Science Plan presents revised goals, strategies, and research challenges that emphasize strengthened ties to the broader Earth science community and relevance to societal impacts. We will highlight the scope and priorities for each of the following four research challenges: (i) decadal variability and predictability; (ii) climate and extreme events; (iii) polar climate; and (iv) climate and ocean biogeochemistry. We will also provide information on how scientists can participate in future planning and implementation activities.