The IPCC is to prepare a special report on Climate change and the oceans and the cryosphere. This will be one of just three special reports to be prepared as part of the 6th round of IPCC assessment reports.

Special reports are intended to be prepared as early as possible in the IPCC cycle, ahead of the main assessment and synthesis reports. They provide greater depth of information on their topics than would otherwise be given in the assessment reports.

The Special Report process begins with the selection of a scoping committee which will outline what is to be included in the report. Then authors and reviewers are selected to compile the report.

The report will review all related literature and so will become the definitive review on the topic.

The report will be prepared over the next few years so for any new research to be included in the review it will need to be published as soon as possible.

Dan Zwartz is managing the New Zealand contributions to the Special Reports.

Dan is a Climate Change Analyst with the Ministry for the Environment and is the New Zealand IPCC “Focal Point”.

IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and the oceans and the cryosphere

It was announced on Monday the 25th July 2016 that Dr Trevor Chinn has been awarded the Richardson Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the International Glaciological Society and to glaciology in general.

This is only the tenth time the medal has been awarded since 1993.