In response to the rapid pace of scientific advances and recognizing the need for the project to be flexible and responsive to new ideas and challenges, CLIVAR has developed the concept of Research Foci (RF), which have proven to be effective means to initiate in a bottom-up-process, new research and invigorate progress in areas that are of high priority to the climate research community, thereby fostering cross-panel, pan-WCRP community collaboration, while also providing opportunities to entrain new scientists into CLIVAR.

During the open call for research foci in fall 2022, five high quality proposals were received, covering topics all relevant to CLIVAR. The proposals have been carefully reviewed by the CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group (SSG), with the consideration of the alignment to CLIVAR and WCRP science priority and strategy; global in scope; representation of novel science that are unlikely to be supported through national efforts; as well as the explicitly illustrated deliverables, capacity building plans and the potential cooperation with other international projects and programmes in the proposal. Finally, the proposal on ‘Marine Heatwaves in the Global Ocean’ was approved by the CLIVAR SSG as a new CLIVAR Research Focus to be implemented from 2023.

The membership of the new research focus group is being finalized, and a kick-off telecon is being planned in early 2023. An in-person meeting is also expected in July 2023, alongside the ICTP/CLIVAR Summer School on Marine Heatwaves: Global Phenomena with Regional Impacts in Trieste, Italy.