Date and time: Thursday, 25 September, 14:00-17:30

Register your interest to participate by 22 August 2025:  https://forms.gle/z2DPAQVu1J4dG9uaA and complete this optionally anonymous survey before 25 September: https://forms.gle/BMFPdXtDoHMnkdjb6 to facilitate the discussion and contribute to the review.  If you are not able to access these forms, you may download them here and here, fill them out, and email to icpo@clivar.org.

Background

We have seen in these recent times how the impacts of climate variability and change have been unfolding before our eyes, with occurrences of extreme events around the world impacting on the environment, society, and economy.  All of these are happening in the backdrop of ongoing and rising geopolitical tensions and the prospect of global disruptions (e.g., pandemic).  Predicting and anticipating these extreme occurrences to inform the society and manage risks requires active ocean-climate research and sustained advances in observations and modeling on global and regional scales that provide critical infrastructure to research.  Such efforts require synergistic international collaboration and coordination in research, observations, and modeling, unconstrained by borders and geopolitics.         

Several large-scale organisations, programs, and activities exist today that coordinate, promote, and drive ocean-climate research.  However, there is a lack of systematic review on the scientific scope, regional coverage, funding opportunities, and existing synergy among programs.  Such a review will help identify research gaps that may benefit from an enhanced collaboration among existing programs, the constraints for multi-lateral cooperation, and the potential need for new initiatives and adjustments amid the evolving challenges associated with a changing climate and global disruptions.      

This side event aims to:

1) outline current and anticipated scientific and institutional challenges in ocean-climate research that could benefit from an enhanced international collaboration;

2) outline and review existing associated coordination activities and programs around the world; and

3) identify opportunities for new collaboration initiatives to enhance ocean-climate research.    

The outcomes of this side event include:

1) a compiled list of collaborative organisations and activities, with the scientific scope, capabilities, regional coverage, and available opportunities (e.g., funding, training);

2) a review or perspective paper on the need for enhanced international coordination and collaboration to tackle challenges in a changing climate; and

3) potential new synergy among the participants.

Program

Facilitators: Agus Santoso, Xiaopei Lin, Fei Chai, Juliet Hermes

• Introduction
  • OceanObs’29 
  • Global Ocean Summit and Global Ocean Research Union
• Sea Level Rise and WCRP, Presenter: Hindumathi Palanisamy
• Coordinated efforts for detecting and understanding ocean oxygen change and links to heat and carbon, Presenter: Lijing Cheng 
• Enhancing international collaboration with the palaeoclimate community, Presenter: Jens Zinke 
• Discussions

16:00-17:30

• Strengthening International Collaboration through Ocean Observations: Lessons from Indonesia and the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel, Presenter: Nelly Florida Riama 
• Strengthening Ocean-Climate Research in the Bay of Bengal: Regional Collaboration for a Changing Climate, Presenter: Mohan Kumar Das 
• 2nd Cooperative Study of the Kuroshio and its Adjacent Regions (CSK-2), Presenter: Xiaopei Lin 
• Discussions

Each presentation is allocated 10 minutes plus 5 min. Q&A, ensuring at least 30 min. for interactive discussions at the end of each session.

Statement on the alignment with WCRP CLIVAR’s mission and science plan

The overarching objectives of WCRP are to understand the climate system and its variability, determine its predictability and projectability, and connect climate science to policy and decision making.  CLIVAR’s mission is to understand the dynamics, the interaction, and the predictability of the climate system with emphasis on ocean-atmosphere interactions.

The aims of this side event are essentially targeted towards nurturing and advancing climate science through enhancing international collaboration and partnerships.  The science covered includes ocean and climate and ocean-atmosphere observations, modelling, prediction and projection, as well as new frontiers that may be considered for the next CLIVAR science plan such as biogeochemistry, AI, and societal impacts.  Having this event following the CLIVAR Symposium will also frame the discussion in terms of bridging science and society.  As such, the side event is in line with WCRP and CLIVAR’s missions and science plan.