In this session we will examine the role of the stratosphere in climate variability, change, and prediction from the tropics to the extratropics.  Increasingly, stratospheric processes have been found to increase predictive skill of tropospheric climate on S2S and longer timescales.  Additionally, we will consider the role of the stratosphere on climate variability from seasonal to decadal timescales as well as the stratosphere's role in long term climate change.  We are also interested in studies that examine how stratospheric processes might be better simulated to enhance predictability.