CLIVAR: future plans and priorities

The Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) is the main focus in WCRP for studies of climate variability. Its mission is to observe, simulate and predict the Earth's climate system, with a focus on ocean-atmosphere interactions, enabling better understanding of climate variability, predictability and change to the benefit of society and the environment in which we live. CLIVAR seeks to encourage analysis of observations, modeling and prediction of climate variations and change on seasonal to centennial and longer time scales. It collaborates closely with WCRP-GEWEX on the monsoon systems of the world. It encourages and helps to coordinate observational studies of climate processes, particularly for the ocean, but also over the monsoon land areas, with the goal of improving models. CLIVAR also promotes the development of a sustained ocean observing system both regionally and globally. Yet, as WCRP evolves to a new organizational structure (post 2013), CLIVAR is evolving as well. This talk will expand on the changes underway, and how CLIVAR plans to address the challenges and opportunities before it. In particular, a new set of imperatives for CLIVAR research have been developed and include: (1) anthropogenic climate change; (2) decadal variability, predictability and prediction; (3) intra-to-seasonal variability, predictability and prediction; (4) improved atmosphere and ocean component models of Earth System Models; (5) data synthesis, analysis, reanalysis and uncertainty; (6) ocean observing system; and (7) building capacity. These will steer CLIVAR activities over the next five years and perhaps beyond. The imperatives will be described, as well as ways in which scientists can join us in this exciting endeavor.