A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

No robust evidence of future changes in major stratospheric sudden warmings: a multi-model assessment from CCMI. By B. Ayarzagüena et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Rossby wave breaking and isentropic stratosphere‐troposphere exchange in 1981–2015 in the Northern Hemisphere. By P. Jing and S. Banerjee in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Determination of Best Tropopause Definition for Convective Transport Studies. By E.M. Maddox and G.L. Mullendore in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.

Ensemble sensitivity analysis of Greenland blocking in medium‐range forecasts. By T. Parker, T. Woollings, and Antje Weisheimer in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Impact of Parametrized Nonorographic Gravity Wave Drag on Stratosphere‐Troposphere Coupling in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. By I. Polichtchouk, T.G. Shepherd, and N.J. Byrne in the Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion papers open for comment:

Structural changes in the shallow and transition branch of the Brewer–Dobson circulation induced by El Niño. By M. Diallo et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The call for nominations to SPARC’s Scientific Steering Group (SSG) is now open. The SSG currently comprises 12 researchers from around the world with a wide range of expertise in atmospheric dynamics and chemistry. They guide SPARC’s priorities and activities, working together with the SSG co-chairs and the SPARC project office. SSG members should thus have a good overview of the SPARC Implementation plan and planning documents, the regional and international research agendas, and how SPARC’s priorities align with those of the new WCRP strategy.

The deadline for nominations is 15 September 2018.

Nominations can be submitted through the online form at

https://www.aparc-climate.org/about/leadership/ssg-nominations/
(including the upload of a publications list).

Please note that you can either nominate a candidate or nominate yourself.

The SSG takes a strategic view of SPARC’s role, so we are looking for individuals with a broad view of atmospheric science and climate change as well as expertise in their own field. Scientific expertise, career stage as well as gender and geographical balance are taken into account.

The initial term of service is for four years (January 2020 – December 2023), with a possible extension of two years.

If you are interested in getting involved in SPARC in other ways, including ideas for new foci, please visit the SPARC webpage for more information: www.sparc-climate.org/get-involved or contact the SPARC Office.

The SPARC (Stratosphere-Troposphere Processes and their Role in Climate) will be holding a 3-day workshop on atmospheric turbulence at the Leibnitz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany, during the period November 6-8, 2018. The aim of this workshop is to discuss recent modeling and observational research on atmospheric turbulence, as well as applications.  There will be invited and contributed talks, as well as ample time for discussion.

The Science Organizing Committee for this workshop is:
Hye-Yeong Chun, Yonsei University, Korea
David Fritts, GATS, Inc., USA
Marvin Geller, Stony Brook University (emeritus), USA
Franz-Josef Lübken, Leibnitz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Germany.

Confirmed invited speakers at the workshop to-date include:
Ulrich Achatz, Germany
Jorge Chau, Germany
Marvin Geller, USA
Masashi Kohma, Japan
Peter Love, Australia
Kusuma Rao, India
Richard Wilson, France.

We encourage all interested individuals to contact Marvin Geller at and express your interest in attending and whether you would like to contribute a paper by September 1, 2018.  We will be sending accommodations and logistics information to prospective attendees by September 15, 2018.  We will need proposed papers’ titles by October 1, 2018.  We will be circulating the planned workshop schedule by October 15, 2018.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Afro-Eurasian Intermediate-Frequency Teleconnection and Modulation by ENSO. By S. He et al. in the Journal of the Climate.

Impact of Convective Gravity Waves on the Tropical Middle Atmosphere During the Madden‐Julian Oscillation. By S. Kalisch, M.‐J. Kang, and H.‐Y. Chun in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

A Parameterization of Turbulent‐scale and Mesoscale Orographic Drag in a Global Atmospheric Model. By M.-S. Koo, H.-J. Choi, and J.-Y. Han in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Resolving Future Arctic/Midlatitude Weather Connections. By J.E. Overland and M. Wang in Earth’s Future.

Polar stratospheric cloud climatology based on CALIPSO spaceborne lidar measurements from 2006 to 2017. By M.C. Pitts, L.R. Poole, and R. Gonzalez in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Trapped Gravity Waves and their Association with Turbulence in a Large Thunderstorm Anvil during PECAN. By S.B. Trier and R.D. Sharman in the Monthly Weather Review.

The July 2018 edition of the newsletter is now available online:

http://www.aparc-climate.org/publications/newsletter/sparc-newsletter-no-51/

Enjoy reading through an interesting collection of workshop reports and SPARC science descriptions

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Analysis of the Initiation of an Extreme North Pacific Jet Retraction using Piecewise Tendency Diagnosis. By M. Breeden and J.E. Martin in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Lidar observations of stratospheric gravity waves from 2011 to 2015 at McMurdo (77.84 °S, 166.69°E), Antarctica: Part II. Potential energy densities, lognormal distributions, and seasonal variations. By X. Chu et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Limited angle tomography of mesoscale gravity waves by the infrared limb-sounder GLORIA. By I. Krisch et al in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

The impact of mountain waves on an idealized baroclinically unstable large-scale flow. By M.Q. Menchaca and D.R. Durran in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.

The Role of Gravity Wave Drag Optimization in the Splitting of the Antarctic Vortex in the 2002 Sudden Stratospheric Warming. By G. Scheffler, M. Pulido, and C. Rodas in the Geophysical Research Letters.

Recent poleward shift of tropical cyclone formation linked to Hadley cell expansion. By S. Sharmila and K.J.E. Walsh in Nature: Climate Change

A Lagrangian model diagnosis of stratospheric contributions to tropical mid‐tropospheric air. By M. Tao et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

On the role of heterogeneous chemistry in ozone depletion and recovery. By C. Wilka et al. in the Geophysical Research Letters.

The IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data), formerly the Task Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impact and Climate Analysis (TGICA), is currently seeking nominations. TG-Data facilitates the distribution and application of climate change related data and scenarios to enable research and sharing of information across the three IPCC Working Groups. Please view the TG-Data terms of reference for full information.

If you are interested in being nominated by WCRP, please forward your nomination to by close of business on 31 July 2018. WCRP will forward all accepted nominations to IPCC, who will make the final selection. Please note that only successful nominations will be notified.

Registration is open to review the second order draft of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2019 Refinement). The 2019 Refinement is an update to the guidelines or methodologies that countries use to estimate their anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases. The refinement of the IPCC’s previous guidelines published in 2006 is necessary to provide an updated and sound scientific basis for supporting the preparation and continuous improvement of national greenhouse gas inventories.

IPCC reports go through multiple stages of review to ensure an objective and comprehensive assessment of the latest science. The first draft is reviewed by experts, the second draft by governments and experts and the final draft by governments only. The second draft of methodology report is reviewed alongside a first draft of the Overview Chapter.

The Co-Chairs of the IPCC’s Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), Kiyoto Tanabe and Eduardo Calvo Buendia, stressed the importance of the review in the IPCC process. Therefore they invite governments and experts from all over the world to comment on the accuracy and completeness of the draft’s scientific information as well as its overall balance.

The preparation of the methodology report is managed by two Co-Chairs, coming from a developed and a developing country, and supported by an international staff known as Technical Support Unit.

The government and expert review will start on 2 July 2018 for a 10-week period. It will end at midnight Geneva time (GMT+2) on 9 September 2018. Review Editors will make sure that all comments submitted are afforded appropriate consideration by the authors of the report. All comments together with responses by the authors will be published along with the report when it is finalized.

Find registration page to become expert reviewer

Registration opens on 18 June and closes at midnight Geneva time (GMT+2) on 2 September 2018.

You will have access to the SOD after registration.

The 20th Conference on the Middle Atmosphere will occur at the upcoming AMS annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona from January 6-10, 2019.

Papers for this conference are solicited for the following topics:

• aerosols in the stratosphere;
• atmospheric reanalyses and long-term observational datasets for middle atmospheric studies;
• future observations of the middle atmosphere: needs and capabilities;
• impact of deep convection, volcanic eruptions and TTL processes on ozone and water vapor in the middle atmosphere;
• modeling, predictability and teleconnections of the quasi-biennial oscillation;
• transport and mixing in the upper troposphere and stratosphere;
• waves and circulation: connections across scales.

• connections between tropical convection and the stratosphere (joint with 7MJO);
• role of the stratosphere in climate variability, change, and prediction (Themed Joint Session) (joint with 32CVC);
• stratospheric ozone, chemistry, and climate (Themed Joint Session)  (joint with 32CVC and 21AtChem)
  • *Dr. Paul Newman will be a Core Science Keynote Speaker at the beginning of this session.
• and whole atmosphere coupling during extreme events (joint with 16SpaceWx).

Some confirmed invited speakers include Mike Fromm, Ed Gerber, Seok-woo Son, Joan Alexander, Guy Brasseur, Bill Randel, Michael Schwartz, Matt Hitchman, Daniela Domeisen, Brad Hall, Clara Orbe, Alvaro de la Camara, Katrina Bossert, Cora Randall, and Nick Pedatella.

Descriptions of these sessions can be found here: https://ams.confex.com/ams/2019Annual/webprogrampreliminary/20MIDDLE.html

Abstracts are due August 1st and can be submitted here:https://annual.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/2019/programs/conferences-and-symposia/20th-conference-on-middle-atmosphere/

Some travel funds for students are available, and there will be some cash awards for student presentations, so please encourage undergraduate and graduate students to apply.

If you have questions, please contact:

Amy Butler ()

Sean Davis ()

co-organizers of the Middle Atmosphere Meeting

The National Geographic Society (NGS) and Microsoft’s AI for Earth program are partnering to support the exploration of how AI can help us understand, engage, and protect the planet. The $1 million AI for Earth Innovation Grant will provide grants to 5-15 novel projects that improve the way we monitor, model, and ultimately manage Earth’s natural systems for a more sustainable future.

To qualify, applications should outline a proposal to use AI for conservation in at least multiple areas, including:

Climate change: Extreme weather events, rising sea levels, higher global temperatures, and increased ocean acidity threaten human health, infrastructure, and the natural systems we rely on for life itself. AI can help in areas like:

• Climate resilience
• Extreme weather and climate modeling
• Sustainable land-use change
• Ecosystem services (including carbon sequestration and afforestation/reforestation)

An example of the types of tools that the program is interested in supportingis:

Climate change: temperature and precipitation model downscaling, risk optimization

Find more information and details on the program webpage  

The deadline for the AI for Earth Innovation RFP is:  October 8, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST.

Timelines: Please note the RFP deadline and also the project timeline is different from other National Geographic grant programs. On the Eligibility Requirement popup, check the box for a 6 months later start date, so you can still access the Grants Portal. But in the application, input January 1, 2019 as your start date. Projects should be complete by December 31, 2019.

If you have further questions about the AI for Earth Innovation RFP, please email us at .