The CFMIP/WCRP/ICTP Conference on Cloud Processes, Circulation andClimate Sensitivity will be held 4-7 July 2016 at the InternationalCenter for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. This CFMIP/WCRP/ICTPinternational conference will focus on the theme of the WCRP GrandChallenge on Clouds, Circulation and Climate Sensitivity, in addition toaddressing other ongoing CFMIP activities.

The four-day conference will contain oral and poster sessions on:

• Modeling and observational constraints on cloud feedbacks, adjustments and climate sensitivity, including the role of moist convection in cloud feedbacks
• Cloud/circulation/precipitation coupling and its variability in present and future climates, including hydrological extremes and ITCZ and storm track changes.
• Process based evaluation of clouds and cloud controlling factors in climate models using fine scale models and observations, including satellite simulators.
• How will the organization of cloud systems interact with climate change?Coordination of CFMIP and Grand Challenge activities with CMIP6.

The deadline for abstract submissions is 15 April 2016.

For more information, please visit the conference site at: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/meetings/cfmip2016/

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Advertisement! ICTP Summer School on Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

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Please note that PhD students and early career scientists may beinterested to also attend the ICTP Summer School on Aerosol-CloudInteractions which takes place the week preceeding the conference: June27-July 1. The tuition is by Wojciech W. Grabowski, Chris Bretherton,Corinne Hoose, Anna Possner, Adrian Tompkins and Fabien Solmon and thereare hands-on lab classes conducting experiments with the "baby-EULAG"model.

There are no course fees, but availability of places is strictly limited – to apply see indico.ictp.it/event/7614/

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

Observational constraints on the efficiency of dehydration mechanisms in the tropical tropopause layer. A.W. Rollins et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Climatic impacts of stratospheric geoengineering with sulfate, black carbon and titania injection. By A.C. Jones et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Drivers of changes in stratospheric and tropospheric ozone between year 2000 and 2100. By A. Banarjee et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The influence of atmospheric blocking on extreme winter minimum temperatures in North America. By K. Whan et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Tropical Upper Tropospheric Potential Vorticity Intrusions During Sudden Stratospheric Warmings. By J.R. Albers et al. in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.

The impact of a future solar minimum on climate change projections in the Northern Hemisphere. By G. Chiodo et al. in Environmental Research Letters.

Taking the chill off: Future Arctic sea-ice loss reduces severity of cold air outbreaks in midlatitudes. By B. Ayarzagüena and J.A. Screen in Geophysical Research Letters.

On the formation of tropical rings of atomic halogens: Causes and implications. By A. Saiz-Lopez and R. P. Fernandez in Geophysical Research Letters.

The impact of the direct effects of sulfate and black carbon aerosols on the sub-seasonal march of the East Asian subtropical summer monsoon. By D. Wang et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS – Part 1: AIMS-H₂O for UTLS water vapor measurements. By S. Kaufmann et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Decadal climate predictions using sequential learning algorithms. By E. Strobach and G. Bel in the Journal of Climate.

Ozone and carbon monoxide over India during the summer monsoon: regional emissions and transport. By N. Ojha et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Stratospheric Gravity Wave Fluxes and Scales during DEEPWAVE. By R.B. Smith et al. in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.

The Convective Transport of Active Species in the Tropics (CONTRAST) Experiment. By L.L. Pan et al. in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

What is the Polar Vortex, and how does it influence weather? By D.W. Waugh et al. in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Discussion papers – open for comment

UV and Infrared Absorption Spectra, Atmospheric Lifetimes, and Ozone Depletion and Global Warming Potentials for CCl₂FCCl₂F (CFC-112), CCl₃CClF₂ (CFC-112a), CCl₃CF₃ (CFC-113a), and CCl₂FCF₃ (CFC-114a). By M.E. Davis et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Hybrid ensemble 4DVar assimilation of stratospheric ozone using a global shallow water model. By D.R. Allen et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

An update on the uncertainties of water vapor measurements using Cryogenic Frostpoint Hygrometers. By H. Vömel et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions.

A comparative analysis of UV nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone data assimilation. By R. Dragani in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Representing the effects of stratosphere-troposphere exchange on 3D O₃ distributions in chemistry transport models using a potential vorticity based parameterization. By J. Xing et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Abstract submission deadline: 15 May 2016

The WCRP Model Hierarchies Workshop will be held on 2-4 November 2016 at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA under the auspices of the WCRP Grand Challenge on Clouds, Circulation and Climate Sensitivity and the Working Group on Coupled Models.

Note the deadline of 15 May 2016 for abstract submission.

For more details:

First announcement – Call for abstracts

wcrp-climate.org/gc-model-hierarchies-home

Abstract submission deadline: 15 March 2016

The CLIVAR Open Science Conference “Charting the course for climate and ocean research” will be held in Qingdao, China from 18-25 September 2016.

Abstracts can be submitted via the Conference website until 15 March 2016. Abstracts must be submitted to one of the OSC sessions; for an overview, check the programme and session descriptions. Selected contributions will be invited for oral presentation, all others as posters. Contributors may submit up to 3 abstracts. All abstracts must be submitted in English, with a maximum of 500 words, and may include only text and symbols.

For more details:

3rd Announcement

http://www.clivar2016.org/

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

Transport of ice into the stratosphere and the humidification of the stratosphere over the 21st century. By A.E. Dessler et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

The double peak in upwelling and heating in the tropical lower stratosphere. By A. Ming et al. in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences.

Improved simulation of tropospheric ozone by a global-multi-regional two-way coupling model system. By Y. Yan et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Sensitivity of Thin Cirrus Clouds in the Tropical Tropopause Layer to Ice Crystal Shape and Radiative Absorption. By R.D. Russotto et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Continued emissions of carbon tetrachloride from the United States nearly two decades after its phaseout for dispersive uses. By L. Hu et al. in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Co-ordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics (CAST). By N.R.P. Harris et al. in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Revisiting the relationship between jet position, forced response and annular mode variability in the southern mid-latitudes. By I.R. Simpson and L.M. Polvani. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Impacts of Interactive Stratospheric Chemistry on Antarctic and Southern Ocean Climate Change in the Goddard Earth Observing System – Version 5 (GEOS-5). By F. Li et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Sensitivity of the surface responses of an idealized AGCM to the timing of imposed ozone depletion-like polar stratospheric cooling. By A. Sheshadri and A. Plumb in Geophysical Research Letters.

11-year Solar Cycle Signal in the NAO and Atlantic / European Blocking. By L.J. Gray et al. in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Simulated long-term climate response to idealized solar geoengineering. By L. Cao et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Interannual variability in effective diffusivity in the upper troposphere / lower stratosphere from reanalysis data. By M. Abalos et al. in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Transport pathways from the Asian monsoon anticyclone to the stratosphere. By H. J. Garny and W. Randel in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The role of planetary waves in the tropospheric jet response to stratospheric cooling. By K.L. Smith and R.K. Scott in Geophysical Research Letters.

Evaluation of the ACCESS – chemistry–climate model for the Southern Hemisphere. By K.A. Stone et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Chemical analysis of refractory stratospheric aerosol particles collected within the arctic vortex and inside polar stratospheric clouds. By M. Ebert et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

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Abstract submission and pre-registration deadline: 31 May 2016

The objective of the SPARC QBO Workshop is to gather together researchers to better understand the QBO, its tropospheric origins and its global impacts/teleconnections, including circulation/chemistry effects, within observations, reanalyses, and present-day GCMs.

The Workshop will

(1) evaluate present-day and projected QBO variability in observations and models, including reporting results from the joint model experiments that were planned at the 2015 QBO workshop

(2) explore modelled and observed teleconnections in the climate system, also including those linked with the QBO and

(3) design joint numerical experiments following active participant discussions during special breakout sessions.

The emphasis of (3) will be for addressing the impact of tropical variability on other parts of the climate system.

The meeting will include a combination of keynote, invited and contributed science presentations, mixed in with break-out sessions to discuss further planned experiments. Further details, including Workshop fees, will follow shortly.

Please register your interest for the conference online on the workshop website.

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

Influence of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and Sea Surface Temperature Variability on Downward Wave Coupling in the Northern Hemisphere. By S.W. Lubis et al. in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.

Multi-year climate prediction with initialization based on 4D-Var data assimilation. By T. Mochizuki et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Global normal mode planetary wave activity: a study using TIMED/SABER observations from the stratosphere to the mesosphere-lower thermosphere. By S.R. John and K.K. Kumar in Climate Dynamics.

Strengthening of the Tropopause Inversion Layer During the 2009 Sudden Stratospheric Warming: A MERRA-2 Study. By K. Wargan and L. Coy in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.

Dynamical consistency of reanalysis data sets in the extratropical stratosphere. By P. Martineau et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Troposphere–stratosphere response to large-scale North Atlantic Ocean variability in an atmosphere/ocean coupled model. By N.E. Omrani et al. in Climate Dynamics.

Drift dynamics in a coupled model initialized for decadal forecasts. By E. Sanchez-Gomez et al. in Climate Dynamics.

Preferred response of the East Asian summer monsoon to local and non-local anthropogenic sulphur dioxide emissions. By B. Dong et al. in Climate Dynamics.

The Combined Influences of Autumnal Snow and Sea Ice on Northern Hemisphere Winters. By J.C. Furtado et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Evolution of stratospheric sulfate aerosol from the 1991 Pinatubo eruption: Roles of aerosol microphysical processes. By T. Sekiya et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Water vapour variability in the high-latitude upper troposphere – Part 2: Impact of volcanic eruptions. By C.E. Sioris et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Unexpected high ³⁵S concentration reveals strong downward transport of stratospheric air during the monsoon transitional period in East Asia. By M. Lin et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Characteristics of lower stratospheric transport as inferred from the age of air spectrum. By F. Ploeger and T. Birner in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

How can we understand the solar cycle signal on the Earth’s surface? By K. Kodera et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Return glider radiosonde for in-situ upper-air research measurements. By A. Kräuchi and R. Philipona et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions.

Scientists observed a minor warming of the Arctic Polar stratosphere in the first half of February but temperatures have since decreased back to levels that permit the existence of polar stratospheric clouds (PSC). The Polar vortex also extended far southward, moving above large parts of Europe again, giving lots of stations the opportunity to measure vortex air where considerable ozone losses occurred. The below figure shows temperature forecasts at the 450K level, indicating a tendency for temperature increases but thereafter a further decrease.

The 2015/2016-Northern Hemisphere winter continues to be scientifically fascinating!

The 2016 IGAC (International Global Atmospheric Chemistry) Conference is being held from 26-30 September in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA.

The 6 scientific sessions are focused on:

1. Atmospheric Chemistry and Urbanisation
2. Atmospheric Chemistry, Ecosystems and Agriculture
3. Atmospheric Chemistry and Energy
4. Atmospheric Chemistry and Fundamental Studies
5. Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Change
6. Atmospheric Chemistry – Observing Composition and Variability

Important dates:

02 April 2016: Abstract Submission Deadline

16 May 2016: Abstract Acceptance Notification

15 June 2016: Early Bird Registration Deadline

1 September 2016: Hotel Reservation Deadline at Conference Rate

See the conference website for more details: www.igac2016.org