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Following a year of exciting developments for the MRI, its Science Leadership Council met in Aeschi, Switzerland, 8-11 November to evaluate progress, review objectives, and set new priorities for 2019 – and beyond!
Kicking off the MRI Science Leadership Council (SLC) Meeting 2018, MRI Executive Director Dr. Carolina Adler expressed her thanks to the SLC’s for making the time to come together in this way. “It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to meet with you all face-to-face, and I hope over the next few days together we can steer a course towards implementing our joint mission for mountain research in 2019.”
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As part of the official programme of the World Mountain Forum, held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 23-26 October 2018, the thematic track ‘Resilience & Transformation in Mountain Communities and Ecosystems’ was jointly coordinated and moderated by the MRI, CONDESAN, and the Center for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern.
The track conducted three sessions, each opening with 2-3 ‘flash talks’ highlighting key issues and trends related to the theme, as well as case studies of project experiences and lessons learned followed. These flash talks were then followed by world café discussions,where participants explored specific questions and provided recommendations for advancing sustainable mountain development. Poster contributions on the topic were presented in separate poster sessions.
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Jointly hosted by MRI and University of Zürich, the workshop ‘Enhancing visibility and positioning of mountains in the global IPCC related processes’ was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 21 – 22 October 2018 alongside the World Mountains Forum, to present and consolidate regional contributions from SMD4GC partners on climate change as inputs for the IPCC AR6 assessment processes.Under the framework of the Sustainable Mountains Development for Global Change Programme (SMD4GC) ‘extension phase’ in 2018, the MRI and UZH coordinated and held a workshop activity just prior to the World Mountain Forum in Bishkek: ‘Enhancing visibility and positioning of mountains in the global IPCC related processes, and to strengthen capacities of regional partners.’ The main aim of the workshop was to jointly validate and review the draft products of regional hubs with the expected value-adding aspect of strengthening capacities to report on sustainable mountain development, and relating these conclusions as inputs for key global reports and publications.
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The 27th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics IUGG will take place in Montreal, Canada 8-18 July 2019, and also marks the 100th anniversary of IUGG.The programme promises a “look back on the accomplishments of the previous century of Earth and space science research, and forward to the next century of scientific advancement.” The scientific programme is built around symposia organized by the union and the associations alone or jointly.
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The Second Order Draft of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) has been made available for expert review. For the scientific community, this is the last opportunity to provide comments. The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) is one of three special reports that the IPCC will be releasing over the next two years. Containing a careful assessment of changes in the ocean and cryosphere, SROCC aims to support policymakers in their understanding of the physical and social dimensions of climate change, the risks and challenges we face as a result, and our options for adapting to them.
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The World Glacier Monitoring Service is calling for data on glacier changes in length, area, volume, and mass for the observation period 2016/17, as well as for preliminary mass balance results from ‘reference’ glaciers for 2017/18. The deadline for data submission is 1 December 2018.The World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) regularly compiles and publishes standardized data on glacier changes in length, area, volume, and mass based on in-situ and remotely sensed observations. A corresponding call for data is annually sent out through the National Correspondents of the WGMS, who organize the collection and submission of glacier data within their country. Apart from the official calls for data, the WGMS welcomes any glacier data that is submitted according to the standards described below.
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In a new Special Report released in October, the IPCC stressed the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5°C to mitigate some of the more severe consequences of climate change. What are the implications of this report for mountains and mountain research?
Published earlier this month, the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C provided compelling evidence of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared to 2°C or more. Global sea level rise by 2100, for instance, would be 10 cm lower with 1.5°C rather than 2°C of warming, while the likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century, rather than at least once per decade.
“Every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5°C or higher increases the risks associated with long-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems,” says Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
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Professor Georg Kaser, Dean of the Faculty of Geo and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Innsbruck, was this month awarded the Cross of Honour for Science and Art First Class – Austria's highest honour for people working in science or the arts. An expert on alpine and tropical glaciology, Professor Georg Kaser was this month granted Austria's prestigious Cross of Honour for his exceptional scientific achievements. Kaser began his career by studying geo and atmospheric sciences at the University of Innsbruck, and participating on a glaciological research project within the framework of the UNESCO programme International Hydrological Decade – the first worldwide programme of studies of the hydrological cycle.
