The International Space Science Institute (ISSI), in Bern, Switzerland, and in Beijing, China, invites proposals to establish international teams to conduct research activities in space sciences, based on interdisciplinary analysis and evaluation of data from spacecraft and possible integration with ground data and theoretical models. For the purpose of this call space sciences include the solar and heliospheric physics, solar-terrestrial sciences, space  plasma and magnetospheric  physics, planetary sciences, astrobiology, cosmology, astrophysics, fundamental physics in space, and Earth sciences using space data. Deadlines are:

More infomation is available on the ISSI website and in the PDF: ISSI call.

Due to increasing concerns with regard to the weather and climate of the Polar Regions, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has established a ten year Polar Prediction Project (PPP) under the auspices of the WMO World Weather Research Programme (WWRP). One of the main PPP activities will be the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) in order to enable a significant improvement in the environmental prediction capabilities for the Polar Regions, and beyond. The core period of YOPP will entail intensive observation and modelling campaigns in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, scheduled from mid-2017 to mid-2019.

The First Report of the Tropical Pacific Observing System 2020 project was published on 30 December 2016. This report contains initial recommendations for the Backbone and a synopsis of initial results and plans for the various initiatives of TPOS 2020. The Executive Summary and the full First Report can be downloaded from the tpos2020.org website or from the GOOS Report site. Further inquiries should be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) facilitates the analysis and prediction of many aspects of Earth system change. Our Programme covers complex research questions, many with immediate relevance to understanding and predicting human impact on climate. The WCRP ‘Grand Science Challenges’ convey and address daunting research questions that confront the climate research community. However, faced with a planet that shows increasing signs of rapid change, have we missed something among our science priorities? Do we address our priorities in a coordinated and efficient manner? Do we share and can we convey a compelling overall vision?

The deadline for cities to apply to host the 2018 Cities and Climate Change Science Conference has been extended to January 31, 2017. This key event, co-sponsored by the IPCC, will further develop the scientific understanding of climate change and cities, in support of the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the New Urban Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For the full press release go to the C40 media webpage.

You can also directly download the Host City selection process Request for Proposals (.pdf)

We will very likely regard 2016 as a year of climatic and political extremes. Personally I find the surge in atmospheric CO₂ – momentarily roughly 5 ppm higher on 1 January 2017 than on the same day a year earlier – remarkable and worrisome but I think most of us, as we look carefully at many facets of the climate system, will admit to surprises in 2016. Whatever our political views and across our wide range of expertise, I suspect we share and resonate with a general sense of uncertainty as the new normal.

What should we anticipate for 2017?