Dr Matthew Palmer has been appointed as the joint director of UK National Climate Science Partnership (UKNCSP).
The UKNCSP was formed to draw together climate research capability from six Natural Environment Research Council-supported research centers and the Met Office. UKNCSP spans the following organizations: Met Office, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, National Oceanography Centre, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey and National Centre for Earth Observation.
Dr Palmer appointment
Commenting on the appointment, Dr Palmer, who is also lead sea level and ocean heat content research scientist at the Met Office, said, “It’s a great honor and privilege to take on the role of UKNCSP joint director and have the opportunity to build on the great work started by my predecessor Cath Senior and the NERC joint director, Mike Meredith.
“I look forward to working with colleagues across the Met Office, NERC-funded centers and wider community to realize the enormous potential of UKNCSP for the benefit of UK government and wider society.”
Simon Vosper, executive director of science at the Met Office, stated, “The UK already has great strengths in climate science, at the Met Office, the NERC centers and in our universities. But together we can do so much more, and there’s never been a more critical need for a national climate science partnership.
“The UKNCSP provides a fantastic opportunity to enhance the UK’s position as a global leader in climate science for climate solutions, enabling us to tackle climate change and its impacts. I’d like to congratulate Matt on his appointment to this important role, and I look forward to seeing the partnership develop under his and Mike’s joint leadership.”
UKNCSP’s focus
The partnership has commenced four working groups, drawing on expertise from across the centers. The climate modeling group is working to optimize the development and use of climate simulations and projections, including CMIP7, and determine the best routes for uptake of new techniques including artificial intelligence and machine learning. The climate observations group is gathering and addressing requirements for climate observations across science and stakeholders, nationally and internationally.
The third group will look to enhance the ability to determine the future trajectory and policy-relevant impacts of sea level changes, across the UK and overseas, and the fourth group will conduct the science needed to assess the efficacy, risks, costs and governance/ethical considerations concerning purposeful interventions of the climate system.
The partnership has also started a series of webinars, with the first being a webinar exploring the UK’s contribution to CMIP7 and a webinar on Data to Impact.
In related news, the 21st Session of the Forum on Regional Climate Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction for Asia (FOCRAII) recently took place in Qingdao, China, on May 14-16, hosted by WMO and the Beijing Climate Centre and sponsored by Shandong Provincial Meteorological Service. Click here to read the full story