Climate and Cryosphere International Project Office of the World Climate Research Program

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This project will support the establishment of the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) International Project Office of the World Climate Research Programme in the United States and promote US leadership in this crucial research field. CliC is currently located at the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Norway until the end of 2022; this project will establish the subsequent International Project Office at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The focus of CliC is on organizing and implementing international research that improves understanding of the cryosphere (the frozen part of the Earth, which includes sea ice, icebergs, glaciers, ice sheets, lake ice, permafrost, and snow cover) and its interactions with the global climate system. To this end, the CliC International Project Office supports the underlying convening and communications activities of CliC and ensures broad participation of the cryospheric science community. The Broader Impacts of this project include outreach to the science community, educational community, and general public through workshops, seminars, meetings, publications, newsletters, and web-based materials. The CliC International Project Office (IPO) will focus on engaging a diverse cryosphere research community, making assessments of cryosphere loss and the impacts of that loss, making improvements in model projections, and communicating cryosphere-related research, knowledge, and projections with stakeholders. CliC will be led by a Director with assistance of an Executive Officer and a part-time Communications Specialist. The primary role of the IPO is to support the planning and implementation of cryosphere-related activities of the World Climate Research Programme, as well as research activities focused on cryosphere and climate (primarily through CliC working groups and panels). The IPO assists in the planning, organization, and management of CliC meetings, workshops, and conferences; develops and promotes communication through a website and other social media; and initiates international correspondence and carries out international liaisons at the working level. A key element of its work is ensuring the widest possible participation of all interested nations and persons in CliC activities, and identifying and soliciting resources and logistical support to CliC project activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.