Appendix B
The Management of U.S. CLIVAR
The U.S. CLIVAR Interagency Group (IAG) consists of members from the Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The current members, who are appointed by their own agencies, and their affiliations are listed in Table B.1. Although its terms of reference do not appear to be defined, the overarching purpose of the IAG is to coordinate and promote the U.S. CLIVAR project. The IAG members meet, either in person or by phone, every month or more often as needed.
TABLE B.1 U.S. CLIVAR Interagency Members
Member |
Affiliation |
Anjuli Bamzai |
Department of Energy |
Jay Fein Eric Itsweire |
National Science Foundation |
Ming Ji Mike Johnson Mike Patterson Jim Todd |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Don Anderson Eric Lindstrom |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
To further facilitate the development and direction of the U.S. CLIVAR project, the IAG appointed a Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). When the time comes for new appointments, the SSC members suggest new members and co-chairs, but the IAG members approve and appoint them. The current members and their affiliations are listed in Table B.2. The SSC meets every 912 months or as needed, and the IAG members often attend these meetings to provide input. The stated terms of reference of the SSC are to:
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provide overall scientific and programmatic guidance to ensure that U.S. CLIVAR progresses towards achieving its scientific objectives using individual experts or expert groups as necessary;
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develop and update as needed an implementation strategy to prioritize and sequence U.S. CLIVAR activities, and comment on agency implementation of the U.S. CLIVAR Program;
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promote balance within the various elements (theory, modeling, empirical studies, long-term observations and field campaigns) of the program and identify scientific gaps;
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ensure that U.S. CLIVAR activities are coordinated with international CLIVAR activities and other U.S. GCRP elements;
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provide oversight and coordination of and guidance to U.S. CLIVAR working groups;
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provide advice for and implement, in consultation with other advisory bodies, effective transition of sustained observations initiated during CLIVAR to operational entities after they have demonstrated their usefulness for climate predictions;
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keep the National Research Council’s Climate Research Committee apprised of the status of U.S. CLIVAR, and acts as U.S. liaison to the International CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group; and
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provide oversight of and guidance to the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office.
TABLE B.2 U.S. CLIVAR Scientific Steering Committee Members
Member |
Affiliation |
James Carton |
University of Maryland |
Tom Delworth |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory |
Lisa Goddard |
International Research Institution for Climate Prediction |
James Hurrell (co-chair) |
National Center for Atmospheric Research |
Dick Johnson |
Colorado State University |
Jerry Meehl |
National Center for Atmospheric Research |
Dean Roemmich |
Scripps Institution of Oceanography |
Paul Schopf |
George Mason University-COLA |
Max Suarez |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center |
Robert Weller (co-chair) |
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
Bruce Wielicki |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center |
Although the IAG is comprised of four agencies, only NASA, NOAA, and NSF collaborated to form and financially support the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office (USCPO). DOE neither funds the USCPO nor is it an active participant in U.S. CLIVAR activities. NASA provides some financial support to the USCPO, but it is not actively involved in U.S. CLIVAR. The USCPO meets with the IAG monthly and with individual IAG members as needed. The USCPO has monthly teleconferences with the SSC co-chairs, and also exchanges email with them for more regular interaction.