date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 12:58:36 +0100 from: "Karen J. Heywood" subject: Abrupt Climate Change to: Multiple recipients of list --- Begin Forwarded Message --- Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 11:02:36 +0100 From: Val Akhurst Subject: Abrupt Climate Change Sender: Val Akhurst To: p.r.boyle@abdn.ac.uk, andrew.clarke@bas.ac.uk, k.nicholls@bas.ac.uk, oates.m@bgep.co.uk, dfalvey@bgs.ac.uk, mis@bmtmis.demon.co.uk, robertsdg@bp.com, j.a.dowdeswell@bristol.ac.uk, geoff.randall@brixham.zeneca.com, pw11@cam.ac.uk, edwardsd2@cardiff.ac.uk, r.r.dickson@cefas.co.uk, ecsddsc@cmsd.fsnet.co.uk, gbs@dml.ac.uk, nm@dna.bio.warwick.ac.uk, philip.England@earth.ox.ac.uk, k.haines@ed.ac.uk, k.whaler@ed.ac.uk, john.seager@environment-agency.gov.uk, MACKAYR@ersfs1.bham.ac.uk, mccave@es.cam.ac.uk, sc113@esc.cam.ac.uk, kbrodie@fsl.ge.man.ac.uk, richard.hardman@hess.com, gw@mail.nerc-essc.ac.uk, davidm@met.reading.ac.uk, ajthorpe@meto.gov.uk, Djw@mssl.ucl.ac.uk, swl@mssl.ucl.ac.uk, neil.chapman@nagra.ch, imv@pol.a.uk, tricia.Henton@sepa.org.uk, anw@soc.soton.ac.uk, hsr@soc.soton.ac.uk, jym@soc.soton.ac.uk, iaj@st-andrews.ac.uk, a.j.watson@uea.ac.uk, j.alexander@uea.ac.uk, k.heywood@uea.ac.uk, t.jickells@uea.ac.uk, Heathmr@31g.marlab.ac.uk, mike@badleys.co.uk, world@bas.ac.uk, dave_brook@detr.gsi.gov.uk Cc: Andrew Adams , Mike Webb Reply-To: Val Akhurst Message-ID: To make sure as many people as possible are aware of the proposed NERC thematic programme, I am sending you a notice of a Town Meeting. Please forward this notice to all of your staff and please accept my apologies if you have already seen it. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL Town Meeting to explore UK science-community interest in the development of a NERC thematic programme on 'Abrupt climate change and the stability of the ocean's thermohaline circulation'. To be held on Friday, 19 May 2000 at the Geological Society, London. Mean annual air temperatures over the northern Atlantic Ocean and northwest Europe are considerably higher than elsewhere at similar latitudes, due to the vast amount of heat transported northward by the ocean's thermohaline circulation. There is a possibility that anthropogenic activities will lead to a dramatic reduction in the strength of this circulation system, resulting in a rapid cooling of northwest Europe, perhaps over only a few decades. There is therefore an urgent need to establish, with reasonable confidence, the likely range of variability of the thermohaline circulation and its susceptibility to collapse. A Town Meeting on Friday 19 May 2000 aims to explore science-community interest in developing a UK programme to evaluate the mechanisms controlling, and the variability of, the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation, and the likely consequences of future variability for climate change over Europe. This science area is presently considered to be high-priority for NERC activity, and interest is anticipated from a broad community, including oceanographic, atmospheric, remote-sensing, climate-change (and impacts), hydrologic and palaeoceanographic disciplines. The meeting will be held at the Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. The Town Meeting aims to establish the scope of a potential NERC Thematic Programme over 5 years, with a view to establishing a framework for more extensive national and international programmes over longer timescales. It is envisaged that the programme would have strong observational and modelling components. It is intended that the Town Meeting will provide: * An indication of probable interest in the various science areas * An indication of community strengths, weaknesses and potential for collaborations * Ideas for formulating the most appropriate science proposal The Town Meeting will start at 10.00am (tea/coffee and registration from 09h30), and will conclude by 4.00pm. If you are planning to attend, please register with Mrs Val Akhurst (e-mail: vmak@nerc.ac.uk) by Wednesday 3 May 2000, providing your name and full contact details (address, tel., and e-mail). In case of over-subscription, places will be allotted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information on the programme development to date can be found at (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/ms/thc/index.htm); the web-site will be supplemented with further details as the meeting approaches. A final agenda for the meeting will also be e-mailed to those who register. Any queries should be directed to Dr Philip Newton (tel.: 01793 411636; e-mail: p.newton@nerc.ac.uk). We look forward to seeing you at the meeting. --- End Forwarded Message --- Dr Karen J. Heywood, Senior Lecturer in Physical Oceanography School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K. Phone 1603 592555 Fax 1603 507719 Email k.heywood@uea.ac.uk Web http://www.uea.ac.uk/~e280/karen.htm