Science Coordination

Phillip Williamson is a visitor to our group and works on programme management and national coordination for marine environmental sciences. He also has an interest in the role of ocean processes in global change and the public understanding of science. He is currently Science Coordinator for three NERC directed programmes: UK SOLAS (with Claire Hughes) Marine Productivity and Marine & Freshwater Microbial Biodiversity and Secretary of UK GLOBEC.

SOLAS

The Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is a new international research initiative which has as its goal: To achieve quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and the atmosphere, and how this coupled system affects and is affected by climate and environmental change.

The SOLAS International Project Office is located within LGMAC at UEA and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project. You can read more about the work of SOLAS here. The office is staffed by Casey Ryan.

Earth System Science Summer School (ES4)

2002 will be the second year that ES4 has run. The course is intended for graduate students at the end of their 1st or 2nd years of study, as well as research workers and policy makers from universities, research institutes, government and industry. The Summer School should prove of great benefit to the participants and to the global change community in general.

ES4 aims to:

• provide training in Earth system science through 'state-of-the-art' presentations on key topics that address the interactions of different environments, and the dynamic processes that link their biotic and abiotic components;
• enable environmental researchers to appreciate how their own specialised studies fit into a broader context (particularly important for those at the start of their careers) and;
• involve a wide range of top international lecturers and, through discussions and practical exercises, encourage all course participants (students and lecturers) to widen their scientific linkages.

The Summer School is organised by the Universities of East Anglia and Reading, and co-directed by Prof. Brian Hoskins (Reading) and Prof. Peter Liss (East Anglia). Louise Bohn is the ES4 co-ordinator. ES4 was instigated by the Royal Society's Global Environmental Research Committee and is supported financially by NERC.