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Making Connections for Our Changing Mountains
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Dear MRI Community,
More than ever, addressing the challenges of our times requires science-based measures, adequately co-designed and shared with the largest possible fraction of the population and spheres of decision, that are relevant, fair, and reduce risks to our environment and societies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose latest special report includes a High Mountain Areas chapter, has historically spearheaded the co-design and production of policy-relevant information, delivering thorough science-based reports assessing climate changes, their impacts and risks, and adaptation and mitigation options, Recently, the International Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has started a similar process in this critical domain.
IPCC and IPBES reports are global in scope and largely independently produced. There is increasing interest to develop regional reports and foster deeper linkages between the climate and biodiversity realms. Mountain regions are a natural candidate for pushing these ideas further. Initiatives such as the completed Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment and Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Carpathian mountains, and the upcoming Canadian Mountain Assessment, demonstrate the relevance of scaling up such “Mountain Assessment Reports”. In Europe, the Alpine Convention, the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) the Alpine Space interregional programme are opportunities for developing an “Alpine Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment Report”, yet to be endorsed, funded and implemented. Similar to the IPCC and IPBES, the production of such assessments does not replace research activities in the mountains, but builds on knowledge and expertise to provide a high-level science-policy interface. It should therefore develop on specific resources rather than on reoriented research funding, and hope that through the MRI we can take that case forward.
This month, please welcome Dr. James Thornton, GEO-GNOME’s new Scientific Project Officer! James just received his PhD - you can read about his research here. Speaking of GEO-GNOME, a report on our GEO-GNOME Workshop on Essential Variables is now available here. A couple of deadlines to note: the MRI Synthesis Workshop call for proposals closes 3 July, and the IPCC WGI Second Order Draft reviews are due by 5 June. Take a look at the updated timelines in this article.
This weekend catch up on new publications that include contributions from MRI’s SLC members on Loss and Damage, alpine snow-melt, and biodiversity in the Andean forests. Don’t miss a comprehensive list of relevant new publications for May 2020 here.
Let’s work together so that the MRI, following the strong statements of the High Mountain Summit’s Call for Action, will further refine, develop and interconnect these initiatives around the mountain regions of the world!
Best wishes to everyone. Stay safe, stay well,
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Dr. Samuel Morin
Director of the Snow Research Center
Météo-France
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Coming Up on the MRI's Agenda
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IUCN Congress
(postponed)
11-19 June, Marseilles, France
GEO 17th Programme Board Meeting
15 or 19 June, Geneva (virtual only), Switzerland
GEO Symposium 2020
16-18 June, Geneva (virtual only), Switzerland
SUDAC Assembly Meeting
24 June, Bern (virtual only), Switzerland
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With new mountain events added regularly, don't forget to check out our online calendar.
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Adaptation at Altitude is a newly-formed collaborative programme launched and co-supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation that aims to boost the resilience and adaptation of mountain communities in the face of climate change.
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Read an update about GEO-GNOME'S recent workshop on essential variables which brought together experts from different networks and fields of mountain research to discuss a list of essential variables needed to monitor and report on changes in mountain biodiversity and social-ecological systems. |
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James Thornton joined the MRI coordination office in May 2020 as Scientific Project Officer to the GEO-GNOME project, which seeks to improve the availability and accessibility of environmental data in mountainous regions to the benefit of human societies globally.
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As part of its mission, the MRI provides funding contributions for synthesis workshops that bring together global change researchers to address specific topics of interest to the mountain research, policy and practitioner communities. The deadline for proposals for this year’s call is 3 July 2020.
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This online conference hosted by Conéctate-A+, supported by CONDESAN, MRI, and the University of Zurich, takes place on 7-8 June, 2020.
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Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, a research team has identified 68 social innovations through a comprehensive analysis of more than 970 innovative projects that have arisen in the Bernese Oberland in recent years, now published online.
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SLC member and University of York Professor Rob Marchant's YorkTalk 2020 from January is now online!
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UNESCO has launched a Global Consultation on Open Science with a view to developing a standard-setting instrument in the form of a Recommendation. The World Data System (WDS) of the International Science Council has been invited to contribute to this process.
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The IACS working group plans a new release of the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI) at the end of the year (RGI7.0), and is accepting submissions of any new datasets GLIMS (glacierdata@nsidc.org) by the end of June, at which point they may be considered for inclusion in RGI7.0. |
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New opinion piece by Heidi Steltzer on rural US communities' lack of trust in science and how pandemic relief funding can make an impact.
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This external review by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will take place on 6-10 July, 2020.
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Snow Today, the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research's new tool for monitoring snow conditions, provides near-real-time updates of snow conditions across the Northern Hemisphere.
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In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, announcements were issued in April 2020 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) on the Sixth Assessment (AR6) reporting timelines for Working Groups (WGs) I and II, as well as new experiences with a virtual format for the WG III Third Lead Authors meeting. |
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Under the framework of the Cluster of Cooperation Conéctate-A+, CONDESAN, MRI, and the University of Zurich are pleased to launch a call for abstracts for this online conference to be held from 7-8 July, 2020. Deadline to submit is 7 June 2020.
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The 2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost now calls for session abstracts and proceeding paper abstracts for presentation and paper to be included in the Conference Proceedings Publication Volume. The submission deadline for the proceeding paper abstracts is 27 May 2020, and the submission deadline for the session abstracts is January 2021.
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The Mountain Research and Development Volume 39, Number 3 issue is an open publication whose articles are fully accessible online.
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This paper in Ecological Indicators finds that shrub growth rings are relevant indicators of the response of alpine ecosystem to global warming. Co-authored by SLC member Samuel Morin.
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This collaborative work is one of the first attempts to integrate forest structure and composition in the Andes showing clear patterns along its elevation and latitudinal gradients. Co-authored by SLC member Ricardo Grau.
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This article by lead author Reinhard Mechler explores the varying views held by diverse stakeholders in the realm of climate change research, and outlines emerging evidence on risks and adaptation limits and its implications for science and policy. Co-authored by SLC member Christian Huggel.
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Have an idea for a blog post or mountain news to share?
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The Sustainability Science journal invites submissions to the special feature 'Networks of Action Situations in Social-Ecological Systems Research.' Deadline to submit is 31 August 2020.
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eco.mont heartily invites you to contribute a manuscript to this special issue aimed at celebrating "50 years UNESCO-MAB and its World Network of Biosphere Reserves". Deadline to submit is 30 September 2020.
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A special issue of the The International Glaciological Society (IGS)'s Annals of Glaciology called ‘Ice, Snow and Water in a Warming World’ now calls for papers. Submissions open 1 September 2020. Deadline to submit has been extended to 15 July 2021.
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This Special Issue, guest edited by Dr. Katarzyna Ostapowicz, aims to cover the most recent advances in techniques and algorithms to process remotely-sensed information for ecology and conservation in the high-altitude and high-latitude regions. Deadline to submit is 31 July 2020.
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This special issue of the MDPI journal Atmosphere invites observation, proxy reconstruction, and projection-based analytical and modelling studies and their reviews that advance our knowledge about the past, present, and future of the Himalayan climates, their shifts, and their subsequent impacts on all dimensions of life at local and regional scales. Deadline to submit is 31 October 2020. |
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With their unique mixes of varied contributions from original research to review articles, the 'Research Topics' by the online journal Frontiers unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings, and historical advances in a hot research area. The current research topic 'Climate Change in Mountainous Areas and Related Health Effects' is now calling for abstracts and manuscripts. The submission deadline for abstracts is 4 May 2020, and for manuscripts is 2 September 2020.
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The MDPI welcomes manuscripts that document and analyze transformations of alpine glacial and periglacial environments for its special issue of Water 'Transformation of Glacial and Periglacial Environments in Mountain Regions.' Deadline to submit is 31 July 2020.
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The Seed Money Grants offered by the Universität St. Gallen aims to strengthen or initiate scientific exchange between researchers from Swiss and Latin American institutions in all disciplines by enabling them to jointly undertake preliminary research and organize meetings, conferences, or workshops. Deadline to apply is 3 June 2020.
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This entrance scholarship is aimed at students with outstanding academic records, show research promise, have exceptional communication, interpersonal and leadership abilities, and at the time of application have not yet accepted or registered for a PhD program at University of Saskatchewan. Deadline to apply is 16 October 2020.
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SANDEE invites concept notes in any area of environmental and resource economics relating to the development of South Asia and the HKH. Deadline to apply is 31 May 2020.
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Sinergia promotes the interdisciplinary collaboration of two to four applicants who propose breakthrough research. Deadline to apply is 1 June 2020.
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ERC Advanced Grants support ground-breaking, ambitious research projects of excellent established Principal Investigators with a recognised track record of research achievements. Deadline to apply is 26 August 2020.
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This grant is offered by the European Commission inside its Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. Deadline to apply is 27 August 2020.
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Individual Fellowships provide opportunities to researchers of any nationality to work on research and innovation in Europe (EU Member States and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries) and beyond. Deadline to apply is 9 September, 2020.
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MRI seeks an enthusiastic and motivated Scientific Project Officer to assist in the planning, coordination and execution of tasks for diverse projects and activities that are managed for the MRI network at the MRI Coordination Office. Deadline to apply is 10 July 2020.
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The MRI is looking for a local Student Assistant to support the Coordination Office in Bern with various tasks, including the maintenance of datasets and databases, research and publication bibliographic information, as well as assist with the transition to the new MRI Experts Database that is currently under development. Deadline to apply is 8 June, 2020.
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In cooperation with Goethe University Frankfurt, University Koblenz-Landau and Trier University, the Institute for Social-Ecological Research invites applications for four doctoral research positions in Hydrology, Human Geography, European Ethnology and Ecology. Deadline to apply is 14 June, 2020.
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Biovision and the Center for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern are looking for a Co-Head to lead the the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Switzerland. Please note the job description is in German. Deadline to apply is 9 June, 2020.
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The postdoctoral fellow offered by CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), France, will be in charge of modelling the thermal and hydrological processes of high-mountain permafrost for a period of 24 months.
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The Snow Research Center located in Grenoble, France, is advertising a 3-year PhD position opened to Doctoral Award on deep-learning-based wind-downscaling in complex terrain, and implications for snow avalanche warning. Deadline to apply is 5 June.
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The Department of Geosciences of the University of Padova offers a PhD position for this research project to begin 1 October, 2020. Deadline to apply is 16 June, 2020.
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The glaciology section of ETH’s Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) invites applications for a Research assistant. The position is for an 18-month period and is expected to start between August and October 2020.
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This edition of the Alpine Convention Young Academics Award focuses on the issue of "Emissions in the Alps: climate change and air quality, measurement and measures". The application deadline is 30 June 2020.
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The GAIA Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society journal invites Masters students to apply for their Masters Student Paper Award which recognises research for important societal transformations and transdisciplinary environmental and sustainability science. Deadline to apply is 19 October, 2020.
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The PHUSICOS project is organizing a 10-day-long, hands-on summer school focused on Nature Based Solutions in mountain areas, 5 – 15 September 2020. The training program will consist of three days at the demonstrator case in the Pyrenean and 7 days at the concept case in the Bavarian Alps. Deadline to apply is 31 May 2020.
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Join the MRI Expert Database
The MRI Expert Database contains over 10,000 people involved in mountain research, management, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and the private sector. Don't forget to add or update your details for a chance to connect with colleagues all around the world!
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