What is the programme RAPID climate change?
The research councils of the UK, Norway and NWO-ALW have established a joint initiative for funding research related to the THC and rapid climate change in the North Atlantic region, which is linked to the UK-programme RAPID.
Rationale and scope of RAPID
The ocean circulation (Thermohaline circulation, THC) in the North Atlantic
plays a key role in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system which results in the
present, relatively warm climate of western Europe. The Gulf Stream conveys
warm
surface water to high latitudes, where by cooling and high salinity it turns
into deep water. There are indications that the system can change drastically
on
a time scale of one or two decades. This would have far-reaching consequences
for the climate in Europe and northern America as well. Against the background
of global climate change, the RAPID programme is aimed at the variability of
this system and its sensitivity for changes in external forcing like
wind-climate, temperature, atmospheric pressure, inflow of fresh water. The
resulting changes in climate in the North Atlantic area are part of the
programme as well, but not the impact of climate change. A detailed outline is
presented in the Rapid Climate Change Science Plan and Implementation Plan,
available from the UK-NERC RAPID homepage.
A prime activity in RAPID is monitoring of physical parameters in the North Atlantic. With funding from NERC, NSF (USA) RCN and NWO (through NIOZ) an extensive monitoring programme of the Meridional Overturning Circulation has been developed. In addition to ocean monitoring, modelling of ocean dynamics, ocean-atmosphere coupling and impacts on climate form part of RAPID, as does paleo-climatology.
Collaboration UK, Norway, The Netherlands
UK- NERC, the Norwegian Research Council and NWO-ALW have opened a joint call for proposals for RAPID. The procedure for proposals is split into two phases:
- Outline bids (pre-proposals) of 2 pages. Open on October 15th 2003, with deadline December 15th 2003; 35 outline bids were submitted to NERC.
- Full proposals. Call open from about 5 March till 1 June 2004; 15 full proposals were submitted. Decision on grants: November 2004 (by NERC, NRC and ALW councils). More information on the projects funded...
Budget 2004-2008
For this joint venture NWO has reserved 1.5 million euro, NERC 1.5 million euro, NRC 1 million euro. In NWO RAPID is complementary to the NWO programme on Climate Variability.