16 February 2018: Approximately 100 experts from more than 30 countries convened for the Second Lead Author Meeting of the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), which is being prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report is one of three special reports being prepared as part of the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle.

The report is being prepared by IPCC Working Group I, which assesses the physical science basis of climate change, and Working Group II, which addresses impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. The report’s chapters will address: high mountain areas; polar regions; sea level rise and implications for low-lying islands, coasts and communities; changing ocean, marine ecosystems and dependent communities; and extremes, abrupt changes and managing risks.

Working Group II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Poertner said that, in writing the report, scientists are seeking to understand how the planet’s frozen and liquid water bodies interact, and how sea level will change and affect coastlines and cities. He added that glaciers are already retreating in the Andes, with impacts on water supplies for cities such as Quito.

The meeting, which convened in Quito, Ecuador, from 12-16 February 2018, was the second of four lead author meetings for the SROCC. The Third Lead Author Meeting will convene in July 2018, and the Fourth Lead Author Meeting will meet in March 2019. The First Order Draft of the report will be circulated for expert review in May 2018, the Second Order Draft will be circulated in November 2018, and the the Final Draft is expected in June 2019. The report will be finalized in September 2019, when the Panel is expected to approve it.

The IPCC is also producing the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (SR15) and the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL). [IPCC Press Release]