Synthesis

Following the first landmark synthesis published in 2004 Global Change and the Earth System: a planet under pressure (Springer), IGBP is embarking on its second synthesis scheduled for completion in 2015. The synthesis will bring together the key Earth-system research findings in the last decade from across our projects to build on the foundations of concepts such as the Anthropocene and planetary stewardship.

IGBP synthesis committee chairs

a) The Anthropocene synthesis: James Syvitski and Eduardo Brondizio

b) The Earth-system synthesis: Jan Willem Erisman and Guy Brasseur

c) The Core-project synthesis: Paul Monks

The outcomes will be published as peer-reviewed articles.

Individual synthesis topics during the intitial phase were selected by IGBP’s scientific committee with input from key stakeholders, including other international research programmes and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The topics cover research under IGBP’s core projects, joint projects and beyond. The synthesis topic leaders sought to involve scientists from many disciplines as well as policymakers and other stakeholders. Findings are being communicated via a range of products, including peer-reviewed publications and summaries for policymakers.

The topics include:

• Earth-system impacts from changes in the cryosphere
• Impacts from changes in the cryosphere on the biota and societies in the arid Central Asia
• Megacities in the coastal zone
• Global environmental change and sustainable development: needs of least developed countries
• Ecosystem impacts of geoengineering
• Nitrogen and climate
• Impacts of land-use-induced land-cover changes on the functioning of the Earth System
• Air pollution and climate