The Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, which is part of the Met Office, provides a focus in the United Kingdom for the scientific issues associated with climate change. The main aims of the Hadley Centre are:To understand physical, chemical and biological processes within the climate system and develop state-of-the-art climate models which represent them; To use climate models to simulate global and regional climate variability and change over the last 100 years and to predict changes over the next 100 years; To monitor global and national climate variability and change; To attribute recent changes in climate to specific factors; To understand, with the aim of predicting, the natural interannual to decadal variability of climate.

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to exploring the world's oceans, integrating the science and technology of the sea with the needs of humankind. Our staff of over 250, includes scientists, engineers, mariners and support personnel. We are involved in research and education in the marine sciences; biological, chemical, and environmental sciences; marine biomedical sciences; marine mammal conservation; aquaculture; and ocean engineering. We have a wide variety of educational programs and products to raise public awareness of the marine environment, illustrating how the health of our planet is inextricably linked to the state of our oceans.

The primary objective of HOT is to obtain a long time-series of physical and biochemical observations in the North Pacific subtropical gyre that will address the goals of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. In addition to these general primary objectives, the physical oceanographic component of HOT provides CTD/rosette sampling support for the JGOFS time-series sampling program, and supports development of new instrumentation for hydrographic observations. To date, HOT has supported research on lowered acoustic profiler measurements of currents in support of WOCE objectives (Firing and Gordon, 1990), and on dissolved oxygen sensor technology (Atkinson et al., 1995), to name a few examples.

HiSeasNet is a new satellite communications network designed specifically to provide continuous Internet connectivity for oceanographic research ships and platforms. Access to the Internet is an integral part of nearly every research lab and office on land; extending this access to oceanographic shipsour seagoing laboratories, will broadly impact seagoing research activities.

It's true! We fly airplanes right into the eye of the hurricane, and we invite you along for the ride-in Cyberspace! This is the place to see unique photos inside the hurricanes. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force Reserve, is one-of-a-kind: the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes--since 1944. Our ten Lockheed-Martin WC-130 aircraft and crews are part of the 403rd Wing, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The early lessons of Katrina are that preparedness and education about hurricanes are invaluable defensive tools in fighting (or fleeing) natural disasters. MIT Sea Grant's newly launched hurricane web site provides information about planning and risk, as well as news about hurricane-related research being conducted by MIT experts.

The Institute of Global Environment and Society, Inc. (IGES) - a non-profit, tax exempt research institute, incorporated in the State of Maryland - was established to improve understanding and prediction of the variations of the Earth's climate through scientific research on climate variability and climate predictability, and to share both the fruits of this research and the tools necessary to carry out this research with society as a whole. The staff of IGES includes a dedicated group of scientists uniquely qualified to conduct basic research in these areas. Application of scientific knowledge for the sustainable development of society is an important objective of the Institute.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO provides Member States of the United Nations with an essential mechanism for global co-operation in the study of the ocean. The IOC assists governments to address their individual and collective ocean and coastal problems through the sharing of knowledge, information, and technology, and through the coordination of national programs.

The International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG/ITSU) was formed in 1968. The main purpose of the group is to assure that tsunami watches, warning and advisory bulletins are disseminated throughout the Pacific to member states in accordance with procedures outlined in the Communication Plan for the Tsunami Warning System. The ICG/ITSU is a subsidiary body of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC). Its purpose is to recommend and coordinate programs most beneficial to countries belonging to the IOC, whose coastal areas are threatened by tsunamis.

The mission of the IRI is to enhance society's capability to understand, anticipate and magage the impacts of seasonal climate fluctuations, in order to improve human welfare and the environment, especially in developing countries.

Recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. It is open to all members of the UN and WMO. The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. Its role, organisation, participation and general procedures are laid down in the "Principles Governing IPCC Work"

The Joint Global Change Research Institute houses an interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. Joint Institute staff bring decades of experience and expertise to bear in science, technology, economics, and policy. One of the strengths of the Joint Institute is a network of domestic and international collaborators that encourages the development of global and equitable solutions to the climate change problem. Initiated in early 2001, the Joint Institute brings together the intersecting interests of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Staff at the Joint Institute are focused on developing new opportunities to train university students in these interdisciplinary areas.

When they adopted the Convention, governments knew that its commitments would not be sufficient to seriously tackle climate change. At COP 1 (Berlin, March/April 1995), in a decision known as the Berlin Mandate, Parties therefore launched a new round of talks to decide on stronger and more detailed commitments for industrialized countries. After two and a half years of intense negotiations, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted at COP 3 in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997. Find here background materials on the science and politics of climate change, the text of the Kyoto Protocol, the Status of Ratification, and Compliance documentation.

The oceanographic and information technology communities are forging an entirely new capability for interacting with complex, nonlinear planetary-scale processes. Success in this arena will vastly enhance human understanding of the basic processes that modulate climate, create energy and mineral deposits, influence the carbon cycle, and support a newly discovered microbial biosphere that may well be an analog for life elsewhere in the solar system. Our new capabilities will allow us to engage the public in the scientific inquiry into the last frontier on Earth: the ocean basins. Ocean observatories provide new channels for effectively communicating with educators and the public about how our planet works. Observatories offer the high educational value of student interaction with real scientific instruments and equipment, as well as opportunities to collaborate with research scientists. The LOOKING program will provide an essential architecture for the actual software, hardware, and network services that will enable routine ocean access to researchers, educators, students, and the general public.

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is a leading research institution where more than 200 research scientists seek fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world. LDEO scientists observe Earth on a global scale, from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean. They decipher the long record of the past, monitor the present, and seek to foresee Earths future. From global climate change to earthquakes, volcanoes, nonrenewable resources, environmental hazards and beyond, the Observatorys fundamental challenge is to provide a rational basis for the difficult choices faced by humankind in the stewardship of this fragile planet.