U.S. CLIVAR Working Groups

The purpose of this document is to describe the intent and purpose of U.S. CLIVAR Working Groups and to specify how they will be established and governed.

In order to address focused demands, the U.S. CLIVAR program will establish small action-oriented Working Groups (hereafter WGs) of scientists (e.g. no more than ~8 persons) to provide specific implementation services and leadership to CLIVAR, its supporting agencies, and the community over a limited period of time. A major aim of the WGs is to expedite planning and/or implementation of scientific activities as well as leveraging wider support of and participation in activities addressing critical scientific challenges and/or CLIVAR needs. Such activities should focus on utilizing and maximizing efficient use of existing or expected resources (at this time
most agencies are not seeking recommendations for activities requiring new agency resources). WGs are also intended to be a mechanism to facilitate joint activities between U.S. CLIVAR Panels and between U.S. CLIVAR and other national and/or international programs.

Examples of activities that WGs could undertake include coordinating/facilitating the development of new products and capabilities, leading the development of community-wide projects addressing critical scientific challenges or needs, developing scientific and
implementation recommendations on specific subjects for further consideration by U.S. CLIVAR panels and supporting agencies, and organizing and overseeing U.S. components of international CLIVAR projects.

There will be two types of WGs: those that are supported (e.g. travel, communications, and report generation and distribution) through the U.S. CLIVAR Office (USCO), and those that are not supported by the USCO.

Working Groups shall:

• Be established by one or more U.S. CLIVAR Panels, with clear lines of reporting
• Be comprised of a maximum of ~8 people
• Agree to undertake specific tasks that are both achievable and measurable within a
  specified lifetime
• Not exceed ~2 year lifetime (exceptions must be compelling)
• Develop a brief work plan that describes expected activities, milestones, support needs (if
  requested), and anticipated benefits to the CLIVAR program
• Have a clear reporting plan that describes the range of material it will produce suitable
  for inclusion on CLIVAR web sites, and/or published in journals, newsletters, or as
  CLIVAR reports
• Publicize and routinely report on their activities through the U.S. CLIVAR (and other
  appropriate) program
• Encourage community-wide participation through open workshops and email lists
  
  

The U.S. CLIVAR Office and Inter-Agency Group (IAG) will consider requests for financial support of WG meetings, teleconferences, and WG report duplication and distribution (requests for support of scientific workshops must be submitted through a separate process). There will be a limit on the collective resources available for WGs, thus resources are not guaranteed. Sponsoring U.S. CLIVAR Panels must approve relevant WGs. The U.S. CLIVAR Committee approves all requests to establish WGs.

WGs may also be formed jointly with other national and international programs (e.g. GEWEX, Carbon Cycle), and in such cases the U.S. CLIVAR Office should be approached regarding programmatic cooperation.

WGs will not be formed to explicitly develop proposals for consideration by research agencies. WGs are also not intended to be a mechanism to seek support for routine scientific workshops that provide little or no linkage to CLIVAR planning or implementation.

The U.S. CLIVAR Committee will determine the membership of the WG. They will consider the suggested members listed in the prospectus, but reserve the option of soliciting and appointing WG members from the broader community.

Working Group Prospectus
Each Working Group that seeks support through the U.S, CLIVAR Office must develop a prospectus. The first time these prospectuses will be considered is September 30, 2006. The prospectus should be limited to 2-3 pages and address the following:

• Motivation and tasks: What is the motivation for the WG? Why establish a WG now? What are its specific tasks (these must be measurable and attainable), timeline of activities (including appropriate milestones), anticipated outcomes and benefits to CLIVAR (links to appropriate Panel goals, CCSP milestones, and agency programs should also be described)?
• Publications and Outreach: What plans does the WG have for producing and publishing material suitable for CLIVAR web sites, journals, newsletters, or as CLIVAR reports?
• Reporting: How often and to whom will the WG report?
• Leadership: Who will co-chair the WG? What is the suggested membership of the Working Group and what representation from other programs is recommended? (NOTE: WGs are perfect opportunities to enlist the participation of junior
  scientists. Diversity of membership must also be considered.)
• Resources (if support is sought): What are the activities for which resources are sought, e.g. travel, communications, and reporting (e.g. the WG will meet once per year for 2.5 days, hold monthly telecons, and a 15-page full-color report)?

Unless otherwise justified, the start date should be assumed to be December 1, 2006. Working Groups should outline plans to complete their tasks by November 30, 2008.

Electronic copies of the prospectus (in Word, PDF, or plain text form) should be emailed to the U.S. CLIVAR Office (usco@usclivar.org). The U.S. CLIVAR Committee will then consider the requests and in consultation with the USCO and the IAG, respond as rapidly as possible to facilitate the initiation of the approved WGs.

Progress of WGs will be assessed by the U.S. CLIVAR Committee and its Panels on an annual basis.