We extend our congratulations to a range of ACEAS Chief Investigators and Partner Investigators on their selection for authorship in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) Working Group 1 report.

These include ACEAS Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Laurie Menviel from UNSW (Chapter 8, Lead Author), former ACEAS Chief Investigator, Professor Nerilie Abram (Chapter 1 Coordinating Lead Author), and ACEAS Partner Investigator, Professor Tamsin Edwards from King’s College London (Chapter 6, Coordinating Lead Author).

The IPCC Working Group I report – The Physical Science Basis – is devoted to assessing how and why Earth's climate is changing. It brings together observations, paleoclimate records, theoretical studies, process research, and climate modelling to understand past, present, and projected physical changes in the climate system. Key topics include greenhouse gases and aerosols, temperature changes in air, land, and oceans, shifts in precipitation and the hydrological cycle, extreme weather, glaciers, ice sheets, sea-level rise, and carbon cycle and biogeochemical changes. It also examines regional variability, the causes (both human and natural) of change, and how compatible emissions trajectories are with policy targets.

IPCC reports are the world’s most authoritative assessment of climate science, drawing on the expertise of thousands of researchers worldwide, including Antarctic specialists. They are used by governments to inform international agreements, by policymakers to guide national climate strategies, and by scientists, industry, and communities to plan for climate impacts. Antarctic research is a crucial contribution to these assessments, providing insights on ice sheets, ocean circulation, and polar ecosystems that are key to understanding global sea-level rise, extreme events, and the planet’s climate system. By integrating this knowledge, the IPCC reports provide a trusted foundation for decisions that affect both Australia and the wider world.

We wish our ACEAS researchers all the best as they commence these important duties. The full list of IPCC authors can be found here.