Past Global Changes (PAGES) International Project Office

Past Global Changes (PAGES) International Project Office
Name	Past Global Changes (PAGES) International Project Office
Formation	1991
Headquarters	Bern, Switzerland
Region served	Global
Leader title	Director

Contents

Past Global Changes (PAGES) International Project Office The Past Global Changes (PAGES) International Project Office is an international coordination hub that supports paleoclimate research and interdisciplinary synthesis. It links scientists, data centers, and policy bodies to reconstruct Holocene and Pleistocene climate variations and to inform assessments by bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and networks like the World Climate Research Programme. The office fosters collaboration among researchers from institutions including the University of Bern, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Overview

The office convenes global initiatives that span records from Greenland Ice Sheet Project cores to Vostok Station drillings, coordinating projects that integrate proxy archives such as tree-ring records linked to International Tree-Ring Data Bank, speleothem sequences associated with teams at University College London and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, and marine sediment studies from programs like International Ocean Discovery Program and Deep Sea Drilling Project. It collaborates with data repositories including PANGAEA, NOAA Paleoclimatology, and World Data System, and contributes to synthesis efforts aligned with panels including the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.

Founded in the aftermath of international assessments influenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change first assessment report and initiatives such as the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems project, the office evolved through partnerships with the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the International Council for Science. Early engagement included collaborations with researchers from Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, British Antarctic Survey, and the Alfred Wegener Institute. Milestones trace through cooperative events with International Quaternary Association, workshops at Smithsonian Institution, and coordination with regional networks like AmeriFlux and European Pollen Database contributors. The office’s history intersects with major field programs such as Lambert Glacier expeditions and ice core campaigns at Dome C.

The office’s mission is aligned with the agendas of bodies including the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization to improve understanding of past climate variability. Objectives include coordinating global syntheses that inform assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, enabling data interoperability with standards used by Group on Earth Observations and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, and promoting capacity development in regions represented by institutions such as CSIR (South Africa), Indian Institute of Science, and Universidade de São Paulo. It aims to bridge science-policy interfaces exemplified by dialogues with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Programmatic work encompasses thematic initiatives comparable to past efforts like the MARGO project, regional syntheses analogous to PAGES 2k and multiproxy compilations linked to Neotoma Paleoecology Database, and methodological development in radiocarbon calibration involving IntCal consortia. Activities include organizing working groups with participants from University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, Columbia University, and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research; supporting paleoclimate modeling experiments interoperable with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project protocols; and facilitating cross-disciplinary studies involving researchers from Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, University of Tokyo, and CSIC. It sponsors conferences with societies such as the European Geosciences Union and journals associated with American Geophysical Union and Royal Society publishers.

Governance comprises an international steering committee drawing experts affiliated with National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Swiss National Science Foundation, and national academies including the Royal Society and Academia Sinica. Strategic partnerships extend to the International Union for Quaternary Research, International Arctic Science Committee, Global Carbon Project, and data centers like British Geological Survey. Collaborations with regional programs include CLIVAR, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the Asian Paleoenvironmental Network, while liaising with policy-relevant organizations such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Funding streams have historically included grants from agencies such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, European Commission, National Science Foundation (US), Natural Environment Research Council, and philanthropic support from organizations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Infrastructure support leverages facilities at ETH Zurich, ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, and computing resources coordinated with National Center for Atmospheric Research and PRACE. The office promotes open data practices in line with FAIR data principles and works with repositories such as Zenodo and Dryad.

Outputs include contributions to major syntheses cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and inputs to policy dialogues at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conferences and World Climate Conferences. Outreach engages museums like the Natural History Museum, London, education initiatives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and public communication through media partnerships with outlets including Nature (journal), Science (journal), and National Geographic. The office supports capacity building via training workshops with partners such as International Arctic Science Committee and summer schools held at institutions like University of Bern and University of Cape Town, advancing the global paleoscience community represented by networks including PAGES 2k Network and IPCC Lead Author teams.