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Shaping the Landscape of Climate Services: The International Research Institute for Climate and Society

Edited by: Dr Lisa Goddard

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) is a unique organization that has spearheaded innovation in climate data. Since its formation in the 1990s, IRI has utilized climate science to help anticipate and manage climate risks and opportunities, particularly in developing countries. IRI’s numerous projects include water management in South America, fire early-warning systems in Indonesia, and drought pattern research in the Sahel. IRI’s research is valuable for countries preparing for the challenges of variable and extreme climate compounded with population growth. Goddard et al.'s essay provides an overview of the thematic series and a full table of contents is available.


  1. Climate variability and change have long posed substantial challenges for social, economic and natural systems throughout the world. Incorporating information about climate fluctuations and their impacts is an...

    Authors: Lisa Farrow Vaughan, John Furlow, Wayne Higgins, Claudia Nierenberg and Roger Pulwarty
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:23
    Content type: Essay Published on:

  2. The production of seasonal forecasts on a routine basis in South Africa started in the early 1990s. Most of the modelling then was based on linear statistical approaches. The subsequent evolution of the season...

    Authors: Willem A Landman
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:22
    Content type: Review Published on:

  3. The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) is a premier global research and capacity development institution focused on enhancing society’s capability to understand, use, manage and eva...

    Authors: Gilma Mantilla, Cynthia Thomson, Jessica Sharoff, Anthony G Barnston and Ashley Curtis
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:21
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  5. Climate variability affects a broad swath of socio-economic sectors, and if it increases or the sector becomes overly-tuned to past or present climate conditions, climate variability becomes of increasing conc...

    Authors: M Benno Blumenthal, Michael Bell, John del Corral, Rémi Cousin and Igor Khomyakov
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:19
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  6. Advances in our fundamental understanding of the physical climate system provided the necessary scientific underpinnings for the routine production of reliable seasonal climate forecasts and ultimately, the bi...

    Authors: Bradfield Lyon, Alessandra Giannini, Paula Gonzalez and Andrew W Robertson
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:18
    Content type: Review Published on:

  7. This paper describes the work of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) and its partners towards the development of climate services for the health sector in Africa; integrating res...

    Authors: Madeleine C Thomson, Simon Mason, Barbara Platzer, Abere Mihretie, Judy Omumbo, Gilma Mantilla, Pietro Ceccato, Michel Jancloes and Stephen Connor
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:17
    Content type: Synthesis Published on:

  8. As human populations grow, so do the resource demands imposed on ecosystems and the impacts of our global footprint. Natural resources are not invulnerable, nor infinitely available. The environmental impacts ...

    Authors: Pietro Ceccato, Katia Fernandes, Daniel Ruiz and Erica Allis
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:16
    Content type: Synthesis Published on:

  9. Sound climate risk management requires access to the best available decision-relevant climate information and the ability to use such information effectively. The availability and access of such information an...

    Authors: Tufa Dinku, Paul Block, Jessica Sharoff, Kinfe Hailemariam, Daniel Osgood, John del Corral, Rémi Cousin and Madeleine C Thomson
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:15
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  10. Meningococcal meningitis is a climate sensitive infectious disease. The regional extent of the Meningitis Belt in Africa, where the majority of epidemics occur, was originally defined by Lapeysonnie in the 196...

    Authors: Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Madeleine C Thomson, Michelle C Stanton, Peter J Diggle, Thomas Hopson, Rajul Pandya, Ron L Miller and Stéphane Hugonnet
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:14
    Content type: Review Published on:

  12. New sources of hydroclimate information based on forecast models and observational data have the potential to greatly improve the management of water resources in semi-arid regions prone to drought. Better man...

    Authors: Andrew W Robertson, Walter Baethgen, Paul Block, Upmanu Lall, Arumugam Sankarasubramanian, Francisco de Assis de Souza Filho and Koen M J Verbist
    Citation: Earth Perspectives 2014 1:12
    Content type: Research article Published on: