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Papers by Christopher Rapley
Science Progress, 2021
We have kicked the can down the road once againbut we are running out of road.'-Rachel Kyte, ... more We have kicked the can down the road once againbut we are running out of road.'-Rachel Kyte, Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University. We, in our capacities as scientists, economists, governance and policy specialists, are shifting from warnings to guidance for action before there is no more 'road.' The science is clear and irrefutable; humanity is in advanced ecological overshoot. Our overexploitation of resources exceeds ecosystems' capacity to provide them or to absorb our waste. Society has failed to meet clearly stated goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Civilization faces an epochal crossroads, but with potentially much better, wiser outcomes if we act now. What are the concrete and transformative actions by which we can turn away from the abyss? In this paper we forcefully recommend priority actions and resource allocation to avert the worst of the climate and nature emergencies, two of the most pressing symptoms of overshoot, and lead s...
Advances in Space Research, 1987
The Seasat radar altimeter was designed to provide precise and accurate surface height measuremen... more The Seasat radar altimeter was designed to provide precise and accurate surface height measurements over the ocean. These data have been used in studies of the ocean geold, tides and currents. Several factors can affect the quality of the height measurements produced by the on-board processor. In particular, radar returns with time profiles which depart from a standard form can introduce significant errors. These arise over very calm seas, over rain cells or when sea ice or land are present within the altimeter footprint. Blunder point algorithms are used in the ground processing to flag outlying data points, but these fail to identify some of the anomalies that we observe. We have developed an alternative method for flagging poor quality data using a simple algorithm based on pulse shape. We demonstrate that the algorithm provides a sensitive means of editing altimeter ocean data. Furthermore changes in surface type, such as transitions between open water and sea ice can be accurately located.
International Journal of Remote Sensing, 1993
This perspective critically assesses how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cou... more This perspective critically assesses how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could facilitate a closer alignment of its activities and include lessons drawn from the policy and decision-making communities working on the ground at the regional/local levels. The objective is to facilitate practitioner input into the detailed choice of topics and priorities for IPCC review and in the conclusions drawn (we define practitioners as those engaged in the development and application of practical responses to climate change on the ground). By means of a series of workshops with academics, policy officials and decision-makers in the United Kingdom, the research reported here illuminates how the IPCC's Working Group II (WGII) has been used in the past to inform decision-making and how practitioner responses to climate change could better inform the IPCC process in the future. In particular, we recommend three key actions. Firstly that IPCC WGII should incorporate more practitioners as authors to improve the awareness and understanding amongst the writing teams of the nature and detail of decisions being made in response to climate change; secondly a practitioner-led IPCC Special Report should be commissioned on good-practice responses to climate change; and thirdly a new body should be created , attached to the IPCC, to synthesise and report on good practice on climate response strategies in a timely manner. By adopting these recommendations, the IPCC could become more directly useful to decision-makers working on adaptation at the national, regional and local levels and enable more action-able decision-making.
Science Progress, 2021
We have kicked the can down the road once againbut we are running out of road.'-Rachel Kyte, ... more We have kicked the can down the road once againbut we are running out of road.'-Rachel Kyte, Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University. We, in our capacities as scientists, economists, governance and policy specialists, are shifting from warnings to guidance for action before there is no more 'road.' The science is clear and irrefutable; humanity is in advanced ecological overshoot. Our overexploitation of resources exceeds ecosystems' capacity to provide them or to absorb our waste. Society has failed to meet clearly stated goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Civilization faces an epochal crossroads, but with potentially much better, wiser outcomes if we act now. What are the concrete and transformative actions by which we can turn away from the abyss? In this paper we forcefully recommend priority actions and resource allocation to avert the worst of the climate and nature emergencies, two of the most pressing symptoms of overshoot, and lead s...
Advances in Space Research, 1987
The Seasat radar altimeter was designed to provide precise and accurate surface height measuremen... more The Seasat radar altimeter was designed to provide precise and accurate surface height measurements over the ocean. These data have been used in studies of the ocean geold, tides and currents. Several factors can affect the quality of the height measurements produced by the on-board processor. In particular, radar returns with time profiles which depart from a standard form can introduce significant errors. These arise over very calm seas, over rain cells or when sea ice or land are present within the altimeter footprint. Blunder point algorithms are used in the ground processing to flag outlying data points, but these fail to identify some of the anomalies that we observe. We have developed an alternative method for flagging poor quality data using a simple algorithm based on pulse shape. We demonstrate that the algorithm provides a sensitive means of editing altimeter ocean data. Furthermore changes in surface type, such as transitions between open water and sea ice can be accurately located.
International Journal of Remote Sensing, 1993
This perspective critically assesses how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cou... more This perspective critically assesses how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could facilitate a closer alignment of its activities and include lessons drawn from the policy and decision-making communities working on the ground at the regional/local levels. The objective is to facilitate practitioner input into the detailed choice of topics and priorities for IPCC review and in the conclusions drawn (we define practitioners as those engaged in the development and application of practical responses to climate change on the ground). By means of a series of workshops with academics, policy officials and decision-makers in the United Kingdom, the research reported here illuminates how the IPCC's Working Group II (WGII) has been used in the past to inform decision-making and how practitioner responses to climate change could better inform the IPCC process in the future. In particular, we recommend three key actions. Firstly that IPCC WGII should incorporate more practitioners as authors to improve the awareness and understanding amongst the writing teams of the nature and detail of decisions being made in response to climate change; secondly a practitioner-led IPCC Special Report should be commissioned on good-practice responses to climate change; and thirdly a new body should be created , attached to the IPCC, to synthesise and report on good practice on climate response strategies in a timely manner. By adopting these recommendations, the IPCC could become more directly useful to decision-makers working on adaptation at the national, regional and local levels and enable more action-able decision-making.