ICTP Scientist Co-Editor of New Science Journal

Fred Kucharski, a scientist in ICTP’s Earth System Physics section, has been appointed co-editor of a new, online-only, open access journal published by Nature Partner Journals (NPJ).

Launched on 14 April 2016, the journal, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, will feature cutting-edge research on topics ranging from climate dynamics and variability to atmospheric composition including aerosols, the hydrological cycle and atmosphere-ocean interactions.

The journal fills an important niche for climate and atmospheric scientists, says Kucharski. “In the journals of the Nature Publishing Group, there was no journal with a focus on climate variability and atmospheric physics,” he explains, adding, “Scientists in these fields often submitted to Nature Geoscience or Nature Communications in case they thought they had a result of interest for a broader community and of great originality and relevance for the field.”

Researchers who want to publish in the journal can submit papers online now; Kucharski foresees that the first round of papers will appear in October.  Kucharski particularly encourages scientists from developing countries to submit their work, noting that their publication charges could be waived.

The journal is being launched with initial funding from the Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Led by Mansour Almazroui, the Center has a strong group active in climate and atmospheric research that was initiated in 2009 with encouragement and scientific support by ICTP and, in particular, ICTP Staff Associate In-Sik Kang from Seoul National University.

Kucharski shares the editorship with Roy M. Harrison, a professor of environmental health at the University of Birmingham, UK.