LANZHOU, July 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 110 scientists from 30 countries and regions have gathered in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, to prepare a special climate change report on the world's oceans and cryosphere.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body assessing scientific research related to climate change, started to draft its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) Monday.
It is in its sixth assessment cycle to provide policymakers with scientific support. The report is due in September 2019.
"We will develop and refine the draft of the report here in Lanzhou by addressing more than 12,000 comments from experts," said Ko Barrett, vice chairman of the IPCC.
The report will focus on the impacts of climate change on oceans and frozen regions, the two most vulnerable layers of the climate system, said Barrett. Cryosphere includes ice sheets, frozen lakes and rivers, regions covered by snow, glaciers, and frozen soil.
"The world's most developed regions with over half of its population are located within 60 kilometers from the coastline. That is why the oceans and cryosphere in a changing climate draw high concern," said Debra Roberts, co-head of a research group of the IPCC.
Besides the SROCC, another two special reports on greenhouse gas emissions and desertification controls are also underway.
