ABOUT ICMA

The International Commission on the Middle Atmosphere (ICMA) is one of the 10 Commissions making up the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science (IAMAS), which in turn is one of the 8 Associations constituting the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).

ICMA aims at fostering international cooperation in research of the middle atmosphere. This region, extending from the tropopause to the lower thermosphere, is particularly susceptible to external factors, such as solar activity, volcanic and geo-engineered stratospheric aerosols, and greenhouse gases. On the other hand, vertical coupling imprints the influence of the middle atmosphere on tropospheric climate, as well as on the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Current research in middle atmospheric science is evolving towards an integrated understanding of this complex system, including all involved dynamical, chemical and physical processes and their interactions, with potential benefits for climate projections and sub-seasonal to decadal climate predictions (see Figure below). 

ICMA sponsors and co- sponsors several symposia at the quadrennial IUGG General Assemblies and IAMAS Scientific Assemblies. The ICMA-sponsored “Middle Atmosphere Science” symposium is regularly held at these Assemblies and has a long tradition in providing a forum for discussion of the most recent observational and modeling advances related to the middle atmosphere.  

ICMA maintains a close relationship with the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA), notably by sponsoring and co-sponsoring symposia at the IAGA Scientific Assemblies. Similarly, ICMA’s interest overlap with those of the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP), as well as with those of the “Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate” (SPARC) project of WCRP (see also Collaborations).

ICMA also aims at fostering the engagement of Early Career Scientists (ECS) via the  IAMAS ECS Coordination group.