Joint Conference of the
13th International Conference on Tropical Marine Environmental Changes (MEC) &
6th CLIVAR Climate Dynamics Panel (CDP) Annual Workshop on
“Abrupt changes and tipping points”

Overview
We are pleased to release the Second Announcement of the Joint Conference on Abrupt Changes and Tipping Points, co-hosting the 13th International Conference on Tropical Marine Environmental Changes (MEC) and the 6th CLIVAR Climate Dynamics Panel (CDP) Annual Workshop, to be held on 13–16 April 2026 in Guangzhou, China.

Building on the long-standing MEC conference series and the CLIVAR CDP Annual Workshops, this joint meeting aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the mechanisms, early warnings, predictability, and impacts of abrupt changes and tipping points in the ocean–atmosphere system and the broader Earth system.

The conference will bring together researchers from physical oceanography, climate dynamics, marine biogeochemistry, ecosystems, geology, and paleoclimate, with a particular focus on nonlinear processes, feedbacks, and potentially irreversible transitions under climate change.

Session Topics
The joint conference will feature the following six interdisciplinary scientific sessions:
•   Ocean–Atmosphere Interactions and Climate Variability
•   Climate Tipping Elements and Earth System Feedbacks
•   Predictability, Early Warnings, and Climate Risk Assessment
•   Physical Ocean Processes: Abrupt Changes and Marine Tipping Points
•   Marine Geology and Paleoclimate Records of Abrupt Events
•   Ecosystem and Biogeochemical Tipping Points in a Changing Ocean
 

Confirmed Invited Speakers
Matthew Collins (University of Exeter)
Kathy Gunn (University of Southampton)
Aixue Hu (National Center for Atmospheric Research)
Jing-Jia Luo (Nanjing University of Information and Technology)
Shoshiro Minobe (Hokkaido University)
Yushi Morioka (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology)
Bo Qiu (University of Hawaii at Manoa)
James Rae (University of St Andrews)

Co-Chairs of Scientific Committee
Dake Chen (Second Institute of Oceanography/Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai))
Matthew England (University of New South Wales)
Si Zhang (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology/Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou))
Renhe Zhang (Fudan University)
Minhan Dai (Xiamen University)
Wenju Cai (Laoshan Laboratory)
Zhimin Jian (Tongji University)
Zhiming Yu (Institute of Oceanology)
Chaolun Li (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology)

Conference Organizing Committee
Lei Zhang (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology)
Yan Du (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology)
Jianwei Chi (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology)
Matthew England (University of New South Wales)
Satyaban Bishoyi Ratna (India Meteorological Department)
Michael Byrne (Univ. St Andrews)

Venue and Accommodation

The conference will be held at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Guangzhou, China.

Conference venue:

South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Nansha Campus
No. 1119 Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, China

Recommended hotels:

1. LN Garden Hotel Nansha Guangzhou

Website: www.lnhotels.com/GDHNS

Address: No. 1, 2nd Dajiao Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

Room rates:

King room: 550 RMB per night, including one breakfast

Twin room: 600 RMB per night, including two breakfasts

International participants are kindly requested to make hotel reservations by email to reservation.nansha@gardenhotel.com (cc: helvin.cin@gardenhotel.com).

To facilitate the reservation process, please include the following information in your email:

Name of the guest(s)

Room type and number of rooms required

Check-in date and check-out date

Payment method: a valid credit card number along with the security code on the back of the card. A pre-authorization hold will be placed accordingly.

Or please visit the designated hotel booking website for MEC2026 and follow the instructions to complete your reservation.

Reservation  Website：https://www.lnhotels.com/group/en/booking/next.html?hotel=GZGD02&start_d...

You may also choose to scan the code to make a booking.

2. Guangzhou Nansha Hotel
Website: http://www.nanshahotel.com/

Address: No. 1, 2nd South Road, New Coastal City, Nansha District, Guangzhou, China

Room rates:

King room: 450 RMB per night, including one breakfast

Twin room: 490 RMB per night, including two breakfasts

To make a reservation, please call Manager Liu (Tel: + 86 13450278591) and mention MEC2026 or send the booking details (Name of the guest(s), room type and number of rooms, check-in date, check-out date) to the following email addresses: 470756002@qq.com

You may also choose to scan the code to make a booking.

For further information, please contact the local host, Lei Zhang (zhanglei@scsio.ac.cn).