14 November 2014: The Third International Conference on ENSO, which met under the theme ‘Bridging the Gaps between the Global ENSO Science and the Regional Processes, Extremes and Impacts,’ aimed to review progress on the science of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and regional processes to improve the ENSO prediction and related regional impacts.

The conference, which met in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 12–14 November 2014, is expected to contribute to the development of decision-support frameworks to enable appropriate planning and response at the national and local levels. The conference brought together scientists and experts involved in research, observations and operational climate services to provide a forum for efficiently linking science with societal needs.

The Conference aimed to, inter alia: synthesize progress on ENSO research; share experiences in vulnerability assessment methodologies; address support approaches in preparing of and responding to ENSO climate anomalies; review the history of recurrent hazards related to ENSO extremes; and update progress on new global and regional efforts for ENSO prediction, observations and early warning systems.

A special ‘Climate Services’ stage discussed climate services for: agriculture, food security, health and water; risk management and adaptation; and decision makers and authorities.

The conference outcomes will be used to support implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) and inform action to increase resilience to natural climate variability in the areas of agriculture and food security, disaster risk reduction (DRR), health and water. The conference acknowledged unresolved questions regarding the influence of climate change on ENSO both in the current, as well as future, climate.

The conference was organized by the Centro Internacional para la Investigación del Fenómeno de El Niño, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a co-sponsor. [Conference Brochure][WMO Press Release]