20 October 2008: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Fourth International Workshop on Monsoons is taking place from 20–25 October
2008, in Beijing, China. The workshop is part of the WMO major quadrennial
symposia and workshops series under the World Weather Research Programme
(WWRP).

As a WWRP activity, the event will follow the guidance of the WMO
Commission for Atmospheric Sciences to emphasize research for the reduction of
disaster risks through improved forecasts of high-impact weather. The workshop
will be held jointly with the Second Pan-World Climate Research Programme
Monsoon Workshop. The activities will also include the Workshop on Operational
Monsoon Research and Forecast Issues sponsored by the WMO Education and
Training Department.
These workshops provide a forum for researchers and
forecasters to discuss recent advances and current issues relevant to the
forecast of high-impact weather such as torrential rainfall and tropical
cyclones in the world’s monsoon regions, and a means to transfer new science
and technology to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in these
regions. The event will include invited and contributed papers, and discussion
sessions on international collaboration on research and forecast of high-impact
weather in monsoon regions. At the end of the event, a report including the
reviews, discussions and recommendations will be used to update the WMO
Technical Document “Global Monsoon System: Research and Forecast,” which was
prepared following the Third International Workshop on Monsoons in 2004. [Workshop
Programme]