1 July 2015
WMO Maps Out Future Weather Science Research
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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released a publication that provides a consolidated roadmap for future weather research in order to foster the science required to reduce the vulnerability of society to high-impact weather.

The publication, ‘Seamless Prediction of the Earth System: From Minutes to Months,' synthesizes discussions and outcomes of the World Weather Open Science Conference held in Montreal, Canada, in August 2014.

For the first time ever, the Conference brought together the weather science and user communities to review the most recent developments in the field and map out the future scientific frontiers.

WMO30 June 2015: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released a publication that provides a consolidated roadmap for future weather research in order to foster the science required to reduce the vulnerability of society to high-impact weather. The publication, ‘Seamless Prediction of the Earth System: From Minutes to Months,’ synthesizes discussions and outcomes of the World Weather Open Science Conference held in Montreal, Canada, in August 2014. For the first time ever, the Conference brought together the weather science and user communities to review the most recent developments in the field and map out the future scientific frontiers.

WMO Secretary General Michel Jarraud said that new predictive tools will, inter alia, “detail weather conditions down to neighbourhood and street level, and provide early warnings a month ahead.” He added that forecasts from rainfall to energy consumption will constitute some of the main outcomes of research activities in weather science over the next decade. Jarraud explained that understanding small-scale processes and their predictability should go hand-in-hand with an improved understanding of how weather-related information influences decision-making processes.

The publication provides a compilation of white papers describing the state of the science and the major challenges for making advances in the future. It includes chapters on: observations and data assimilation; predictability, processes and interaction between subsystems; numerical prediction of the Earth system; and weather-related hazards and impacts.

In short, the report: describes a point in time and the knowledge that has been accumulating on weather science; points the way to future developments; should be of interest to researchers and practitioners; and aims to “inspire the next generation of weather scientists.” [WMO Press Release] [Publication: Seamless Prediction of the Earth System: From Minutes to Months] [IISD RS Story on the World Weather Open Science Conference]

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