Goal 2, Priority 3: Establishing New Connections with Researchers from Developing Nations
Many of the most interesting and important Earth system processes are global in scale and can only be effectively pursued with cooperation among nations and collaborative research efforts among institutions from many countries.
FY2007 Accomplishments
NCAR has led and participated in a variety of initiatives aimed at establishing connections in developing nations. Among these:
- With funding from the Indo-U.S. Forum, staff from NCAR and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting in New Delhi held a weeklong workshop in India in 2007, highlighting investigations made possible through use of instrumented research aircraft. NCAR staff advised Indian researchers on developing an airborne science platform, and began planning for a Bay of Bengal tropical cyclone experiment aimed at improving forecasts of cyclone intensity and landfall. Additionally, EOL, ESSL/MMM and UOP/COMET representatives attended discussions held to define tasks in the next UCAR/NCAR MOU, which ranged from regionalizing WRF, to training the Indian Meteorological Department in modern forecasting techniques.
- EOL scientists are also pursuing collaborations with scientists in Africa to establish continuous CO2 analysis sites. Within the last year, scientists have established CO2 sites to fill in the CO2 exchange data gap in Africa, and to further understanding of Africa’s role in global CO2 exchange. In FY2007, EOL scientists, in collaboration with local scientists, and other international scientists, decided to install a CO2 analyzer at the Mt. Kenya Meteorological Observatory, a World Meteorological Organization site. Pending research permits, EOL will install the analyzer in November 2007 or early 2008.
Click to enlarge. West Africa Demonstration Project 4DWX Home Page. Real-Time FDDA Output from 05 November 2007.
A relatively new program, the Africa Initiative (AI) is a coordinated effort aimed at building sustainable partnership between UCAR, NCAR, and UOP, and African institutions to pursue research and applications for the benefit of the African people. The initiative is based on four fundamental operating principles, concisely summarized by the overall philosophy of “enabling African solutions to African needs.” A set of UCAR and NCAR co-founded pilot activities, chosen for their high probability of short-term results and ability to set the stage for longer-term collaboration, will focus on short-term weather prediction, particularly in Western Africa. This represents an intersection between needs identified by African researchers and operational meteorologists, and the expertise of UCAR, NCAR, and UOP programs.- RAL has led three recent projects focused on West Africa and the Sahel:
- improvement of a modest radar network and data-distribution system within Burkina Faso and Mali;
- development of a part¬nership among UCAR, the Ghana Meteorological Agency, and the Ghana university community to develop an opera¬tional Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for West Africa; and
- in partnership with members of the Africa Initiative, conduct of a workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from April 2-6, 2007, for which the theme was “Improving Lives by Understanding Weather.” The workshop was attended by over 80 participants from 18 countries.
FY2008 Plans for Strategic Priority 3
CCB will continue to help with the development of Climate Affairs programs through telementoring and travel. CCB project scientist Qian Ye will spend considerable time and effort on this activity.
Scientists at the Mt. Kenya Meteorological Observatory in Africa have begun long-term CO2 data collection. EOL scientists will begin analysis and maintenance of these data in FY2008.
Outcomes from FY2007 AI efforts are currently being evaluated to identify next steps for FY2008.
In 2007, RAL hosted a number of successful visits by delegations of African scientists and government officials. Memoranda of Understanding have recently been signed between UCAR and Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, and Senegal that look to developing collaborative meteorological and hydrological activities in the future. In addition, task order agreements are currently being negotiated with both Burkina Faso and Senegal to begin small radar upgrade and training programs. The long-range goal in numerical weather prediction is to develop capacity in Africa, to ensure that WRF is running operationally in Africa, is maintained by Africans, and is being adapted by Africans to meet their specific needs.
Related Lab Annual Report Sections:
Goal 2, Priority 3