The Climate Prediction Center International Desks: African Training Desk and Projects Wassila M. Thiaw Team Leader Climate Prediction Center National Centers for Environmental Predictions 1
African Desk & International Projects New Website Mission: Support capacity building at NMHSs in Africa: Professional development training in weather and climate Training Coverage Week1 Precipitation Probability of exceedance Provide access to NCEP global data and products to promote decision support services in developing countries: Africa, Afghanistan, Central America Africa Hazards 2
Outline Why have an African Training Desk? What is the African Training Desk? Benefits of the African Training Desk 3
Why have an African Training Desk? Background Established in 1994 as part of the US contributions to the WMO Voluntary Cooperation Program (VCP) Initial Objective: To support capacity building in climate prediction, monitoring, and assessments at National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in Africa Motivation: Recurrent and severe droughts in Africa in the 70s through the 90s caused demand for water for human and agricultural use to exceed reliable supply African NMHSs were extremely challenged to deliver timely and reliable climate information and services to respond to the needs of governments and the public for informed decision making 4
What is the African Training Desk? Provide professional development training to meteorologists in Africa Initially focused on climate predictions, assessments, and monitoring Expanded in 2006 to focus on short range weather forecasting as well in support of the WMO Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) African Desk provides weather and climate training, including real time products and dissemination on evolving conditions (Monday through Friday) Desk provides an opportunity to issue seamless guidance to African NMHSs from weather to climate 5
What is the African Training Desk? Weather Desk Curriculum Use and interpretation of NWP Access COMET NWP Distance Learning Training Increasing use of ensembles; Probabilistic products GIS applications Write forecast bulletins Week-1 forecasts Model verification studies 6
What is the African Training Desk? Climate Desk Curriculum Modes of variability (ENSO, MJO, etc.) CPC ENSO Tutorial Access and process large data to study predictability Subseasonal forecasting (Week-1 & Week-2) Climate predictions Climate assessments and monitoring 7
Accomplishments Train 12 meteorologists from NMHSs in Africa every year Trained over 100 meteorologists from more than 30 African nations Africa Training Coverage Conduct International training workshops: WRF modeling, South Africa, 2007 Climate predictions: Indian Ocean, Vietnam, 2009 Mediterranean, Turkey, 2010 Atlantic Basin, Dakar, 2011 8
Benefits Meet the goals of the WMO/VCP through tangible technology transfer to African NMHSs Expand network of well trained meteorologists in weather and climate and enable African NMHSs to improve forecasting capabilities and enhance early warning systems in some countries Enables African NMHSs to implement tools developed at NCEP to improve weather and climate forecasts Products generated in the African Desk used as guidance for operational weather and climate forecasting and monitoring Several NMHSs now run the WRF model operationally following the 2007 workshop Help African NMHSs contribute significantly to the success of regional climate outlook forums initiated by NOAA and now a WMO/CLIPS activity 9
CPC Interntional Desks Web Site: African Desk & International Projects http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/african_desk/cpc_intl/ Provide access to real time NCEP prediction, assessment, and monitoring products Daily QPF forecasts Weekly hazard assessments Weekly monsoon monitoring Seasonal rainfall outlooks Global tropical cyclone monitoring 10
Real Time Access to Products Daily QPF Probability of P exceedance Rainfall anomaly Last 7 days Grid Box P daily evolution - last 90 days 11
Future Plans Work with other NOAA agencies to expand the African Weather Training Desk; e.g., aviation weather & marine forecasting Expand the African Desk training to include new focus on International Monsoon Forecasting Desk at CPC Expand the Climate Training Desk through off site climate training workshops and in collaboration with the international community (2012, 2013, and beyond) Continue to pursue collaboration with international community on new applications such as influence of weather and climate on tropical infectious diseases 12