Towards a seamless system: bridging the gap between weather, climate and the development community

Meeting organiser:  Dr Alberto Troccoli, ECMWF/Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC)

As a starting point, it may be useful to take the following considerations into account. There is no physical reason, in principle, why different time scales of the climate system should be treated in differently from one another. After all, weather and climate are manifestations of the same Earth system. So, why should weather forecasting be approached in a different way to interannual/decadal forecasting or to the generation of climate change scenarios as they currently are?

In addition to these physical considerations, it is worthwhile to emphasise that there is a large portion of society that relies on weather/climate information for their decisions. The development community is certainly a sector for which this information is highly relevant. Knowing how weather/climate information is used and what the development community priorities are can certainly help shape the way in which such information is first produced and then released. This is why proper links with communities outside the physical scientists world are crucial to the attainment of a consensus on the definition of "seamless system".

Climate prediction at weather resolving scale: challenges and achievements,  Prof Julia Slingo, University of Reading
Error, reliability and accuracy in verifiable weather and climate simulations, Dr Francisco Doblas-Reyes, ECMWF
Climate predictions on decadal and multi-decadal time scales: methods, results and links,  Dr James Murphy, Hadley Centre, Met Office
Believing the incredible: how and why climate information is ignored – some insights from Africa,  Dr Richard Washington, University of Oxford
Weather, climate and the Millenniun development goals, Dr Mike Harrison, ex-Met Office and ex-WMO
Sustainable development in a climate of uncertainty: using climate and weather information to overcome poverty.  Dr Steve Jennings, Oxfam
The meeting will conclude with a panel session
Panel Members
Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, University of Reading and Director, Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College
Dr Ir Yvan Biot, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate Change, DFID
Dr Richard Washington, University of Oxford
Dr Steve Jennings, Oxfam
Travel information to London Zoo

By Rail
The nearest mainline station is Euston.  At Euston Station go to bus stop G and take bus number 253 towards the Narroway/Hackney Central to Camden High Street.  At Camden High Street go to Stop V and take bus number 274 towards Victoria Gate to London Zoo.

By Bus
Service number 274 runs from Oxford Circus and Baker Street, to Ormonde Terrace. Pick up the C2 from Oxford Circus or Great Portland Street to Gloucester Gate.

By Waterbus
The London Water Company runs a scheduled service along Regents' Canal between Camden Lock or Little Venice and London Zoo.  For full details call the London Waterbus Company 020 7482 2550