Conference theme
Weather and climate: global change and local hazards
The challenges for meteorology are growing. Citizens, decision-makers, indeed all of society require information on the consequences of our changing climate, and especially on weather and climate hazards that seem to occur more frequently and to have a significant impact on humans, nature, and infrastructure. The essential role of meteorology since the start of operations remains unchanged – the provision to society of reliable forecasts and trustworthy warnings. However, in the 21st century impact predictions and long-term projections of climate change are also needed to support national strategic decisions aimed at saving lives and reducing the costs of natural hazards. All of these challenges place increasing responsibility on scientists and forecasters, as well as on meteorological companies, institutions, and organisations: the whole “weather and climate enterprise”.
Behind these challenges is a need to develop our understanding of the multiple and inter-twined processes of the atmosphere and related environmental components, such as the hydrosphere, the biosphere, the cryosphere, and the anthroposphere. There is a need to innovate tools which facilitate and enable a better service to all sectors of society, from the global through to the national, regional, and local scales. The primary focus of the conference will be to promote and facilitate these essential operational and strategic developments in the European weather and climate enterprise.
The EMS Annual Meeting aims to foster exchange and cross-fertilization of ideas in meteorology and climate science. Among the challenges to be addressed within the EMS2018 theme – Weather and climate: global change and local hazards – are the following.
- Advancing our understanding of how the earth system works
- Weather and climate model development
- Air pollution, weather, and climate; challenges in meteorology, chemistry, and physics
- Challenges in observation, instrumentation, and monitoring
- Developing new applications using big data processing
- Developing new methods for hazard forecasting
- Implementing impact-based forecasts and warnings at the local level
- Communicating uncertainty, especially in the case of high-impact weather events
- Optimising sectoral benefits (e.g. agriculture, energy, transport, urban planning)
- Preparing for adaption and mitigation of global change impacts on the local scale
- Learning how best to reach out to, and communicate with, the general public, stakeholders, and the media
