WMO Fourth international workshop on monsoons (IWMIV)
The IWM series is a part of the WMO major quadrennial symposia and workshops series under the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP). As a WWRP activity, the IWMIV will follow the guidance of Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) XIV (February 2006, Cape Town, South Africa) to emphasize research for the reduction of disaster risks through improved forecasts of high impact weather. The workshop will be held jointly with the Second PanWCRP Monsoon Workshop (PWM2).
IWMIV activities will also include the Workshop on Operational Monsoon Research and Forecast Issues sponsored by the WMO Education and Training Department. IWMIV is organized by the Monsoon Panel of the CAS Working Group for Tropical Meteorology Research (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/wwrp/tmr/monsoonpanel.html). PWM2 is organized by the International Monsoon Studies Scoping Group under the Joint Scientific Committee of World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).
The cosponsors include China Meteorological Administration (CMA), CMA/Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and East Asian Monsoon Activity Center, the WCRP/CLIVAR AsianAustralian Monsoon Panel, Chinese Academy of Sciences/Institute of Atmospheric Physics, and other agencies of the host country. These workshops provide a forum for researchers and forecasters to discuss recent advances and current issues covering all time scales (mesoscale, synoptic, intraseasonal, climate) that are relevant to the forecast of high impact weather such as torrential rainfall and tropical cyclones in the world’s monsoon regions, and as a means to transfer new science and technology to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in these regions.
The workshop will include both invited and contributed papers for oral and poster presentations, and discussion sessions on international collaboration on research and forecast of high impact weather in the monsoon regions. The International Committee organized by WMO will prepare review materials for various topics, which will be presented as invited papers at the Workshop. At the conclusion, a report including the reviews, discussions and recommendations will be used to update WMO Tech. Document 1266: The Global Monsoon System: Research and Forecast, which was prepared following IWMIII in 2004 (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/tmrp/documents/global_monsoon_system_IWM3.pdf).
At the kind invitation of the Government of China, IWMIV will take place in Beijing after the 2008 Olympics Games in August and 2008 Paralympics Games in September, which offers an excellent opportunity to visit this historical yet rapidly changing global city during its best season and after most of the crowds are gone. Several related events and activities are being planned, including the Commemoration of the 80 th Anniversary of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Panel and Committee Meetings of various WWRP and WCRP monsoon activities.