Start Time:

11 April 2005 at 08:30

Ends On:

22 April 2005

Location:

Trieste - Italy

Venue:

AGH (KLH)

Organizer(s):

F. Mesinger, S.C. Chou, F. Giorgi

Description:

Regional atmospheric models are a standard tool for enhancing the global model used for the weather prediction on a regional or local scale. These, nowadays, are more accessible and useful to a wide variety of users with relatively modest computer resources. Yet, how much and what type of improvements over the driver global models can be obtained and for how long, remain open questions. As a follow-up to a successful ICTP 2002 activity, the purpose of the 2005 Colloquium is, i) to facilitate adoption and use of a current state-of-the-art limited area model, ii) to assess the progress made since 2002, iii) to address issues of ongoing research aimed at advancing and understanding the predictive abilities of limited area models. This is to be achieved through the following combination of activities:

» a seven-day Workshop [April 11-19] on "Design and Use of Regional Weather Prediction Models". This workshop will include tutorial lectures on the design of regional weather prediction models, with emphasis on several features of ongoing research, such as the representation of topography, modeling of convection, and modeling land-surface/boundary layer processes. The workshop will include lab sessions in which students will be taught to install and run a recently refined version of the Eta Model. Students will also be encouraged to perform experiments relevant to a specific region or model feature.

» a three-day Conference [April 20-22] on "Current Efforts Toward Advancing the Skill of Regional Weather Prediction. Challenges and Outlook". The conference will include invited and contributed papers highlighting some of the following topics:
- Operational and data considerations: limited area systems, current directions;
- Basic numerical design: grid point Eulerian/semi-Lagrangian, conservation/finite-volume issues, nested spectral, stretched grids and variable resolution approaches, other;
- Open questions concerning the numerical design: nonhydrostatic, how and when; vertical co-ordinate/topography, lateral boundary conditions;
- Resolution vs. domain size, convergence issues; benefits from "local" vs. regional models;
- Physical parameterizations, convection and explicit cloud physics schemes; boundary layer/ subgrid-scale transport;
- Regional weather predictability: value added by a limited area model, downscaling, "Upscaling"?, limited area ensembles.
- Storm-scale prediction - a reality at hand?

Material:

• Programme (PDF )
• abstract
• announcement
• application_form (deadline for requesting participation: January 28, 2005)
• bulletin
• web_page