- 27 participants from 18 countries to enhance their skill in statistical and dynamical downscaling -

In line with one of the APEC Climate Center’s key missions to help build the capacity of developing countries to produce and use reliable climate information, APCC launched the 2013 Training Program this week at its headquarters in Busan, Republic of Korea. The theme of this year’s training program is “Producing High Resolution Climate Information: Scientific Basis and Application” and will enhance participants’ understanding of both dynamical and statistical downscaling of climate forecasts. The program will be held from 19-23 November, 2013.

Since its first training program, which launched in 2011, APCC has been involved with enhancing the skills of more than 100 professionals from over 25 countries. Each year, interest in the training programs grows, especially due to satisfied participants returning to their home countries and recommending APCC training programs to their colleagues. In 2013, APCC received over 200 applications from talented scientists looking to take part in the program. Twenty-seven participants from 18 countries (Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, China, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Russia, Vietnam, Egypt, Peru, Cameroon, Niger, Bangladesh, Iran, Ethiopia, Tanzania, India, and Korea ) were selected for the class of 2013 based on their outstanding abilities and potential to contribute to their home countries. The participants are mainly young scientists from research institutes working on climate science or climate-related fields and professionals from national/regional meteorological agencies who work in climate prediction and monitoring.

The training program will be composed of lectures that introduce dynamical and statistical downscaling; examine the application of statistical downscaling for sectors such as drought, hydrology, and agriculture; explore the application of dynamical downscaling at short-term, seasonal, and climate change time-scales, and present methods for improvement of dynamical downscaling through bias correction, nudging, and physics. Furthermore, a hands-on session on using the Global/Regional Integrated Modeling system (GRIMs) will also be conducted.

In his remarks during the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Training Program, Mr. Hyoung-Keun Yang, the Head of the External Affairs Department of APCC, remarked “We hope that the information that you receive at APCC over the next week will contribute to your enhanced understanding of downscaling and its practical applications. Your active participation will surely lead to valuable learning and the attainment of new skills. We look forward to a vibrant and productive dialogue and fruitful outcomes from the hands-on session.”

This type of program is incredibly important for the participants from developing countries, considering that, in comparison to more advanced economies, they are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate and often have lower capabilities to predict future climate conditions within their national and provincial borders. The APEC Climate Center is committed to building capacity for climate prediction in the Asia-Pacific region and will continue with similar international outreach and training programs in the near future.