WWRP Working Groups
Currently WWRP coordinates seven Working Groups/Expert Teams, which are led by relevant science communities and academic experts.
Find the Terms of Reference of all WWRP Working Groups/Expert Teams here.
Functions
Each WG will have a defined area of expertise (listed below) that is jointly defined by the WG and the SSC and approved by the SSC Chair. This area of expertise may evolve over time (subject to approval). Listed below are general functions all WGs have in common, although each WG will emphasize these functions to varying degrees as appropriate to achieve the goals of the WWRP Implementation Plan.
a) Advance the science of the subject the WG represents, including research performed by group members, coordination and communication of research from across the community, and conducting targeted research activities, all in support of the WWRP Implementation Plan and its Action Areas.
b) Facilitate communication and collaboration between the research community and operational centers, particularly NMHSs and RSMCs, in collaboration with the Services Commission and Regional Associations
c) Promote (research) data sharing across the broad community where possible, aligning with the WMO data sharing policies through the Infrastructure Commission and Regional Associations.
d) Advise WWRP and WMO on matters related to their subject area.
e) Provide presentations or position papers on best practices, state of the science, or other collections of community knowledge that may be provided to a variety of stakeholders, especially in policy, practice and decision making related to weather, climate and environment
f) Organize and lead international conferences, at regular intervals, on all or part of the subject areas within the purview of the group. These efforts will often involve collaborations with other WGs or Core Projects as well a training events.
g) Develop, guide and/or lead Research Demonstration Projects (RDPs) and Forecast Demonstration Projects (FDPs), in collaboration with other WWRP and WMO entities, to engage the community and advance key scientific areas.
h) Convene Working Group meetings, at a minimum of once per year (but encouraged to be more often, through online platforms) to evaluate progress on key topics, satisfy reporting requirements to WWRP and WMO, and strategize future plans, aligned with the WWRP Implementation Plan and all of its action areas.
i) Seek collaborations with other parts of WMO, including the other WMO research programmes and technical commissions, as well as other UN organizations (e.g. WHO) as needed to fulfill WWRP implementation plan goals.
j) To assist, when appropriate, in the resource mobilization necessary to undertake these activities. including seeking co-sponsorship for conferences, symposia and large workshops of the WWRP or submitting proposals to regional, national and international funding sources for projects and activities initiated by the WWRP WGs.
k) Actively collaborate and work with early-career scientists to help establish the next generation of international scientific leaders.
l) Organize or provide education and training to various constituencies regarding science and tools needed to improve impacts-based prediction.
Mission of the Expert Team on Weather Modification (ET WxMOD)
Promotes scientific practices in weather modification research through the WMO Expert Team on Weather Modification and through the organization of the quadrennial scientific conferences on weather modification. This Expert Team also provides necessary expertise into chemical, dynamical, and physical processes involving cloud and precipitation evolution impacting weather and climate to other WWRP-affiliated working groups.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mission of the Working Group on Nowcasting and Mesoscale Research (WGNMR)
WGNMR aims to advance the knowledge of nowcasting and mesoscale processes and predictability; to promote and aid the implementation of nowcasting systems within National Meteorological Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and among their end-users, including the use of numerical modelling and assimilation of high-resolution data.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mission of the Working Group on Data Assimilation and Observing strategies (WGDAOS)
WGDAOS aims to provide guidance to the WWRP to optimize the use of the current WMO Global Observing System (GOS) and to help designing its further development. The DAOS Working Group will facilitate the development of data assimilation and observing system methodologies from the convective scale to planetary scales and for forecasts with time ranges of hours to weeks.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mission of the Working Group on Predictability, Dynamics and Ensemble Forecasting (WGPDEF)
WGPDEF aims to advance dynamical meteorology and predictability research, and their application to ensemble forecasting, promoting the quantification of forecast uncertainty, and the development of ensemble applications and their transition into operations.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mision of the Working Group on Tropical Meteorology Research (WGTMR)
WGTMR aims to coordinate and advance the research of tropical cyclones, monsoon systems and intra-seasonal tropical variability to improve the prediction of high-impact weather in the tropics. WGTMR works with other components of WMO regarding tropical cyclones and monsoons, specifically WCRP. WGTMR has a particular remit to work with developing countries and SIDS, places that are often adversely affected by tropical weather hazards.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mission of the Joint Working Group on Forecasting Verification Research (JWGFVR) (SHARED WITH WGNE)
JWGFVR plans and facilitates the development and application of improved diagnostic verification methods to assess and enable improvement of the quality of weather forecasts, including forecasts from numerical weather and climate models. It also collaborates on forecast verification with the Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). JWGFVR will engage in the plans and implementation of the verification component of WWRP projects from the outset.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Mission of the Working Group on Societal and Economic Research Applications (WGSERA)
WGSERA aims to advance the science of the social and economic application of weather-related information and services and review and assist in the development and promotion of societal and
economic related demonstration projects. SERA has the responsibility for the entire range of time- scales and research issues associated with the WWRP. SERA brings the knowledge of how to frame design and implement research projects co-designed between physical and social science and a range of appropriate actors to achieve more useful information for decision makers and the public.
More information can be found on this internal WMO website.
Membership of the WWRP community through the Research Expert Network
As a non-constituent body, the Research Board has the mandate to convene the large international scientific community, that engages with WMO and who values the opportunity to enhance the societal impact of their research through the relationship with WMO (Cg-18, Resolution 8).
To facilitate this engagement opportunity, the Research Board established the Research Expert Network in the WMO Experts Database to have the Research experts clearly identified. The nomination process is similar to the process for the Expert Network for the Technical Commissions. The Research Expert Network, as the Expert Network, is a part of the WMO Experts Database.
Find more information about the Research Expert Network here!