WMO Projects Newsletter 04

Strengthening climate services in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States

In January 2020, WMO launched implementation of its activities under the five-year-long Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Programme. Funded by the European Union, the programme aims to improve the production, access to and use of climate information, services and applications for decision-makers in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).

In support of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), the programme

spans the entire climate services value chain to develop and deliver services in five priority sectors: agriculture and food security, disaster risk reduction, energy, health and water.

WMO will provide technical assistance at the regional and national levels to support implementation of the climate services value chain, while strengthening the provision and use of climate information within ACP countries. This will improve the quantity and quality of climate services offered by Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs).

The programme relies on extensive collaboration among ACP regional partners, and between technical partners such as WMO, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the EU Joint Research Centre. Extensive interdisciplinary collaboration will also be required across WMO departments.

Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, Intra-ACP has made significant progress in its first year. Work has started in the five Intra-ACP output areas:

Supporting stakeholder-driven identification of region-specific priority needs and products via national and regional consultations, National Frameworks for Climate Services and Regional Frameworks for Climate Services.
Providing expert advice on country-level delivery of services, validation of the results of the use of the products generated, and associated socio-economic benefits
Promoting strengthened operational exchanges of data and products between NMHSs at country level and WMO Regional Climate Centres
Equipping Regional Climate Centres with tools and capacities to produce and deliver tailored climate services
Promoting exchange of knowledge and best practices across the regions, and support with content development for the Intra-ACP Climate Services Annual Fora

Funded by the

European Union

Training programme on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in agriculture

The Training Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Agriculture (PACC/RRC) is a three-year project funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, set to be completed by December 2020.

The project delivered four courses to operational climate services staff members from the 17 member states of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The courses increased the participants’ skills in developing climate datasets and products, in assessing climate change impacts on agriculture, in devising strategies for helping irrigated and rain-fed farmers, and in the communication of climate projects and services. It also included a networking event for permanent representatives of the member states.

In early 2020, the Institute of BioEconomy (IBE) developed the TOPaCS eLearning platform, which hosts resources from many of the PACC-RRC courses. The platform allows new users to receive certification for self-directed learning and has greatly expands the reach of the project.

Additionally, a final course specifically on Climate and Risk Communication was created for NMHSs to address the development of a communications strategy and plan, to understand effective ways to use traditional and social media to communicate climate forecasts and other climate services, and to learn how to better visualize climate data and information.

Thus far 85 participants are registered for the ToPaCS courses through the IBE Climate Services website.

Weather radar and nowcasting training for early warnings around Lake Victoria

In a continued effort to provide more accurate weather predictions in the Lake Victoria region, a radar and nowcasting workshop was held on 14-25 September through the HIGHWAY project. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the workshop was conducted primarily online, with an in-person component for 10 participants in Entebbe.

The objective was to enhance the skills of forecasters from the Kenya Meteorological Department, Meteo Rwanda, Tanzania Meteorological Authority, and Uganda National Meteorological Authority in interpreting radar image The workshop also attracted radar engineers, forecast office managers and data communication officers. In all, eighty online participants followed the live lectures and pre-recorded educational materials.

The learning assessment at the end of the workshop showed that there was a significant improvement in identifying severe weather signatures from radar images over the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) and in producing more accurate forecasts and early warnings.

Participants expressed appreciation of the design and execution of the course. The online format provided an opportunity for engagement with colleagues of different NMHSs, sharing common practices and understanding, contributing to HIGHWAY’s goal to provide better weather predictions in the Lake Victoria region.

The training materials were produced by National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientists using data collected by radars in Mwanza, Tanzania, and Entebbe, Uganda, during a recent Field Campaign.

Partner Profile

Stella Aura, Director of Meteorological Services, Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Kenya

Stella Aura is the director of meteorological services at the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and the permanent representative of Kenya to WMO. Ms Aura has a Master of Science from McGill University in Canada, and over 35 years experience in various roles at KMD including forecasting, international relations, and education and training.

Ms Aura is dedicated to developing a strong KMD workforce that is cohesive, selfless, civic-minded and strategic. She hopes to engender team spirit, inclusivity and sensitivity and to foster healthy working relationships, in observance of good governance, transparency, accountability and integrity for sustainable socio-economic development.

“The science of weather and climate has been, and is still largely, a male dominated arena...Being the first female director of meteorological services in Kenya signifies that any woman, indeed any person, who is good in the field of science related subjects can achieve her goal if she remains focused and committed to hard work and diligence while ignoring the naysayers,” said Ms Aura.

Ms Aura believes that it is important to be a role model for young female scientists, she has encouraged and mentored many to surpass their expectations and to become the best in their respective scientific fields.

Active participation in WMO projects, such as HIGHWAY and ACREI, had opened an avenue for KMD to create awareness of its activities within the communities where the projects are being implemented. This has led to greater uptake and understanding of the significant role of the NMHS in the socio-economic development of the country.

Partnerships for climate resilience in the Horn of Africa

WMO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) hosted a side event on Partnership for Climate Resilience in the Horn of Africa at the Cultivate Africa Dialogue, organized from 17-18 November by the Africa Union Commission. The event focused on how to bridge the gap between climate science and adaptation practice among small-holder farmers and was based on the work being done under the Agricultural Climate Resilience Enhancement Initiative (ACREI) project.

Through the ACREI project, funded by the Adaptation Fund, partners work together to co-produce climate information products and services that are tailored to the local agricultural and land use context as well as advisory and extension service providers. This results in climate informed local adaptation action that contributes to climate resilience among local communities.

The side event attracted over 80 participants and recordings were made available to over 1 400 participants who registered for the Conference. WMO underlined the importance of climate information for resilience, while FAO and ICPAC touched on the specific activities being conducted to link climate information to actual adaptation actions among small-holder farmers in the Horn of Africa.

HydroHub innovation call winners

The WMO HydroHub held a second Innovation Call over the summer and recently awarded grants to three companies to implement projects over the next six months:

Elligence Soluções em Tecnologia, a technology start-up company based in Brazil, will implement a project in Belize, targeting automatic quality control of rainfall and water level measurements based on artificial intelligence.
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee will implement a project in the Himalayan region targeting the use of lidar based non-contact hydrometry for mountainous terrain.
Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) will implement a project in Tanzania targeting open-source non-contact river flow observations with cameras.

The second Call builds on experiences and lessons learned from the first. Updates on the implementation of these projects will be available on the WMO HydroHub Website.

Innovation Calls are a key activity of the WMO HydroHub to build sustainable capacity within National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to use innovative approaches and technologies in their operations. The first and second Innovation Calls were made possible with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Strengthening the capacity of national meteorological and hydrological services in the Caribbean

This year, Barbados and Saint Lucia are benefitting from the WMO Fellowship Programme. One member of staff from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of each country is participating in a one-year Master program through WMO Fellowship grants. Both Fellowship grants are supported by the CREWS Caribbean project where WMO, as one of the three CREWS Implementing Partners, takes the lead on strengthening hydrometeorological and early warning services in the region.

While COVID-19 has prevented the fellows from travelling to the countries where they will be studying, they have already begun their work through distant learning.

Wayne McGeary, Meteorologist, Barbados Meteorological Service

Wayne McGeary grew up in the Caribbean, a region prone to hydrometeorological disasters such as tropical storms, hurricanes, floods and drought which sparked his interest in meteorology. He wanted to be able to forecast the weather to help save lives and protect property, so he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. He has been at the Barbados Meteorological Service for the last 17 years. His drive to pursue further studies came from a need to understand climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Through the WMO Fellowship Programme, Mr McGeary will be completing a Master of Science in Applied Meteorology and Climate with Management at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

“I consider it an honour and privilege to be chosen as a WMO Fellow. It is my intention to repay the opportunity afforded by excelling in my studies and conducting myself in a respectable manner. On completion of my studies, I intend not only to provide the relevant expertise to my country and region, but also to lend my talents by giving back through education. It is through this medium that a continuum can be ensured and major advances can be made within the field, with the overall goal of bettering the world we live in.”

Avlon Charlery, Forecaster, St Lucia Meteorological Service

Avlon Charlery has been at the St Lucia Meteorological Service for the past 15 years and is currently working as a forecaster. She also volunteers with the National Emergency Management Organization at the community and national level. Ms

Charlery believes that her volunteer work in disaster management has made her a better forecaster as she gets to see how her job directly impacts her community.

Ms Charlery has a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies and was granted a previous WMO Fellowship to complete her Diploma in Meteorology. The St Lucia Meteorological Service is a small department that focuses mainly on aviation and public forecasts. Ms Charlery hopes that the WMO Fellowship will help her to enhance and improve the services offered by her NMHS, specifically as they relate to climate change. She will be completing a Master of Science in Natural Resource and Environment Management, specializing in climate change, at the University of the West Indies, Barbados.

“It is a great honour to be the recipient of this fellowship. I am grateful to WMO and the CREWS Caribbean project for the opportunity. I will aim to be the seed of growth and progress in my department.”

Since its inception nearly 60 years ago, the WMO Fellowship Programme has assisted countless NMHSs by providing them with weather, climate and water experts who have gone on to play key roles within those NMHSs. The Fellowship Programme enables participants to acquire knowledge and professional competence to increase their ability to contribute to enhancing the capabilities of NMHSs. Currently, WMO is sponsoring over 60 fellows across all six Regional Associations.

Tonga adopts new Water Resources Bill

The CREWS Pacific SIDs project has provided support to Tonga's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Hydrology and Water Resources Division in the review of its Water Resources Bill 2020, which has now been endorsed by the Tonga Parliament. The Act received  King Tupou VI’s Royal Assent on 21 October and was published in Tonga on 16 November. The Act makes comprehensive provisions in relation to the ownership, management and regulation of water resources of the Kingdom.

 The Water Resource Act 2020 will now guide the work of the Ministry as it relates to water resource management, regulation and ownership. This will improve the service of the Ministry to the people of the Kingdom of Tonga.