Reflections from AGU24 - The importance of communicating scientific uncertainty for cryospheric hazards
2024 was a record year for drastic changes in the cryosphere. Against this backdrop, the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 Fall Meeting took place in Washington DC from 9 to 13 December 2024, with many sessions focused on improving our monitoring of, as well as our response to, rapid changes in the cryosphere. There, Dina Abdel-Fattah, Manager of the PCAPS International Coordination Office, presented her work on the glacial lake outburst floods in Juneau, Alaska, in collaboration with partners from the University of Alaska Southeast and the National Weather Service in Juneau. Malte Müller, leader of the WWRP/PCAPS endorsed project on the Svalbard Marginal Ice Zone campaign, also presented on the project at AGU.
Reflections from Arctic Partnership Week 2024: The growing role of AI in sea ice prediction in a rapidly changing Arctic
As the Arctic undergoes rapid transformation with unprecedented sea ice retreat, it has become both a stark symbol of climate change and an urgent reminder of our need for accurate prediction systems. During the 2024 Arctic Partnership Week (10-12 December 2024, Busan), discussions were centred on sustainable solutions for the changing Arctic. PCAPS Steering Group member Clare Eayrs from the Korea Polar Research Institute participated in two key sessions during “Knowledge Day”: the “Arctic Youth Dialogue” and a KMI-Arctic Frontiers session on “Sustainable Arctic Seas: AI and Environmental Protection”.
PCAPS in 2025: Milestones for the year ahead
Happy New Year’s from the PCAPS team! Though 2025 has just started, we have many exciting plans already underway for this year. As we actively prepare for these milestones and many more, we are happy to see that 2025 is already slated to be another ambitious and inspiring year for the PCAPS community.
PCAPS Year in Review: 2024 highlights and achievements
As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect back on the tremendous amount of work, collaboration, and partnerships that developed this year. This year was PCAPS’ first year and it has been a productive one!
Season’s Greetings from PCAPS!
Happy holidays from PCAPS! We are deeply grateful for the global community’s dedication to advancing polar environmental forecasting through innovation and collaboration, and we look forward to continued progress in the years ahead. We wish everyone a joyful holiday season filled with happiness and well-deserved rest!
Meet the PCAPS SG: Reflections from PCAPS SG member Jelmer Jeuring about social science research for Polar services
We continue our monthly PCAPS highlight blog post series, where we feature each month one of the PCAPS SG members and the exciting work they are undertaking for PCAPS. PCAPS SG member Jelmer Jeuring is a social scientist based at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. He reflects on how PCAPS aims to benefit from, and strengthen, social science-based knowledge with the aim to enhance the actionability of Polar forecast information services.
Sodankylä supersite: A key role in the European and Arctic weather prediction modelling community
The Sodankylä supersite is an observation site which is integrated into research-based infrastructures, improving observations in the Arctic region. PCAPS' work focuses on enhancing and delivering forecasts in polar regions; the Sodankylä supersite enables PCAPS to provide more accurate predictions and effectively communicate reliable data about these areas.
From ships to shores: The new high-Arctic IWIN weather station network in Svalbard
Over the last three years, an innovative weather station network, the Isfjorden Weather Information Network (IWIN), has been established in Svalbard's Isfjorden region. Led by the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and supported by MET Norway, IWIN expands on the relatively sparse existing network of operational weather stations by installing compact, all-in-one weather stations on lighthouses and tourist cruise ships. IWIN has a strong potential to improve weather forecasting and enhance safety and research in the region. It also serves as an example for how the coverage of in-situ weather data can be enhanced elsewhere in the Arctic. Both of these aspects support PCAPS goal to improve weather observations and weather forecasting in the polar regions.
PCAPS reflections from COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan
PCAPS Steering Group member, Clare Eayrs, and PCAPS ICO manager, Dina Abdel-Fattah, attended COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Dina presented at two sessions - one on cryospheric hazards at the Cryosphere Pavilion and one on the use of AI in the WMO Early Warnings for All initiative. PCAPS presence at COP29 helped reinforce the need for closer collaboration between weather and climate research, and the use of novel technology to help support advances to improve global safety, wellbeing, and resilience.
Meet the PCAPS SG: PCAPS SG member Phil Browne reflects on PCAPS and improving data assimilation in the polar regions
This month’s monthly SG member highlight features PCAPS SG member, Phil Browne, a scientist in the research department at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Phil has a background in data assimilation, which is an important focus in PCAPS. Phil reflects on his own role in PCAPS and how his work in PCAPS helps pave the way forward for improved data assimilation and observing systems in the polar regions.
The next generation of polar researchers: PCAPS Communication Fellows share their ideas for what is ahead
Amanda Skogjordet and Linn Bolin Haakenstad are the two PCAPS Communication Fellows, who are based at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway) in Oslo. They share some of their experiences from studying and working on topics related to environmental forecasting and how they see PCAPS supporting other students and early career researchers in the years to come.
Inuit user needs documented across Nunavut, Canada: Reports release key messages for polar environmental service providers
Canadian reports were recently released in September 2024, providing valuable insights into Inuit uses and local needs for weather, water, ice, and climate information and services. This is the first academic-community partnership to undertake a comprehensive survey of user needs across the territory of Nunavut. Results are critical to inform infrastructure, personnel, and forecasting investments tailored to Inuit priorities in the Canadian Arctic. This ties into PCAPS’ efforts to promote research that helps to enable improved prediction services in the polar regions, to better support human and environmental well-being.
Reflections after the 8th Year of Polar Prediction - Southern Hemisphere (YOPP-SH) Meeting and the path forward for increased Southern Hemisphere collaboration
The 8th Year of Polar Prediction – Southern Hemisphere (YOPP-SH) Meeting took place at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center of The Ohio State University on 13-14 June 2024 in Columbus, Ohio, USA in conjunction with the 19th Workshop on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate. Notably, a discussion on PCAPS and its intended outcomes was held in the “Evolution of YOPP-SH into PCAPS and Participation Opportunities” session. David Bromwich, a PCAPS SG member, led this session, and shares his reflections on how PCAPS follows up on the work undertaken during the Polar Prediction Project – Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) and its Southern Hemisphere component (YOPP-SH), that is scheduled for completion at the end of 2024.
Importance of high-resolution regional atmospheric modelling for the polar regions: Insights from the Polar CORDEX project
Users in polar regions are increasingly asking for more granulated, higher-resolution weather forecasts and climate predictions at grid-spacings of 1-10 km, which presents a major challenge for the current and next generation of atmospheric models. The World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) aims to address this challenge through the Polar Coupled Analysis Prediction for Services (PCAPS) project. Dr Andrew Orr - who is a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, a member of the PCAPS steering group, the coordinator of the Polar Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (Polar CORDEX) project, and the investigator for the Polar Regions in the Earth System (PolarRES) project - reflects on how high-resolution regional atmospheric modelling is being used to address these challenges and help improve our understanding and decisions related to the polar regions.
Meet the PCAPS SG: Reflections from PCAPS SG member Clare Eayrs about PCAPS’ Antarctic research initiatives
This month we kick-off our monthly PCAPS highlight blog post series, where we feature each month one of the PCAPS SG members and the exciting work they are undertaking for PCAPS. Clare Eayrs, a PCAP SG member based at the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), shares insights on her international polar research background and highlights important milestones and initiatives for future Antarctic research.
PCAPS at the Workshop on Diagnostics For Global Weather Prediction, ECMWF, 9 - 12 September 2024
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) organised a workshop on diagnostics for global weather prediction in Reading, UK from 9 to 12 September 2024. Several PCAPS-related presentations and posters took place during the workshop.
Arctic Weather Satellite is launched: An ESA/EUMETSAT project to improve monitoring and forecasting over the Arctic
On August 16, 2024, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) was successfully launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This mission aims to show how a potential polar-orbiting constellation of small satellites, observing clouds, humidity and temperature, can improve the quality of short-term forecasts and climate simulations over the Arctic.
CCCI PhD summer school: reflections from PhD participant on interdisciplinary research
The NordForsk-funded Scenario Analyses Regarding Climate Change Hazards and Critical Infrastructures in the Arctic (CCCI) PhD summer school was recently held at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (12 - 16 August 2024). The summer school gathered PhD students and professors from across the Nordic region with a multidisciplinary background covering law, social -and natural science to develop scenario analyses regarding climate-change related hazards and their impact on critical infrastructure. Are Frode Kvanum, one of the PhD summer school participants, reflects on how the PhD summer school helped broaden his understanding of interdisciplinary research in a climate change context.
One week in Munich: inspirations for the polar regions from the SERA-WG meeting & HIWeather final conference
The bi-annual physical meeting of the Societal and Economic Research Applications working group (SERA-WG) of the WMO World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) was held in conjunction with the final conference of the High Impact Weather project in Munich, Germany. PCAPS steering committee members Jelmer Jeuring (MET Norway) and Machiel Lamers (Wageningen University & Research) are part of SERA-WG and participated in these events.
New policy brief on key challenges in providing forecast uncertainty information to Arctic maritime operators
Addressing the rising maritime risks in the Arctic, the FOCUS project - gathering a consortium of natural and social sciences, public weather services, and an e-navigation company - shares its key findings concerning the communication of forecast uncertainties. The FOCUS project was led by Dr. Malte Müller of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway), and included Dr. Jelmer Jeuring (MET Norway) and Dr. Machiel Lamers (Wageningen University & Research) - two members of the PCAPS steering committee.