Status of Capacities for Climate Services Provision in the
Caribbean
ADRIAN TROTMAN CHIEF, A PPLIED M ETEOR OLOGY A N D CLIM A TOLOGY
ADRIAN TROTMAN POST-DOC R ESEA R CHER , BR CCC
CA R IBBEAN INSTITUTE F OR METEOR OLOGY A ND HYDR OLOGY
National Consultation on a Framework for Climate Services 16-17 May, 2016
Georgetown, Guyana
The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology:
MANDATE
“… to assist in improving and developing the Meteorological and Hydrological Services as well as providing the awareness of the benefits of Meteorology and Hydrology for the economic well-being of the CIMH member states. This is achieved through training, research, investigations and the provision of related specialized services and advice”.
• WMO Regional Training Centre – meteorology, hydrology and associated sciences
• Operate as a centre of research in meteorology, hydrology and associated sciences
• Regional Climate Data Centre - Data collection, storage, & dissemination
• Regional Instrument Centre – Develop, maintain, repair, and calibrate meteorological & hydrological instruments
• Regional Centre of Excellence for Satellite Meteorology
• Caribbean Centre for Climate and Environmental Simulations
• Advisor to regional governments on matters related to meteorology, climate & hydrology
• Provide specialized services to industry • WMO Regional Climate Centre (Demonstration
Phase) – a natural extension in function
Functions of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology
An arm of the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO) and an organisation of the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Sixteen Member States
Toward a Caribbean Designated Regional Climate Centre
Centres of excellence that create regional products including long-range forecasts that support regional and national climate activities (particularly those of National Climate Centres) and thereby strengthen capacity of WMO Members in a given region to deliver better climate services to national users
CIMH entered the Demonstration Phase of being and RCC in April 2013 To provide relevant, wide ranging climate information and services for
the Caribbean region Supporting Climate Services at the national level – National Climate
Centres
RCC Mandatory Functions
• Interpret and assess LRF products from GPCs, including the exchange of basic forecasts and hindcast data
• Generate regional tailored products, including consensus-based seasonal climate outlooks
• Provide online access to RCC products • Perform regional climate diagnostics • Develop regional climate datasets and archiving • Establish a regional historical reference climatology • Implement a regional Climate Watch • Coordinate training for RCC users • Provide information on RCC products and guidance on
their use
Support the GFCS at the Regional Level
A Caribbean Framework for Climate Services
CSIS - Online access to RCC products and services
rcc.cimh.edu.bb
Future Heat Waves
Flood Potential Outlooks
Long-Range Forecasts – Consensus-based Through the CariCOF- forum of meteorologists/climatologists
At end of wet season
Max Temp SON; DJF 2015
Min Temp SON; DJF 2015
Forums with the farming community and agricultural extension agencies to promote a better understanding of the applications of
weather and climate information
Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum
Means for communication, awareness, education, and feedback. Suggested
wet/hurricane and dry season
Stakeholder meetings bring meteorologists/climatologists and the user-
community together to discuss climate forecasts and other information; and provide feedback.
Builds trust and understanding
User Interface Mechanisms: Users, climate service providers and climate researchers interact
Future – User Online Helpdesk; Interactive Web portal; starting with CariSAM
Observation and Monitoring Observations to meet the needs of climate services
• Provision of observation equipment, retrofitting • Enhancing database and monitoring through
remote sensing (satellite, radar) and GIS technology and techniques
• Database (CDB funded project) release and launch of “light” synchronising version for Met Services – CIMH providing service support
• Climate Impacts Database – link with DEWETRA
Research, Modelling and Prediction Implementation
to assess and promote the needs of climate services within research agendas
Climate drivers, trends, predictions, projections – CSGM UWI, INSMET, CIMH…
Physical and socio-economic impacts and vulnerability– impact and vulnerability assessments (e.g. ECLAC, World Bank …) ; water, agriculture and food security, health disaster
Developing Climate Impacts Database to drive research – Climate to relate to impacts (thresholds, warnings, suitability of conditions etc …)
Capacity and Awareness Building – all-encompassing pillar
Long-range (Seasonal and Sub-Seasonal) Forecast Training
Climate Monitoring Training – including Drought Monitoring
Planning for Climate Resilience – including Drought Planning
Statistics, GIS and Remote Sensing Building awareness and capacity to interpret and apply
information of sectoral practitioners and communities …Agriculture – for farmers (regional and national
forums), for Extension Officers (special certificate course),
…DRR – Regional and sub-regional for DRM Managers and their Stakeholders – supporting the development of a regional Climate Impacts database
Health and Water –on regional scale mainly through CariCOF – greater focus in 2015.
Academia – in collaboration with UWI Building infrastructure capacity – instrumentation
networks
Early Warning Information Systems Across Climate Timescales
EWISACTS
…and then there is…
Removing the barriers between climate services providers (e.g. the Hydromet Service) and the users of climate information (climate sensitive sectors)
Important to know what exists and where the gaps are to develop and enhance Climate Servicess
better use of existing met./clim.
services & information
platforms
synergise sectoral activities, structures and initiatives with
climate services agenda
Consult and partner to identify,
co-produce, co-implement and
evaluate services
Principles Methodological approach
Integrate products / prototypes
within Decision Support Systems Strengthen
capacity to provide, absorb and utilize
climate information
Develop/ improve
existing sector specific impact
prediction
Co-develop, test, validate
sectoral EWISACTs products / prototypes
Establish coordination/
ownership mechanisms
Baseline sectoral
needs and provider capacity
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
The Consortium of Regional Sectoral EWISACTs Coordination Partners
CONSORTIUM
Agriculture Water Energy DRM Tourism Health Weather,
Water and Climate
CARDI CWWA
CDEMA CIMH CARPHA
CTO/CHTA
CARILEC
Provider Baseline Survey
22 countries surveyed
Hierarchy of National Climate Services
Source: WMO (2012)
Providers: NMHS Technical Capacity
5%
29%
14% 14%
38%
< 5 technical staff
6-10 technical staff
11-15 technical staff
16-20 technicalstaff>20 technical staff
HMSG
28%
17% 50%
5%
Providers: Length of Time Delivering Tailored Climate
Services
1 to 3 years4 to 5 years6 to 10 years>10 yearsOther
HMSG
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Category 1: Abasic range ofclimate dataservices andinformation
products
Category 1 +Category 2
Category 2:Essential
climate dataservices andinformation
products
Category 3: Acomprehensiverange of climate
data servicesand information
products
Category 4:Provision of
advancedclimate service
% o
f tot
al re
spon
dent
s
Providers: NMHS Capacity to provide climate services
HMSG
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
CaribbeanStandardisedPrecipitation
Index (SPI)Outlook
CaribbeanDroughtBulletin
CariCOFClimateOutlook
Newsletter
CariCOFPrecipitation
Outlook
CariCOFTemperature
Outlook
CariCOFDroughtOutlook
RegionalAgroclimatic
Bulletin
% o
f tot
al re
spon
dent
s
YesNo
HMSG
HMSG
HMSG
HMSG
HMSG
HMSG
HMSG
Users: Usability of Climate Products and Tools
0102030405060708090
100
% o
f tot
al re
spon
dent
s
Not usable at all Not usable Neither usable nor not usable Usable Very usable Don’t know Not applicable
Users: Barriers to climate information use
0102030405060708090
100
We do not knowwhat climateinformation is
available
The informationavailable does not
suit our needs
The informationavailable is not
user friendly
We do not have in-house expertise to
use thisinformation
The level of detailprovided is notappropriate to
supportorganizational
decisions
Other
% o
f tot
al re
spon
dent
s
Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree/disagree Agree Strongly agree Don’t know
How can the framework be adapted to the National (Guyana) Level?
A National Framework for Climate Services?
Thank you