For GAW SSC meeting, 18 February Alexander Baklanov, ARE WMO

Urban activities CAS-16 Priority “Urbanization: research and services for megacities and large urban complexes” Population growth and urbanization are amongst the main drivers for the demand for increased and more accurate environmental assessments and predictions GURME has a great long-term experience Climate Service department has a long-term experience in urban climate and meteorology WWRP is focusing on many issues relevant for urban areas: HIW project, Meso&Nowcasting WG, disaster risk reduction, … WWRP White Papers on ‘Urbanization’ + ‘Seamless MetChem’ – good scient background for SIP TOMACS groups - future collaborations perhaps associated with Tokyo 2020 Olympic project. Growing interest of WHO, CCAC Urban Health Initiative (UHI), Role of GAW observations? Local stations of GAW? Main challenge – how to link GAW observations for urban Demonstration and pilot projects on examples of selected urban areas Link of different departments and activities within WMO and UN

Scientific issues Requirements for observations (local stations?: urban-rural couple?) Near-real-time data access and analyses Assimilation of data in urban areas Urban Test Beds that integrate in situ and remote sensing observations with modeling efforts High-resolution modelling: ‘grey zone’, needed resolution? Coupling of air quality, meteorological, surface, hydrological processes Seamless approach: scale interaction From science to integrated urban services

Applications: Urban AQ and weather forecast Urban climate, environment and comfort Urban adaptation to global change, urban planning Health effects of air pollution and HIW Risk reduction and forecasting of HIW Demonstration of good practice Risks in the urban environment: flooding; poor air quality; sea-level rise; extreme heat/cold and human thermal stress; energy and water sustainability; public health problems caused by the previous.

New Phase of GURME A major player in the development of urban services and programme Need focus on large urban areas both for meteorological and air quality research → applications → services Activities should be aimed at: (i)development of strategies for megacities to deal with weather, climate and environmental problems and improvement of related services; (ii) enhancement of environmental monitoring and modelling capabilities; (iii) establishment of case studies for understanding air pollution, health and climate connections in different types of megacities; (iv) downstream services: from global and regional to urban prediction (Copernicus=>cities).

Suggestion on WWRP SSC: New WG/Task on Chemical Weather Prediction / Coupled Chemistry-Meteorology Modelling Application Areas: Chemical weather / air quality forecasting and reanalyzes NWP for precipitation, visibility, thunderstorms, etc. Sand and Dust Storm Modelling and Warning Systems Wild fire atmospheric pollution and effects Volcano ash forecasting, warning and effects High Impact Weather and Disaster Risk Data assimilation for air quality and NWP Weather modification and geo-engineering Effects of Short-Lived Climate Forcers Earth System Modelling and Projections

WWRP SSC: The following issues were suggested for GAW collaboration with WWRP: Must be enhanced in GURME («Urban meteorology» projects) -> potentially should be involved in high impact weather activities. SDS-WAS provides regional forecasting of one of the GAW variables, but it is detached from GAW. There is no communication between SDS steering groups and GAW Scientific Advisory Group on Aerosols. Several potential joint initiatives are suggested, including: Sand and dust storms are but the one of the problems related to aerosol transport, others include aerosol transport from biomass burning or volcanic plumes propagation. Those transport related alterations of atmospheric composition should be considered systematically as similar scientific issues. GAW is supporting the Interdisciplinary Biomass Burning Initiative, but the formal involvement of the GAW or WWRP communities in this initiative is rather limited. Links should be established with WMO activities (S2S project) WWRP and GAW can work together on the development of assimilation schemes of the GAW observations in NWP models (e.g. through WGNE) During discussions the following action items were recorded: The SSC suggested to involve WGNE to develop research activities for meteorology- chemistry modeling and forecast.