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The three-day Climate Variability Workshop is a residence component
of the Climate Services Professional Development Series. The course
is designed for NWS WFO and RFC Climate Focal Points and has the
goal of raising their level of understanding of various climate
variability topics. The course will provide more extensive background
training in the following areas:
(1) The difference between climate and weather
(2) Statistical techniques used in climate studies, including analyses
of local climatology
(3) Dynamics, physical mechanisms, and impacts of climate variability
phenomena including El Nino / La Nina, Madden Julian Oscillation
(MJO), tropical forcing, and teleconnections
(4) The science behind and limitations of Climate Prediction Center
(CPC) climate prediction products
(5) The physical and feedback mechanisms involved in global climate
change
The objective of this residence training is to equip the NWS Climate
Focal Points with additional scientific knowledge needed to better
establish NWS local offices as local climate services resources.
This course is complimentary to the Operational Climate Services
course that targets developing operational skills. Prior to attending
the residence portion of the Climate Variability residence course,
attendees are expected to complete important prerequisites, including
attending the Operational Climate Services course.
Expected specific outcomes
Each trainee, upon completion of the residence training, should
be able to:
Understand and explain the difference between climate and weather
Define, understand, and explain meaning of local climatology
statistics, and interpret local climatology information to office
staff and customers
Understand principles of statistical techniques used in climate
studies and outlooks
Understand and explain primary physical mechanisms of the following
climate variability phenomena: oscillations (including El Nino /La
Nina, MJO, North Atlantic Oscillation) and teleconnection indices
Understand and explain the impacts on U.S. climate of such features
as drought, flood and monsoons
Understand and explain basics and the mechanisms of interaction
of climate system components such as ocean circulations (e.g. thermo-haline
and gyre circulations), land surface hydrology, and stratospheric
variability.
Understand and explain terminology routinely used in CPC discussions
Explain physical meaning of CPC products and discussions
Explain the importance of several climate variability phenomena
and processes in climate predictions
Identify observed global climate change signals (e.g. CO2, temperature
trends, Arctic sea ice extent, etc.), explain certain physical mechanisms
for global climate change, and articulate the uncertainties associated
with global climate change forecasts and outcomes (e.g. observation
errors and predicted future states of the atmosphere/ocean system)
Course Organizing Team:
NOAA team:
Ingrid Amberger
Ed Berry
Nicole Colasacco
Deirdre Kann
Jim Noel
Erik Pytlak
Michael Staudenmaier
Marina Timofeyeva
Kevin Werner
COMET team:
Wendy Abshire
Tim Alberta
Greg Byrd
Michelle Harrison
Ken Kim
Anne Fergusson
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