First WCRP ESMO meeting at DKRZ: bridging climate modelling and observations communities

25.03.2024

The ESMO Core project of the WCRP was launched a year ago and its International Project Office (ESMO IPO) is hosted at the DKRZ. Last week's meeting focused on presenting and strengthening the current ESMO activities, seeking synergies with relevant projects within and outside WCRP, and developing new activities, based on the community needs and feedback. According to ESMO co-chairs Prof. Susann Tegtmeier and Prof. Baylor Fox-Kemper, “the fruitful discussions from the plenary sessions have been essential to help shape further the structure of the new ESMO core project, which has a decisive role in bridging the modelling and observational communities”.

Early in the week, the Panel of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) met to make crucial proposals on the design of the forthcoming CMIP7 exercise, that will feed into the next assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Following the ESMO plenary sessions, the Working Group on Climate Modelling (WGCM), which reviews and fosters development of climate and Earth System models and their intercomparison, held their annual meeting and endorsed the CMIP proposals. Besides, the newly-formed ESMO scientific steering group (ESMO SSG) met in person for the first time, identifying key new ways that observations and models can be brought to bear together on research in climate change.

Prof. Detlef Stammer, Chair of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee, is very positive: “This was the first time the new ESMO core project came together. ESMO will play a very important role in shaping the future of climate modelling and observations. This first meeting was very important for sharpening the science plans with respect to both aspects. I am very pleased with the outcome of the discussions and look forward to hearing about progress.”