EL NIÑO WEATHER PATTERN LIKELY TO CONTINUE INTO 2010, SAYS UN AGENCY

The United Nations agency dealing with weather, climate and water says an El Niño event has begun in the tropical Pacific and is likely to continue into early 2010.

El Niño and La Niña bring significant temperature fluctuations in surface waters of the tropical belt of the Pacific Ocean: an El Niño event sees a rise in temperatures and La Niña witnesses a drop in normal temperatures.

These temperature changes are strongly linked to major climate fluctuations around the world, especially in Latin America, Australia and East Asia, which can last for a whole year or more. Both El Niño and La Niña can disrupt the normal weather patterns and have widespread impacts on climate in many parts of the world.

The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today that sea-surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific had risen to between 0.5 and 1 degree Celsius warmer than normal by the end of June, with similar temperatures in July.

"Scientific assessments of these observations indicate that this warming resembles the early stages of an El Niño event," the Geneva-based agency stated in a news release.

"Although some of the atmospheric changes associated with this warming have been initially slow to develop into classical El Niño climate patterns, the warming is now well-established enough for scientists to conclude that it is consistent with a basin-wide El Niño event."

In its most recent update on the subject, WMO stated that the expectation is for El Niño conditions to very likely prevail through the remainder of 2009 and into the first quarter of 2010.

"This expectation is based on model forecasts, and the typical life-cycle of El Niño events, which once established in the early-middle part of a year, usually persist through into the first quarter of the following year."

The agency added that El Niño typically occurs once every four to five years, so the current assessments translate to a "substantially" elevated risk of an El Niño developing later this year.

At the same time, it noted that, in considering risk management strategies, it is important to keep in mind that many unusual climate patterns and significant climate extremes occur independently of El Niño.
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AFRICA WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK LAUNCHED BY UN, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

About 5,000 new automatic weather stations are set to be deployed across Africa, under a climate change initiative announced today by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Global Humanitarian Forum, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and mobile telecommunications companies Ericsson and Zain.

The innovative public-private partnership launched the "Weather Info for All" initiative to improve Africa's weather monitoring network in the face of the growing impact of climate change.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region facing the most immediate risk of droughts and floods due to climate change, according to a recent Global Humanitarian Forum report. Agricultural yields in some areas are expected to fall by 50 per cent as early as 2020.

The 5,000 automatic weather stations will be installed at new and existing mobile network sites throughout Africa over the coming years, aiming to increase dissemination of weather information via mobile phones that can reach the continent's most remote communities.

At the launch in Geneva, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, said "This is a great example for twenty-first century collaborative humanitarian and development work between public and private sectors."

Through its Mobile Innovation Center in Africa, Ericsson will develop mobile applications to help communicate weather information developed by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) via mobile phones.

"The massive growth of mobile subscribers in Africa is the perfect opportunity for the telecoms community to collaborate with national partners to strengthen weather networks and systems across the continent," said Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson.

The initial deployment, already begun in Zain networks, focuses on the area around Lake Victoria in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The first 19 automatic weather stations installed will double the weather monitoring capacity of the Lake region.

"Once the switch is turned on, a flow of extensive weather data will become available throughout Africa, with benefits extending from the national policy makers to the smallholder farmers," said Jeffrey Sachs, head of Columbia University's Earth Institute.

Approximately 70 per cent of Africans rely on farming for their livelihood. Meteorological information will become increasingly critical as changing weather patterns render obsolete traditional knowledge relating to agriculture that African farmers have relied on for centuries.

"For food production, almost every decision is linked to weather, climate and water parameters," said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the WMO. "Working through NMHSs, WMO will identify weather information needs, advise on technical requirements and help disseminate the information. This initiative may prove to be one of the most important for African meteorology in decades."
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UN GATHERS EXPERTS TO HELP WEST AFRICAN FARMERS COPE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

A United Nations-backed workshop aimed at identifying ways for West African farmers to limit the damaging effect climate change has on their livelihoods kicked off in Burkina Faso today.

West Africa, home to 43 per cent of the total population of sub-Saharan Africa, is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world.

The region suffered a 20 to 40 per cent drop in rainfall from the mid to late 20th century, according to a UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

In addition, IPCC projections indicate that Africa is very likely to warm during this century, decreasing the length of growing seasons for farmers and cutting the potential size of harvests in West Africa.

For some countries yields from rain-fed agriculture could fall by up to 50 per cent by 2020, threatening the survival of large West African populations dependent on semi-subsistence farming.

The four-day climate change adaptation workshop, held in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou, will determine action that can be taken to alleviate the impact of global warming for farmers in the region.

Some 70 experts, brought together with the help of Spain by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), will discuss and recommend measures for the agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors in West Africa to help them adjust to a changing environment.

"A principal WMO goal is to make farmers more self-reliant by better preparing them to cope with major issues influencing agricultural production," said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. "It will increasingly be necessary to use science to identify integrated adaptation and mitigation strategies for a range of agro-ecosystems."

Noting that sustainable agriculture holds the key to mitigate climate change through carbon storage and better use of carbon in crops, Peter Holmgren, Director of FAO Environment, Climate Change and Bioenergy Division, said that "millions of farmers around the globe could become agents of change helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Mr. Holmgren stressed that farmers, particularly in poor countries, should be involved in carbon sequestration, a strategy to be discussed at the workshop, as well as more efficient use of water; changing crop variety; altering planting schedules; improving pest, disease and weed management practices; and making better use of seasonal climate forecasts to reduce production risks.
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UN INTERNATIONAL DAY HIGHLIGHTS LATEST CURRENTS IN THE ‘AIR WE BREATHE’

With an estimated two million people dying prematurely due to air pollution each year, the United Nations weather-monitoring agency is focusing on the movement of pollutants around the globe as it marks World Meteorological Day today.

Under the theme of "Weather, climate and the air we breathe," the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is using the day to draw attention to the work of its 188 members' National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in air quality data, research and forecasts.

"WMO has been actively involved in international efforts to assess our evolving atmosphere in terms of air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, smog, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide and dioxide," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said, noting that most of those result from the combustion of fossil fuels.

Member States' national meteorological services have been working together to collect and analyze the data "that are essential for forecasting atmospheric pollution and for protecting communities against its health and economic impacts," he added.

The more scientists understand the weather-climate system, the better they are able to forecast the distribution of potentially harmful atmospheric particles and gases, WMO explained.

In a major initiative, networks of stations in the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) collect data on greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide and methane – and reactive gases, including ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

These observations work in concert with the vast weather, climate and water observational networks coordinated through the WMO Integrated Observing System, and the national services use the data collected to produce air quality indexes and other pollution forecasts.

More air quality services will soon be available, as work continues to better understand the effects of air pollution in various settings, particularly its effect on climate change, the agency added.

The World Climate Conference-3, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 31 August to 4 September 2009, will further explore the links between climate and health, engaging scientists, decision-makers and policy-makers from the public and private sectors, WMO said.

World Meteorological Day commemorates the1950 entry into force of the Convention that created the WMO, which became a specialized agency of the UN one year later.
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INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR SPURS CRITICAL RESEARCH ON GLOBAL WARMING – UN AGENCY

INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR SPURS CRITICAL RESEARCH ON GLOBAL WARMING – UN AGENCY
New York, Feb 25 2009 5:00PM

Research produced during the International Polar Year 2007-2008 shows clearly that the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctic are losing mass, providing a critical boost to knowledge of global warming, the United Nations' climate agency said today.

"The International Polar Year 2007 – 2008 came at a crossroads for the planet's future" said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which today released a study entitled "The State of Polar Research" jointly with the International Council for Science (ICSU).

"The new evidence resulting from polar research will strengthen the scientific basis on which we build future actions," Mr. Jarraud added.

A joint project of WMO and the ICSU, the International Polar Year (IPY) garnered international funding support of about $1.2 billion over the two-year period aimed at a better understanding of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

More than 160 multi-disciplinary research projects, developed by scientists of more than 60 countries, have been carried out over the two-year period that will end in March 2009.

The new research shows that the warming of the Antarctic is much more widespread than previously known, and it now appears that the rate of ice loss from Greenland is increasing.

A freshening of the bottom water near Antarctica is consistent with increased ice melt from that continent and could affect ocean circulation, the research finds.

The report also identified large pools of carbon stored as methane in permafrost which, if thawed, threatens to become another massive source of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

In addition to lending insight into climate change, the new research has aided our understanding of pollutant transport, species' evolution, and storm formation, among many other areas, WMO said.

According to the agency, the Year will leave a legacy of enhanced observational capacity, stronger links across disciplines and communities, and an energized new generation of polar researchers.

"The work begun by IPY must continue" said Mr. Jarraud. "Internationally coordinated action related to the polar regions will still be needed in the next decades," he said, adding that a major IPY science conference will take place in Oslo in June 2010.
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