The IAP Seamless Forecast System recently received a request from Ms. Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), to enhance their contribution to the Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Prediction Project (S2S) by providing data in near real time.
In her letter, written on behalf of the WMO Secretary-General, Ms. Barrett acknowledged the significant contributions made by the IAP Seamless Forecast System to the S2S project in the past and expressed an expectation for continued support over the next five years, from 2024 to 2028. Following the success of the real-time pilot initiative of the S2S project, which concluded in 2023, the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) is now encouraging contributors to reduce the current three-week data release delay to either 48 hours or one week. This initiative aims to increase the usability of S2S products and align with the WMO's new policy promoting more free and unrestricted access to data.
Led by Prof. BAO Qing from the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG) at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the IAP Seamless Forecast System team has responded positively to this request. The team reaffirmed their commitment to the S2S project for the 2024-2028 period and agreed to provide data to the S2S database within 48 hours or one week. They will adjust their data processing and publishing procedures to ensure the timely and effective availability of S2S real-time data in future collaborations. Additionally, they will continue to monitor and evaluate the efficiency and quality of data provision to ensure the smooth progress of the project.
The WMO's Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Project (S2S), launched in 2013, aims to improve forecast skill and understanding on the sub-seasonal to seasonal timescale, with a special emphasis on high-impact weather events. The project encourages global business sectors to participate and promote its application in climate service societies. By the end of 2023, the S2S project had successfully completed its second phase. A new initiative, "Subseasonal to Seasonal Predictions for Agriculture and Environment (SAGE)," will commence in 2024, aiming to establish a global platform to provide seasonal forecasting services and guidance for agriculture and environmental management in various countries.
Since joining the S2S project in 2020, the IAP Seamless Forecast System has played an active role in the network. At the 6th S2S panel teleconference held earlier this year, it was reported that the S2S data center has seen increasing attention, with a total download volume of 2,000 terabytes. Among the contributors, China has the largest number of users and the highest data download volume. As of February 20, 2024, the IAP-CAS real-time forecast data contribution reached 8.2 terabytes, ranking second among the 13 contributors, only behind ECMWF.
