Training Workshop on Marine Forecasting for Gulf of Guinea and North Atlantic Region

Summary

The general summary of the Workshop can be found within the JCOMM Technical Report No.78.

ISSUES, OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The following issues were discussed through national reports and wrap-up discussion, led to a set of recommendations summarized below.

Users and Requirements Through national reports and subsequent discussion, the participants identified the main user communities for marine services in West Africa, as follows:

• Fishermen & coastal residents
  • primary users for safety warning
  • Need forecasts on sea state, hazardous phenomena…
• Shipping community
  • Information on safe navigation : Meteorological Maritime Safety Information(MSI)
• Oil & Gas Industry
  • Wave forecasting, extreme sea state

Gaps and Best Practices in the Region

• Participants reviewed the status of West African NMHSs
  • Currently providing marine weather prediction with regular bulletin: Gambia, Ghana (limited), Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal
  • Currently not providing marine weather prediction (or using other countries’ products): Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo
• Participants discussed on the gaps and needs for improved marine weather forecasting and services, for West African NMHSs:
  • User interaction
    • Enhanced interaction through user feedback
    • To sensitize users on impact and risk of marine hazards
    • Extended means of communication
  • Knowledge on Marine Meteorology, and Skills for Forecasting/Services
    • Nested/local models
    • Improved efficiency in training programmes
    • Improved human resources
  • Observations & Data
    • Catalogue on available data & products (on internet, …)
    • Data collection platforms
    • Marine monitoring stations & equipment
• Meanwhile, Participants identified some best practices and strength in region, which potentially contribute to the future improvement:
  • User Interaction
    • Active collection of user feedback
    • Simple and efficient warning code for coastal residents using flags
  • Knowledge on Marine Meteorology, and Skills for Forecasting/Services
    • Strongly motivated Service Provides (NMHSs / Forecasters)
    • Continuous effort for training and education
  • Observations & Data
    • Access to EUMETCAST/GEONETCAST, etc.
    • Soon-to-be-completed MARINEMET project data, pending their availability on GTS and technology transfer for modelling

Recommendations for immediate action

• Requested EUMETSAT to include ASCAT products (from NOAA\'s Satellite and Information Service: NESDIS) into EUMETCAST.

• Requested the implementation team of the WMO project on Marine Meteorology in West Africa (MARINEMET) to make MARINEMET data (from 4 tide gauges) available on GTS as soon as possible, and to transfer models to the countries in Region for operation.

• ACMAD volunteered to provide technical support and guidance for participants/NMHSs to install and operate the WAVEWATCH III, as a follow-up to the workshop.

• Requested WMO/JCOMM to develop and organize follow-on training with longer time allocation, for WAVEWATCH III model exercise.

• Requested WMO and other international/regional entities to identify opportunities for training on marine forecasting and services: with focus on efficient communication and product delivery.

• Requested WMO and other international/regional entities to develop and implement user seminars/fora (e.g. Roving seminars for fishermen).

Recommendations for longer-term development

• Recommended ECMWF to make dedicated products for the applications available for West African coast, in the same line as the rest of Africa (e.g. products for the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Projects that are conducted in the other regions).

• Recommended NOAA to make WAVEWATCH III Guidance data available for West African countries for their domains of interest, like the case of East African countries after the 8th JCOMM-TCP Training Workshop on Storm Surge and Wave Modelling.

• Recommended EUMETSAT to continue providing technical support for update of the Preparation for Use of Meteosat Second Generation in Africa (PUMA).

• Recommended the RSMCs and leading NMHSs in the region (e.g. Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria) to take leading roles in developing a regional coordination mechanism for wave forecasting and modelling, in different domains and resolutions

• Welcomed the ongoing plan for a series of CAgM Roving Seminars for fishermen in West Africa. Recommended WMO to consider continuous efforts in this regard, for continuous user interaction and education.

• Recommended WMO to consider developing a guideline in working languages of West Africa, on streamlined process for producing bulletins.

• Recommended West African NMHSs, in collaboration/support by regional and global entities, to initiate regional efforts/project on high resolution modelling for waves / sea state (This will be addressed in RA I meeting, in the 4th quarter of 2014).

To this end, participants agreed on the outline/concept note (See Annex IV of the JCOMM Technical Report No.78). Mauritania and Senegal agreed to develop a proposal, together with the WMO Secretariat and EUMETSAT, for a long-term project, based on this concept note.

End of Summary on Outcomes

[Note: January 2014] PRE-SESSION REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS

• Participants are requested to bring their own laptops for practices/hands-on training. Please make sure that the laptops_:
  • run a functional version of Linux;
    
  • Have as a recent Portland, Intel or GNU (gfortran) FORTRAN-90 compiler installed;
    
  • Are preferably with an MPI package included (not essential);
    
  • Preferably have a working copy of GrADS or Matlab (not essential);
    
  • Have a recent version of flash installed.

• The WAVEWATCH version 4.18b will be used for hands-on training sessions. This version, when it is released, should be installed prior to the workshop. This model is licenced with the NOAA/USA, therefore, all participants are requested to obtain the license by sending an email to Mr Arun Chawla (arun.chawla@noaa.gov), requesting a copy of the alpha version . After signning off, participants will receive:
  • (the location of) the WAVEWATCH III 4.18a
    
  • The full draft manual of this model version, and
    
  • a quick start guide.

• A session on satellite products will use the EUMETRAIN (http://eumetrain.org/eport/atlantic_12.php?width=1600&height=1200&date=2014011612), requiring flash, and GEMPAK / NAWIPS that runs on a 64-bit system (Mac / PC or Linux). Please install the Virtual Box at https://www.virtualbox.org/, on your machine, to help with the preparation.

• For a successful and efficient training, all participants are invited to review and study the provided material, and prepare for the lectures and hands-on training at the Workshop
  • Reference/study material http://www.jcomm.info/MF-Training-Study.

[Note: December 2013] GENERAL INFORMATION Training Workshop on Marine Forecasting will be held at the Ecole Régionale de la Navigation Aérienne at du Management (ERNAM: Regional School of Air Navigation and Management), Dakar, Senegal, from 3 to 7 March 2014. This workshop is jointly organized by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and the Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), at the kind invitation of the Agence Nationale de l\'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie du Sénégal . It is designed for maximum 20 participants from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (MNHSs) of the Gulf of Guinea and North Atlantic countries. The workshop aims at enhancing human capabilities for operational marine meteorological forecasting and warning, through improved understanding on wave dynamics and available tools for ocean forecasting, in particular, on operational wave modelling and products. It is designed primarily for marine forecasters and metocean scientists with linkages to the marine forecasting and services. The training to be provided during the workshop will include lectures on wave dynamics; status of operational ocean forecasting; available forecasting products for the interest of the Region; and in particular, hands-on training sessions on wave modelling. Please note that the selected participants should submit their country reports on marine meteorological forecasting and services of their NMHS in MS PowerPoint or Word, by 28 February 2014.

Website: http://www.jcomm.info/MF-Training-2013