COLLOQUIUM 2022
Towards improved understanding of tropical climate and weather affecting Singapore and Southeast Asia
| Speaker | Prof. Dale Barker [Director of the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS)] |
| Moderators | A/Prof Thomas Osipowicz & Dr Qinghai Wang |
| Date/Time | Wednesday, 14 September 2022, 15:00 PM |
| Location | Lecture Theatre 28 (LT 28) |
| Registration link | https://forms.office.com/r/7pejgn0EBs |
Abstract
Modern-day climate change, due primarily to human influences e.g. CO2 production, represents an existential threat to human society and the natural world, and has been recognised as such at the highest levels within Singapore. The importance of climate change for all of humankind is becoming clearer as the trends observed in the late 20th century are now seen to continue, and even accelerate, with record weather events in the news on almost a weekly basis, with strong consequences for societies and economies. This realisation comes with an increased demand for climate science expertise, fuelled by the surge in global efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, as government and businesses seek to transition towards a more sustainable and low carbon economy.
The Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), part of the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) has a mission to advance scientific understanding of tropical climate and weather affecting Singapore and the wider Southeast Asia Region, including using that knowledge to benefit decision makers and the community. Following a brief description of the weather and climate change challenges for the region, an overview of the ways CCRS is contributing to this exciting and field will be given – ranging from ‘nowcasting’ rainfall in the next 30 minutes, through numerical weather prediction for the next day out to seasons, and efforts to understand how climate change might impact the Singapore region over the next century and beyond.
The session will end with a Q&A session including several NUS alumni now working as weather/climate scientists within MSS/CCRS
Want to know why the world needs meteorologists and climate scientists? Watch this video from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
Biography
Prof. Dale Barker is the Director of the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), part of the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS). Prof. Barker started his career as an astrophysicist, developing computer models of the interior of stars, before coming ‘down to earth’ to apply those mathematical and modelling skills to the Earth’s atmosphere to help improve the UK’s weather forecasts as a scientist at the Meteorological Office. From 1999 to 2009 Prof. Barker was a scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado where he undertook research in data assimilation (DA – the technique of combining observations and models to provide an ‘analysis’ of current weather). At NCAR, he also led the development of the ‘WRFDA’ system – the DA part of the community Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, which is now used by tens of thousands of scientists worldwide (including at NUS). He returned to the UK Meteorological Office in 2009, becoming Director of Weather Science in 2015. He joined CCRS in August 2020. Prof. Barker is a visiting professor in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, UK and sits on numerous international working groups and advisory panels.