event
Monday 11 Mar 2013: Society's Growing Vulnerability to Natural Hazards and Implications for Weather and Climate Research
Prof Julia Slingo - Met Office
Harrison LT04 15:00-16:00
Abstract: Recent natural hazards around the world have raised our awareness of our vulnerability, challenged our scientific understanding and questioned our ability to predict and prepare for such events. This presentation will take some recent examples and use them to explore the implications for the research agenda in weather and climate modelling and prediction, and in how to translate our predictions into advice, products and services that address user needs.
150 years on since the first public weather forecast was issued by the Met Office, the prospects of modelling and predicting hazardous events and their impacts will be discussed in terms of our current capabilities and what investments are needed in model development, supercomputing resources and the science of interdisciplinary impacts. Developing effective science partnerships is critical to delivering this agenda, and is central to the Met Office Science Strategy. Current approaches to science partnerships will be highlighted.
We live in an uncertain world, and preparedness requires us to take account of that uncertainty. The science challenges of moving towards more reliable and confident predictions that take us from uncertainty to probabilities and risk based assessments will be discussed.
Short Bio: Julia became Met Office Chief Scientist in February 2009. Before joining the Met Office she was the Director of Climate Research in NERC's National Centre for Atmospheric Science, at the University of Reading, where she is still a Professor of Meteorology. In 2006 she founded the Walker Institute for Climate System Research at Reading, aimed at addressing the cross disciplinary challenges of climate change and its impacts.
