IUKWC Workshop November 2016: Developing Hydro-climatic Services for Water Security Session 2.1 R Kolli

1. Global Framework for Climate
Services : Water Exemplar
R. Kolli
Chief
World Climate Applications & Services Division

2. 2
Global Framework for Climate Services
Goal:
• Enable better management of the risks of
climate variability and change and adaptation
to climate change at all levels, through
development and incorporation of science-
based climate information and prediction into
planning, policy and practice.

3. Components of GFCS
3
• User Interface Platform - to provide a means
for users, user representatives, climate
researchers and climate service providers to
interact
• Climate Services Information System - to
collect, process and distribute climate data
and information according to the needs of
users and according to the procedures
agreed by governments and other data
providers
• Observations and Monitoring - to ensure
that the climate observations necessary to
meet the needs of climate services are
generated.
• Research, Modelling and Prediction - to
assess and promote the needs of climate
services within research agendas
• Capacity Development - to support
systematic development of the necessary
institutions, infrastructure and human
resources to provide effective climate
services.

4. 4
GFCS Sectoral Priorities
All sectors to be tackled but the
GFCS is giving initial priority to:
• Agriculture and Food Security
• Disaster risk reduction
• Water
• Human Health
• Energy
4

5. GFCS Governance
• Intergovernmental Board on Climate Services (IBCS)
– Established by Extraordinary Session of World Meteorological Congress in
2012
• IBCS-1: 1-5 July 2013, Geneva
– Adopted the GFCS Implementation Plan
• IBCS-2: 10-14 November 2014, Geneva
• IBCS Management Committee (Re-established in IBCS-2)
– Chair: Dr Jens Sunde (Norway)
– Co-Vice-Chairs: Dr L.S. Rathore (India) and Dr L. Makuleni (South Africa)
– 28-Member Management Committee
• Partnership Advisory Committee
• GFCS Trust Fund
• GFCS Office (as part of WMO Secretariat/Climate and Water Department)

6. GFCS Implementation Objectives

7. Role of CSIS within the GFCS
• The CSIS is the means of delivery of
climate data and products.
• It comprises global, regional and national
centres and entities that
generate/process climate information
(observations and predictions), and the
exchange of data and products to agreed
standards and protocols.
• It must be supported by observation and
research programmes (e.g. GCOS, WCRP).
With ‘pull through’ facilitated by strong
links.
• Capacity building initiatives will increase
‘conductivity’ of data flow
• Part of the CSIS is in place, but new
infrastructure is needed to fullfil the GFCS
vision.
7

8. 8
User Interface Platform
National/Sectoral
users
Specialized data centres National data centresGlobal data centres
Climate Data Centres
National climate centresGlobal Producing Centres
Climate Analysis, Monitoring and Prediction Centres
Regional Climate Centres
National
Climate
Forums
Regional usersGlobal users
Regional systems National systemsGlobal systems
Climate Observing Systems
Regional
Climate Outlook
Forums

9. CSIS Implementation Strategy
• Developing and
implementing CSIS
architecture
– Functional descriptions
and product development
(Data/Monitoring/Predicti
on/Projection)
– Operational infrastructure:
GPCs, RCCs, RCOFs,
NMHSs, NCOFs/NCFs
– Climate Services Toolkit
– Capacity Development
9

10. Potential National Mechanisms
• Framework for Climate Services at the national level
– Similar to GFCS structure but involves practicalities and specifics for delivery of climate
services at the national level.
– Some countries may establish coordination mechanisms appropriate to their national
context, largely as integral components of the NMHSs, to support/facilitate GFCS
implementation at the national level
• National Climate Outlook Forums (NCOFs)
– Adapting the Large and Regional scale forecasts to the national context
– Tailoring products and translating key messages for users and promoting common
understanding (Multidisciplinary Working Groups)
– Evaluating the impact of expected conditions (with existing vulnerabilities)
• Coordination mechanisms at National level
– Tailored to specific National context
– Positioning of NMHS within the Framework at the national level
– Strong and sustained users liaison
– Research focus on national needs
– Wide access to climate data and knowledge base
10

13. The Priority Area on Water
• Goal
– Establish and enhance core technical and institutional capacities at
regional and national level to develop and deliver climate services for
improved water management.
• Proposed main vehicles
– Associated Program on Flood Management (APFM)
– Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP)
• Their networks of over 20 partners each
– Regional/national forums
• Target audience
– Government, Civil Society, Private Sector
– Through NMHSs
– Through existing multi-stakeholder platforms, e.g. GWP Country Water
Partnerships, National Climate Outlook Forums (NCOFs)

14. The User Interface Platform on Water
• IFM and IDM HelpDesk considered the User Interface
Platform (UIP) on water.
• Broaden the utility of the HelpDesks:
– For the climate and water communities
– To address climate service needs in the implementation
IWRM in the context of climate variability and climate
change
– Strengthen the existing capacities on flood management
and climate services
– Increase funding
• Part of Operational and Resource Plan of GFCS
– Proposal to AC/MC: Development of project proposal

15. The User Interface Platform on Water
• Guide the implementation of GFCS water
activities by:
– Informing relevant policies
– Provide a platform for cooperation with partners
– Supporting the development of existing and new
national and regional projects and programmes
– Developing technical guidance, such as guidelines and
tools on water-climate services
– Sustaining a dialogue between the water and climate
community on climate services

16. Integrated Water Resource Management
(IWRM)
• More holistic approach
for water management
• In implementing IWRM,
water resource
management institutions
and professionals deal
with climate variability
and change.
• Appropriate use of
climate services can
influence each of the key
stages of IWRM
implementation.

17. User Interface Platform for Water
Sector
• Identify the optimal methods for obtaining FEEDBACK on the usefulness
and performance of climate services from the water community in
support of IWRM.
• Build DIALOGUE between users of climate services and information in the
water sector and those responsible for the observation, research and
information system components of the Framework.
• Develop MONITORING AND EVALUATION measures for the Framework
that may be agreed to between users and providers.
• Improve CLIMATE LITERACY in the user community through a range of
public education initiatives and on-line training programmes. In many
instances there are opportunities for the better use of climate services,
which are not taken up because of lack of awareness of their availability or
capability.
• Improve WATER LITERACY of climate service providers: strongly related to
the dialogue aspects above, climate service providers need to better
understand the decision-making context of water managers from different
fields of application.

18. Water management aspects dependent on
climate and weather information
• Hydrological characterization. Catchment/Watershed planning; general
water balance
• Flood management and control. Structures (dams, river training); flood
forecasting and warning; flood plain zoning/flood frequency estimation;
coastal inundation; erosion
• Drought Management. Structures (dams, weirs, etc.), demand,
• Irrigation and drainage. Supply; demand scheduling; drainage
management; salinity
• Groundwater. Recharge; groundwater flooding
• Navigation. Canal systems; dredging
• Power generation. Hydropower; cooling water
• Water supply. Potable water; industrial processing
• Water quality. Effluent disposal; pollution control; dilution; salinity and
sedimentation
• Fisheries and conservation. Hydro-ecology; hydromorphology; amenity;
public access; recreation Tourism

19. Overall Approach
IWRM

20. Principal Areas of Activity
• National and regional tools (river basin level) to enable water resources
managers to identify those aspects of water resources management in
their domains most likely to be impacted by climate variability and
change;
• National and regional (river basin level) pilot projects to develop
sustainable water resources management plans (including dealing with
floods and droughts), with full engagement of the climate and water
communities;
• Collection of methodologies to account for climate-related uncertainties,
and publication in the form of a “climate-tools-for-water-managers
series”;
• Strengthening collaboration between WMO, GWP, UNDP/Cap-Net and
UNESCO to enhance the ability to deliver education and training
programmes at regional and national levels;
• Helpdesk functions in support of water user interaction at national level
(e.g. national multistakeholder workshops);
• Improved climate services for managing the freshwater-ocean interface,
including storm surges and waves and coastal inundation forecasting.

21. Initial Implementation Activities (1/2)
• User Needs
– Foster the gathering, analysis and dissemination of user
needs for climate information and its application.
– Stimulate the development and dissemination of user-
oriented applications methodologies, lessons learnt, good
practices and relevant standards of performance.
• Feedback and Support
– Coordinate the formation of user perspectives and
feedback on the functioning of the Framework, and
provide necessary user-oriented support to the other
components of the Framework.
– Support other actors, particularly in developing countries,
to undertake these tasks at regional and national levels.

22. Initial Implementation Activities (2/2)
• Advocacy and Outreach
– Advocate the benefits of using climate information and the utility of the
Global Framework for Climate Services to potential beneficiaries, users and
user organizations.
– Promote the active and systematic consideration of climate information use
and the Global Framework for Climate Services in the work of key policy
institutions, such as intergovernmental forums, sector technical bodies and
professional organizations.
– Stimulate the development of user-focused networks, collaborations,
partnerships, forums, centres and learning exchanges.
• Pilot Projects
– Climate Driven Water Resources Management Issues – Tool
Development/Workshops.
– Water Scarce Regions.
– Basins dependent of snow and glacier melt for water.
– Freshwater-Ocean Interface.

23. Service Development for Water Applications
• Data integration. Integration of space-based and ground-based observational systems
that accurately capture key climate variables, and are sustained over decades for a
robust determination of trends and variations at the regional and global level; (i.e.
linking research with operations, services and delivery);
• Significantly enhanced computing and telecommunication capabilities. Significant
enhancements in computing and telecommunications systems are required to ensure
high quality information products derived from observational data and a seamless
flow of information in a timely manner;
• Enhanced access to internationally available forecast products. As well as
internationally available weather satellite data, there are now numerous global and
regional scale model forecast outputs available. Although many of these are freely
accessible over the Internet, there is a need for NMSs to incorporate these data into
their forecast process, and the aim should be to obtain model output as data feeds
and move towards the regular operation of Local Area Models (LAM);
• Capacity Development. Especially in the developing regions of the world capacity-
building is essential for the development, use and interpretation of models, the
generation of relevant information products the operation and maintenance of
demand-driven end-to-end observation networks and forecasting and prediction
services. Important mechanisms and partners are national knowledge hubs such as
universities and regional as well as global partners.

24. GFCS Water Exemplar calls for:
• A development-centric approach based on IWRM and meeting user needs;
• Implementation through existing programmes and mechanisms that can be
adapted according to requirements and that are flexible;
• Application of a mix of top-down (such as climate prediction based on global
models and downscaling) and bottom-up (such as community-based local
interventions) approaches to increase resilience to climate-related water issues;
• A focus on the climate services required to support IWRM, including the
management of extremes (floods and droughts), as well as the day-to-day water
resources operational management needs which are influenced by climate,
including those of coastal regions;
• Enhancement of partnerships at all levels (local, national, regional and global). The
functionality of the UIP Water will critically depend on the availability of
coordination structures for the development of climate services at all levels and
the inclusion of these mechanisms in the development of related IWRM plans;
• Well-defined linkages between the five pillars of the GFCS. User-driven services
will require robust observation and monitoring systems, sound science, flexible
service delivery mechanisms and targeted and deliverable capacity development
support.

25. Programme of Implementing GFCS at
Regional and National Scales
• Focus Regions
– Small Island Developing States
• Southwest Pacific
• Caribbean
• Southwest Indian Ocean
– South Asia
• Including Third Pole Region
– Polar Region (Arctic)
• Also supporting
– Global Action on Integrated Drought Management
– Capacity Development for Climate Sciences
• Total budget - 6.2m USD

27. South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF)
Climate Services User Forum (CSUF) for Water Sector
• Purpose: To bring better synergy between the water community and the
climate community within the South Asian countries with the long-term
objective of making best use of the climate services and information
provided through SASCOF efforts, and otherwise available in the region.
• Three sessions held so far (2014- Pune, India; 2015-Dhaka, Bangladesh
and 2016-Colombo, Sri Lanka).
• CSUF facilitated exposing water managers to the climate outlooks issued
SASCOF along with indications of the associated uncertainties, and give
them the opportunity to consider how the seasonal climate outlook could
be effectively used in water management operations, particularly during
extreme events such as floods and droughts.
• The objective of the CSUF are:
– To introduce the seasonal climate information and seasonal hydrological prediction
available in the South Asian Region;
– To strengthen long range flood forecasting by way of extended weather predictions; and
– To explain how to make use of the climate information in managing irrigation water.

28. Concluding Remarks
• In many regions, there is limited use of climate information. It is
important to find ways for all countries to cope with climate variability and
change through improved access to climate information and
prediction/projection products.
• Climate adaptation and Climate-related risk management require multi-
disciplinary/international collaborations and cross-
disciplinary/international exchange of information.
• WMO is looking forward to GFCS as a major step forward in systematically
providing climate information for decision making at various levels of
climate-sensitive sectors.
• Greater focus required on enhancing national capacities to efficiently
incorporate global and regional inputs into their operational provision of
tailored climate information products for local communities.
• WMO will be pleased to work with the India-UK Water Centre in support
of regional/national activities for GFCS implementation for the water
sector in South Asia.

29. Thank you
Rkolli@wmo.int