Signing of consortium agreement for Unified Model Earth System Model approved

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of a consortium agreement by the Earth System Science Organisation, Ministry of Earth Sciences (ESSO-MoES), with the U.K. Met Office (UKMO), Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and the Commonwealth of Australia through its Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organisation (CSIRO) for a coordinated effort in the development of a state-of-art Unified Model (UM) Earth System Model for the seamless prediction of weather and climate from days to season.

The MoU is likely to be signed in January 2016, enabling India to become the fourth core UM partner through the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting under Ministry of Earth Sciences (ESSO-NCMRWF) and contribute to the UM technical and scientific development. Under the agreement, core partners will work under a common governance structure, decide on strategy for planning, designing of joint development programs with prioritised tasks and mobilisation of resources.

MoES will make an annual member contribution of £100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Pounds Sterling) to the Unified Model Consortium. Indian scientific and academic community will benefit from this MoU, as it is an enabling mechanism to jointly work on scientific challenges in the field of earth system modelling and weather and climate prediction.

The MoU will allow the exchange of scientific resources as well as knowledge to support the improvement and development of earth system modelling for weather and climate prediction over Indian monsoon region in particular.

ESSO-MoES provides weather and climate forecasts in various spatial and temporal scales. In order to enhance its capability for improved forecast having larger societal relevance, research and development in frontier areas like monsoon understanding and prediction, water cycle and climate change and in view of the complexities involved in the above fields, ESSO-MoES regularly engages with various international organisations for collaborative research activities which are mutually beneficial.

The Unified Model consortium that comprises UKMO, KMA and CSIRO have common interests in meteorology and related sciences and recognise mutual interests and growing complexities in the field of Earth System Modelling for weather and climate prediction.

The consortium enables exchange of scientific resources, expertise, know-how and technical knowledge on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefits, and also ensures better international orchestration of resources in the collaborative development of the Unified Model (UM) for weather and climate prediction.

The UM is based on the emerging paradigm of seamless prediction of weather and climate. ESSO-NCMRWF is focusing on the development of the seamless UM system for predicting and simulating monsoon from days to season under the National Monsoon Mission programme of ESSO-MoES.

Although UKMO and ESSO-MoES have been working jointly on the UM modelling system since 2008, to have a more robust collaborative partnership through joint developmental programmes among all the international partners of the UM System, India through consortium agreement proposed to become the fourth core UM partner through ESSO-NCMRWF.