III International conference on ENSO: Bridging the gaps between global ENSO science and regional processes, extremes and impacts

It is broadly known that the warm and cold phases of ENSO (acronym describing the phenomenon of El Niño and La Niña) have serious social and economic impacts on the countries around the world. Knowledge of ENSO and its impacts help to reinforce predictive tools used in support of early warning systems.

To reduce vulnerability in society, a better understanding of ENSO is essential. Past experiences such as the El Niño 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 demonstrate our vulnerability as a society, and we must take into account that these effects may be augmented by the effects of global warming.

In these not so encouraging circumstances, the predictions of ENSO have enabled and prepared partners to address climate impacts, as they did in the previous decade. There has been significant progress in the ability to observe, understand and predict ENSO because of the application of new theoretical approaches, significant advances on physical parameterizations of subgrid-scale processes, and a further strengthening of the technological processes,.

Despite these advances, ENSO´s ability to predict has declined with significant consequences on how to prepare for and cope with the associated climatic impacts. In addition, there are mayor unsolved questions about the influence of climate change on ENSO both in the current context and future. Also, there is a need to determine the differences between global and regional science in order to improve operational forecasting. These issues demand a strong and coordinated scientific effort and increased efforts in the context of international climate research, evaluations, and operational forecasting. In this light, the International Center for Research on El Niño (CIIFEN) has proposed the ¨III International Conference on ENSO¨, dedicated to "Bridging the gaps between Global ENSO Science and regional processes, extremes and impacts" that will be held in Guayaquil, Ecuador 12 to 14 November 2014.

The ¨III International Conference on ENSO¨ will aim to synthesize progress on ENSO research with a detailed view of the climate-society relationship, and to share experiences in vulnerability assessment methodologies used by the climate impact studies community. This conference will bring together scientists and experts involved in research, observations and operational climate services to build on new knowledge for improving the prediction of ENSO and its regional impacts, and to discuss decision support approaches in preparation of and response to ENSO climate anomalies. Our intent is to provide a forum for efficiently linking science with societal needs, one of the envisaged World Climate Research Program (WCRP) “Grand Challenges.”

The event will consist in three components: a scientific conference (organized in 6 plenary sessions), a climate services stage (a special venue where selected ENSO conference participants are allowed to present a climate services related topic, project or initiative) and a climate & society exhibition (to allow different weather & climate centers, science and technology institutions, the private sector, environmental NGOs and agencies to promote their activities, products and services).

Objectives

• To synthesize the progress in ENSO research: physical processes and feedbacks, theoretical approaches, improved representation of ENSO in complex climate models, decadal to centennial variations in the ENSO cycle, the role of the extratropics in ENSO development, ENSO interaction with regional processes, and related topics.
• To review the global and regional challenges of ENSO prediction and climate information services.
• To review the history of recurrent hazards related to ENSO extremes and the need to enhance research efforts in this field.
• To update our understanding of global ENSO teleconnection patterns and related impacts.
• To update progress on new global and regional efforts for ENSO prediction, observations and early warning systems.