Delivering the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) India in collaboration

Abstract

The Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) India, launched in 2017, builds long-term research partnerships between the UK and India to strengthen weather and climate science. Building on an established history of collaboration, the programme focuses on improving risk-based forecasting of natural hazards through advances in scientific understanding, methods, and tools. These improvements help enhance services that protect lives and livelihoods and support India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in delivering actionable weather and seasonal climate information.

This paper outlines the WCSSP India approach and provides a synthesis of research in three example areas. This highlights recent progress through collaboration in understanding monsoon systems, extreme weather events, here focussing on fog and low visibility research, and in developing risk- and impact-based forecasting methods. More details on WCSSP India research achievements are documented in the literature cited in this summary paper.

WCSSP India uses a cross-cutting framework of Activities, Outputs and Outcomes to deliver long-term Impacts. Research spans across global, to regional, to urban scales and timescales from hours to seasons. Joint science focuses on developing and evaluating coupled prediction systems, using observations to improve process understanding and forecast initialisation, and conducting joint model intercomparisons and process-based assessments. The Partnership also supports India’s move toward impact-based forecasting and warning through research on risk-assessment methods and development of prototype tools. Future research directions discussed in this paper reflect the programme’s evolving priorities. WCSSP India is delivered by a range of governmental partners and linked academic projects, with interactions strengthened by active collaboration through workshops, visiting scientist exchanges and routine peer engagement. Outputs are shared widely through a growing publication record, highlighting WCSSP India’s contribution to collaborative science and improved weather and climate services.