European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Campuses

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Bonn Office primarily focuses on meteorological research, data dissemination, and collaboration with European partners, rather than traditional academic courses. However, it supports various training programs, workshops, and educational initiatives in numerical weather prediction, climate modeling, and atmospheric sciences. These activities are designed for researchers, meteorologists, and policymakers to enhance skills in medium-range forecasting techniques.

• Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) Training: Intensive workshops on the use of ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System (IFS), covering data assimilation, ensemble prediction methods, and high-resolution modeling. Participants learn to interpret probabilistic forecasts and apply them to operational weather services.
• Climate Data Analysis Courses: Sessions exploring ECMWF's reanalysis datasets like ERA5, focusing on climate variability, extreme weather events, and long-term trend analysis. These include hands-on tutorials with Python and ECMWF's tools for processing large-scale climate data.
• Atmospheric Dynamics Seminars: Advanced discussions on topics such as tropical cyclones, stratospheric processes, and ocean-atmosphere interactions. These are often collaborative with German institutions like the University of Bonn, emphasizing theoretical foundations and practical applications.
• Forecast Verification and Machine Learning in Meteorology: Courses introducing statistical methods for verifying model outputs and emerging AI techniques for improving forecast accuracy, including neural networks for post-processing ensemble predictions.
• Earth System Modeling Workshops: Training on coupled models for seasonal-to-decadal predictions, addressing challenges in representing biogeochemical cycles and land-surface interactions.

These programs, typically spanning 3-5 days, foster international cooperation and are tailored for professionals in environmental agencies, academia, and industry. While not degree-granting, they contribute to capacity building in weather and climate sciences across Europe. The Bonn Office also hosts guest lectures and hackathons on topics like space weather and renewable energy forecasting, integrating real-time data from satellites and ground observations. Overall, the emphasis is on practical, research-oriented learning to advance global weather prediction capabilities, with a strong focus on open data policies and sustainable development goals related to climate resilience.