Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
role of addressing the estimation, modeling, understanding and future projection of
extremes with a particular focus over land.
5 Conclusions
The successful implementation of WCRP Grand Challenges and associated science
questions described in this chapter depend significantly on GEWEX Imperatives: obser-
vations and data sets, their analysis, process studies, model development and exploitation,
applications, technology transfer to operationalize results, and research capacity devel-
opment and training of the next generation of scientists. They involve all of the GEWEX
panels and will benefit greatly from strong interactions with other WCRP projects such as
CLIVAR and CliC and other sister global change research programs such as the Inter-
national
Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme
(IGBP),
International
Human
Dimensions
(IHDP), etc.
Closure of the observed regional and global water budget over the past decade has
progressed significantly, but remains a major challenge. Thus it continues to be a science
imperative for the research community to better observe and understand all aspects of the
water cycle in order to improve models that can predict reliably its future variability and
change as a major source of information for decision makers for water resources, food
production and management of risks associated with extreme events. Many potential
products could be invaluable to water resource managers on several time horizons,
extending well beyond the 1-week weather scale to seasonal, inter-annual and decadal
predictions, and climate change projections.
Acknowledgments The research of Trenberth is partially sponsored by NASA under grant
NNX09AH89G. We thank Howard Wheater and many other WCRP colleagues for discussions, and espe-
cially we thank GEWEX scientists who contributed to the GSQs. The National Center for Atmospheric
Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
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