Summary of the 4th Workshop on Subseasonal to Seasonal Prediction for Southeast Asia (S2S-SEA IV)
August 2023, Singapore
The S2S-SEA IV workshop in August 2023, led by the ASMC and the Centre for Climate Research Singapore, marked the end of a four-part workshop series on Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) prediction in Southeast Asia. The workshop series aimed to build capacity and enhance collaboration among the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the ASEAN region regarding S2S prediction. The fourth S2S-SEA Workshop included two virtual sessions (15 and 30 August) and an in-person segment between 22 and 24 August 2023, conducted in Singapore. Fifteen NMHS representatives from nine ASEAN Member States attended the in-person training, along with six trainers. Encompassing the in-person training, the two virtual sessions allowed more users to participate in the workshop, as well as more time for reflection in between the sessions. An additional 26 users and three trainers attended the virtual sessions, leading to a total number of 50 participants in SEA-SEA IV over the in-person and virtual sessions.
Key takeaways shared by the participants during the workshop included information on latest updates on sources of S2S predictability (including questions that are still unanswered), a better awareness of S2S products, and the procedure to give a S2S briefing to users (something NMHSs are not always trained in). The workshop also discussed the future of S2S predictions and plans for collaboration in the ASEAN region. Common challenges faced by NMHSs raised in the workshop include the need for improved communication, data access, and automation. Plans were made for fortnightly discussions between ASEAN NMHSs to review climate drivers and S2S outlooks.
Since the first workshop in 2017, many of the NMHSs in Southeast Asia have moved from research to delivering operational S2S products. While there is still more to do around delivering actionable products, discussions during the S2S-SEA IV highlighted that sharing experiences and expertise in the region is useful for the continued development of S2S predictions in Southeast Asia.
