Regional Climate Forum for Northwest Mexico & Southwestern U.S.


Building at CICESE, Ensenada, Mexico

April 21, 2008

Andrea Ray of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories was a co-organizer of the "Regional Climate Forum for Northwest Mexico and the Southwestern U.S." The forum was held On April 10-11, 2008, in Ensenada, Mexico at the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Estudios Superiores de Ensenada (CISESE); a research institution in Baja California. The objective of this meeting was to continue developing cross-border collaboration to coordinate various efforts in seasonal climate prediction to create an experimental climate outlook forum for the western US-Mexico border region to be used by different sectors of society.

This meeting on applications of climate knowledge and forecasts builds on results of the NOAA-funded North American Monsoon Experiment and several other NOAA funded projects in the region, and is a continuation of efforts to develop regional climate products and cultivate applications of monsoon and other climate research in the region on both sides of the border.

This meeting provided climate information in response to the expanding and intensifying drought in NW Mexico, and the need for more regional information for various types of decisionmakers in various sectors. After discussion of recent conditions, official and experimental forecasts, and the latest science, the group developed a short document describing the current state of the climate and likely conditions for the next few months. This information will be provided to the North American Drought Monitor, to NWS representatives at the meeting, and to other entities that disseminate climate information in the region.

Contact: Andrea Ray