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| Brazilian Center for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian Center for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies |
| Native name | Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos |
| Formed | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Cachoeira Paulista, São Paulo |
| Parent agency | National Institute for Space Research |
Brazilian Center for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies is a specialized research and operational institute focused on atmospheric modeling, numerical weather prediction, and climate diagnostics. It operates within the Brazilian scientific ecosystem and interfaces with international agencies to provide forecasts, climate projections, and applied meteorological services. The center supports sectors such as agriculture, aviation, energy, and disaster risk management through model development and data dissemination.
The center emerged during a period of institutional consolidation influenced by initiatives from National Institute for Space Research, Ministry of Science and Technology (Brazil), and regional research programs. Its founding drew on expertise from Universidade de São Paulo, University of São Paulo Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, and technicians from Agência Nacional de Águas projects. Early collaborations included projects with World Meteorological Organization, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, while funding sources involved Brazilian Development Bank, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, and philanthropic grants linked to the São Paulo Research Foundation. Historical milestones intersected with events such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation episodes, regional droughts affecting Pantanal, flood crises in Rio de Janeiro, and policy shifts under administrations of presidents like Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The center is administratively nested within the National Institute for Space Research and coordinates with ministries including Ministry of Science and Technology (Brazil), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, and Ministry of Transport. Its governance structure features scientific committees drawing members from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia, and advisory input from international bodies such as United Nations Environment Programme and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Operational oversight involves partnerships with Brazilian Air Force, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, and municipal authorities in São Paulo (state). Funding streams combine national appropriations, research grants from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, and cooperative agreements with institutions like NASA and European Space Agency.
Research programs span numerical weather prediction, climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, and hydrometeorology with ties to projects such as Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Global Atmosphere Watch, and regional initiatives monitoring the Amazon Rainforest carbon cycle. Teams collaborate with researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Key programmatic areas include seasonal forecasting relevant to Costa Rica, Argentina, and Paraguay agricultural planning, satellite data assimilation using platforms like GOES, Meteosat, and Aqua (satellite), and climate impact studies aligned with assessments by IPCC authors. The center contributes to climate services utilized by Itaipu Dam, Banco do Brasil risk assessments, and agribusiness advisory groups including Embrapa affiliates.
Operational forecasting products cover short-range, medium-range, and seasonal outlooks using models comparable to those at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, National Weather Service (United States), and Japan Meteorological Agency. Services include precipitation nowcasts affecting São Paulo, wind forecasts for Port of Santos, and severe weather alerts coordinated with Civil Defense (Brazil), Rio Grande do Sul authorities, and Minas Gerais emergency services. The center supplies aviation meteorology inputs to Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo and shipping forecasts to Companhia Docas do Estado de São Paulo. It issues bulletins related to tropical cyclone-like systems in the southwest Atlantic, collaborating with Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command analogues and regional warning centers.
Facilities include high-performance computing clusters, regional observation networks, and satellite receiving stations located near Cachoeira Paulista, with laboratory spaces shared with Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais units. Infrastructure supports Doppler radar sites, surface meteorological stations across Bahia, Amazonas (Brazil)', and Pernambuco, and oceanographic buoys maintained in partnership with Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo. Data centers interface with international repositories at Copernicus Climate Change Service and WMO Information System. The center’s computing resources enable ensemble forecasting, data assimilation pipelines, and downscaling for Southeast Brazil urban climate impact studies.
The center maintains bilateral and multilateral partnerships with NASA, European Space Agency, NOAA, ECMWF, WMO, and academic partners including University of Cambridge, University of Buenos Aires, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It engages in regional networks such as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization scientific committees and the South American Weather Forecasting Initiative, and contributes to capacity building through workshops with United Nations Development Programme and Inter-American Development Bank. Industry collaborations involve energy companies like Petrobras, utilities such as Eletrobras, and agribusiness firms coordinated with Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia operational frameworks.
The center’s outputs inform national policy decisions debated in bodies like Câmara dos Deputados (Brazil), Senado Federal, and municipal councils in São Paulo (city), affecting sectors including hydropower at Itaipu Dam, agricultural planning by Embrapa, and urban resilience planning in Rio de Janeiro. Outreach includes public bulletins, scientific publications contributing to journals such as Journal of Climate and Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and participation in conferences like American Geophysical Union meetings and European Geosciences Union assemblies. Training programs support professionals from Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, and Chile and foster early-career researchers affiliated with CNPq scholarships and fellowships.
Category:Meteorology in Brazil