WCRP Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)

Terms of reference

Following the pioneering and successful work of the Task Force on Regional Climate Downscaling (TFRCD) which mandate ended in 2011, the WCRP established a CORDEX Science Advisory Team in 2012. The CORDEX vision is to advance and coordinate the science and application of regional climate downscaling through global partnerships. In order to achieve the CORDEX vision the Science Advisory Team (SAT) has the mandate to implement and oversee, in communication with the broader scientific community, the following tasks:

•Advance and coordinate the science and application of regional climate downscaling through global partnerships;

•Maintain and update, as needed, a framework for evaluating regional climate downscaling techniques;

•Establish and maintain protocols for CORDEX output and CORDEX archives;

•Oversee and promote projects that advance regional downscaling;

•Assist with coordination of WCRP research activities relevant to regional climate downscaling;

•Promote links to other relevant programs such as WCRP core projects, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chagne (IPCC), the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS);

•Provide advice to WCRP regarding research activities needed to support and improve regional climate science and prediction, modeling and observations.

The CORDEX-SAT is expected to report regularly at the JSC  meetings on the progress of its activities. Members are appointed for a 4-year term, with the possibility of 2-year extensions.

Individual SAT-members play a significant role in contributing to the SAT tasks with responsibilities including what is listed below:

•to contribute to the development of CORDEX strategy and goals;

•to actively contribute to CORDEX guiding documents such as CORDEX CORE, Scientific Challenges;

•to foster cooperation and communication on CORDEX and regional climate modeling matters where relevant;

•to coordinate CORDEX activities (workshops, training activities, etc) and associated public outreach (news, web page, social media, etc);

•to support resource mobilization with relevant stakeholders (development banks, funding agencies, donors, etc);

•to interact with the various CORDEX regions and with the CORDEX Project Office;

•to attend and contribute to SAT-meetings and other CORDEX meetings.

Members