Pune, February 12, 2025

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune in collaboration with the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) hosted an international workshop on Machine Learning (ML) in Climate, Weather, and Ocean Sciences. The event brought together leading scientists from India and Italy with the aim of advancing the application of artificial intelligence and ML techniques to improve climate modeling, weather forecasting and ocean monitoring. The workshop fostered collaboration between research institutions in both countries to enhance predictive capabilities and develop innovative aches to weather and climate.

 

Dr. R. Krishnan, Director of IITM emphasized the importance of the workshop stating, "This workshop has been an important step in exploring how AI and ML techniques can enhance our understanding and prediction capabilities regarding weather and climate in the Indian subcontinent. I look forward to productive collaborations with our Italian colleagues in the coming years." Dr. Swapna Panickal, Deputy Project Director – Climate Modeling at IITM, added, "With the increasing frequency of extreme events like monsoons, AI/ML approaches are becoming crucial in improving predictions and understanding climate phenomena. This workshop represents a significant milestone in integrating these techniques to tackle the challenges posed by climate change."

Prof. Antonio Navarra, Director of CMCC expressed his excitement for the future of the partnership saying, "By pooling our expertise in weather, climate and ocean sciences, India and Italy can collectively address the pressing global challenges we face. This collaboration will drive innovation and contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate impacts."

The workshop focused on several key themes, including the use of ML in advancing climate modeling and long-term climate projections, improving weather forecasting and developing AI-driven approaches for predicting extreme weather events. It also explored how ML could enhance ocean state estimation, improve marine ecosystem monitoring and contribute to conservation efforts. A significant outcome of the workshop was the agreement to further strengthen international cooperation between India and Italy through joint research projects, collaborative data-sharing frameworks and potential student and researcher exchange programs. A white paper outlining the role of ML in climate science is expected to be developed in the near future. The discussions revolved around how machine learning can revolutionize key areas of climate science, weather prediction and oceanography. The event laid the foundation for future collaborative efforts, including the establishment of joint working groups, the development of collaborative funding proposals and the continuation of annual workshops alternating between India and Italy. Virtual collaborations and joint research initiatives will also be key components of this partnership as both countries work to address the global challenges posed by climate change.

The workshop saw participation from key Indian scientists, including IITM Director Dr. R. Krishnan and researchers from institutions such as IITM, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), NCMRWF, IMD, INCOIS, and others. The Italian delegation was led by CMCC Director Prof. Antonio Navarra and Paola Mercogliano, who heads the Italian team. Other participants included experts from the Italian National Centre for Research (CNR) and Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK).

 

EC/PM

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