Dr. Florentine Weber

The WeatherGenerator project, lead by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), focuses on developing a generative foundation model for the Earth system. Foundation models are characterised by their ability to integrate diverse datasets, offering a comprehensive tool for a wide range of applications without being limited to a single task. The WeatherGenerator is supported by developments from RAINA and HClimRep, enabling it to provide advanced predictions for both extreme events, particularly flooding, and long-term climate projections.

RAINA (Robust Artificial Intelligence for Nowcasting and Atmospheric prediction) is focused on improving short-term forecasting of extreme weather events such as high-resolution precipitation, wind, and temperature predictions. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. HClimRep, supported by the Helmholtz Society, aims to develop a comprehensive foundation model for climate science, focusing on atmospheric dynamics, ocean coupling, and seasonal to decadal timescales, to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of climate projections. Both projects contribute to improving the WeatherGenerator’s capabilities for better climate and weather predictions.

CESOC is a research partnership of the Universities Bonn and Cologne as well as the Forschungszentrum Jülich. Established in 2020, CESOC supported Bonn’s successful bid to host ECMWF, which opened its new premises in the city in 2021. The successful implementation of the new location of ECMWF in Bonn took place in summer 2021. Since then, CESOC and ECMWF have collaborated closely on projects to improve forecasting and environmental analysis. Ongoing global environmental changes require comprehensive knowledge on the manifold of processes shaping our climate system. Therefore CESOC aims to comprehensively observe, understand and forecast the Earth system in times of global environmental changes.