Foundation for Environment, Climate and Technology

Summary of Climate Work

We have undertaken hydro-climate data management, climatic diagnostics, hydro-climatic analysis, climate modeling and climate prediction. Our work has been oriented towards the needs of our climate applications projects. We have also published in international and national journals as well as in newspaper and magazine articles and communicated this work with two dozen presentations, through post-graduate education and workshops.

Data Management: We have acquired and organized data and carried out careful quality assessment.

Climate Assessment and Research: We worked towards understanding the climatological patterns, and the causes of these. We developed a climate calendar which is a representation of the seasonality of climate.

Climate Diagnosis: We diagnosed seasonal, inter-annual, decadal, multi-decadal and long-term trends. In particular, we investigated the impact of two of the principal modes of regional inter-annual variability, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole. In addition, we provided detailed assessments of climate change.

Climate Modelling: We developed a model for capturing topographically induced rainfall. We also developed a high-resolution wind climate model ignoring the rainfall mechanisms. We partnered to develop a high-resolution regional climate model.

Climate Prediction: We have investigated the skill of seasonal predictions from global climate models. We have collaborated to implement a statistical methodology to correct the biases for predictions of global models for rainfall over Sri Lanka and to make it available at high resolution.

Hydro-climatic Diagnosis: We have published studies on the ENSO and Indian Ocean influences on the Kelani and Mahaweli streamflow.

Hydro-climatic Modelling: We have developed a water resources system simulation model for the Walawe. We have calibrated a land surface model for small catchments and collaborated to produce an island-wide land surface model that mimics hydrological features at high resolution.

Hydro-climatic Monitoring: We are working towards a near real-time hydro-meteorological monitoring system in collaboration with the Mahaweli Authority which combines surface and satellite-based observations.

Climate Work for Sectoral Projects

Climate and Water Resources Management: We explored the usability of climate information and predictions for river basin management. We developed seasonal rainfall predictions.

Climate and Agriculture: We have reported on the climate impacts on rice and coconut production and the prediction of crop production. We developed climate change assessment, undertook impact studies and vulnerability studies.

Climate and Environment: We developed geospatial hydro-climate and environmental databases and elephant ecology databases, assessed relationships between climate variability and elephant deaths. We also characterized NDVI data sets and its links to climate.

Climate and Health: We are undertaking climate impact analysis on dengue and malaria in Sri Lanka and hope to develop early warning systems. A physically based hydrology model was implemented.

Climate and Disaster Risk Management: We developed methodologies to use weather and climate information for flood, drought, landslide and cyclone hazard identification.