Indian Ocean Modeling Workshop

International Pacific Research Center

November 29 – December 3, 2004

At a joint meeting of the International CLIVAR Asian-Australian Monsoon and Indian Ocean Panels in February 2004, it was decided to hold an international workshop on Indian Ocean (IO) modeling. Such a meeting is especially warranted, given the many recent observational and modeling studies indicating the significant influence of the IO on both regional and global climate. Furthermore the Indian Ocean Panel with the IOGOOS is developing an implementation plan for sustained observations of the Indian Ocean. This Workshop will also provide a forum for the modeling community to contribute to assessments of the proposed observing system.

Overall goals of the Workshop are to: 1) assess the ability of existing IO models (both ocean-only and coupled systems) to represent oceanic variability on time scales from days to decades, including the influence of ocean biology; 2) identify knowledge gaps where there are insufficient observations to constrain the models; 3) make recommendations for model improvements; and 4) explore the usefulness of IO models in assisting the design of the IO observing system. Questions to be addressed include: What are recent (and past) accomplishments in the field of IO modeling (e.g., Wyrtki Jets, Somali Current, Indian coastal currents, Indonesian Throughflow, shallow overturning circulations, mixed-layer processes especially the extent and variability of the barrier layer in regions such as the Bay of Bengal, influences of ENSO and the IODZM events)? What IO phenomena cannot be adequately modeled with existing IO models (e.g., thin salinity layers, Java/Sumatra upwelling, Indonesian Throughflow), and what specific improvements and observations are needed?

The workshop will be hosted by the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, USA, from November 29 – December 3, 2004. It is expected that the first 2½–3 days of the meeting will be reserved for individual presentations, with the remainder of the meeting set aside for Working Groups to address specific topics and provide recommendations for future model development and for assisting in the implementation of the proposed IO Observing System. It is expected that attendees will provide their own funds to attend the meeting, but some limited support is available

If there is enough interest, the editors of the Journal of Climate will consider publishing a special issue on modeling IO climate variability based on papers presented at the Workshop. Please let Dr. Tommy Jensen (tjensen@hawaii.edu) know if you would like your paper to be considered for publication in this issue.

Please register and submit your abstract at

https://iprc.soest.hawaii.edu/meetings/workshops/IOM-2004-abstract-submission.html

by August 31, 2004. To help defray meeting costs, there will be a registrations fee of $150 to be paid on the first day of the meeting by cash or travelers check.