Open Call for Self-Nomination for the Membership of the Global Extremes Platform (GEP) Working Group on Event Attribution

 

This is an open call to fill vacant position(s) within the GEP Working Group on Event Attribution. This open call is targeted at the Global South and/or other underrepresented regions.

GEP overview

The Global Extremes Platform (GEP) builds upon and integrates activities on weather and climate extremes across WCRP. It is designed to contribute to improving the delivery of science, information, and data concerning extremes.

GEP centers on three main themes:

  • Extreme Indices
  • Event Attribution
  • Assessment of Weather and Climate Extremes

Working Group on Event Attribution

Event attribution is the process of determining how anthropogenic influence on the climate has changed the likelihood or magnitude of an extreme weather event. There is an increasing demand for event attribution information, including operationally (supporting technical infrastructure and capability to provide results shortly after an event), in the context of loss and damage, and to support international activities monitoring the state of the global climate and impacts of climate change. Although many operational event attribution systems exist, with more in development, there is a wide range in the structure of these systems and in the scale and type of information they provide. There is also a range of scientific and technical challenges in the application of attribution to many types of extreme weather.

The Working Group on Event Attribution aims to support activities that will:

  • Foster extreme event attribution collaboration and research to provide information globally, particularly in an operational context, that is clear, defensible, traceable, and consistently interpreted, including development of best practice guidelines.
  • Increase the capacity for event attribution in the Global South and underrepresented regions 

To achieve this, the Working Group will:

  1. Provide strategic direction for collaboration on event attribution to support clear and consistent delivery of information in an operational and services context
  2. Conduct a critical assessment of existing literature and practices and develop technical guidance on the methods, limitations, and interpretation of event attribution, and associated uncertainties, for World Meteorological Organization (WMO) members and the broader community
  3. Foster inter-disciplinary collaboration to improve understanding of the communication and potential application of extreme event attribution, including encouraging transparency and ethical use.
  4. Encourage and facilitate the sharing of knowledge, methods, data and resources in conjunction with other GEP and WCRP efforts,
  5. Motivate the wider community and funding agencies to support activities that will contribute to capacity-development in the global south and under-represented regions.
  6. Lead strategic discussion within the community on the gaps in and priorities for extreme event attribution research, as well as on setting the research agenda, which includes the development of new approaches to overcome existing limitations where needed and the extension to impact attribution. 

How to apply

Apply by sending your application document including a 1-page CV and a half-page motivation statement as a single PDF file to the GEP Support Unit (GEP-SU@nuist.edu.cn).

Please name the PDF file as: “Event_Attribution_Membership_Application_[Name].pdf”.

Remuneration

These are voluntary, unpaid roles.

Term

The initial term length is 4 years, with the possibility to renew twice, each time for an additional two years.

Diversity and Inclusion

We welcome applications from individuals who can provide expertise in event attribution, or can provide a bridge to relevant or related disciplines including, but not limited to, statistical methods, social sciences, capacity building, or climate impacts research. Regional representation will be a priority, with the expectation that selected members will act as conduits for event attribution efforts in their region. Early career researchers (ECRs), women, gender-diverse individuals, and representatives from emerging economies are particularly encouraged to apply.