MSS CCRS
Singapore Government

Upcoming CCRS seminars

Date: 20th Feb 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Yi Wang (CCRS)
Topic: Potential impact of city development on extreme events

Abstract:
Extreme events, both natural and anthropogenic, increasingly affect cities in terms of economic losses and impacts on health and well-being. With a growing majority of the global population residing in urban areas, the unprecedented expansion of Asian cities amplifies these challenges. Meanwhile, the economic and health consequences of climate-related events are worsening, a trend projected to continue. The vast majority of studies on urban perturbation of local weather and climate have been centered on the urban heat island (UHI) effect, referring to the higher temperature in cities in comparison to their natural surroundings. Urbanization not only influences the UHI effect and heat waves but also exerts significant effects on atmospheric moisture, wind patterns, boundary layer structure, cloud formation, air pollutant dispersion, precipitation, and storm patterns. In this study, we will first focus on the scientific insights on the impact of urbanization on various aspects of regional climate and extreme weather events. We will also highlight the major research challenges in our understanding of the impacts of urbanization and provide our perspective and recommendations for future research priorities and directions in this critical field.

Speakers Profiles:
Dr Yi Wang is currently Research Scientist at core modelling development branch at CCRS. Dr. Wang received her B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in Construction Environment and Equipment Engineering from Tianjin University in 2011 and 2013, respectively. She received her dual degree in Finance from School of Economics in Nankai University in 2011. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Hong Kong in 2017. She was an ASP Postdoctoral fellow at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Afterward, she was a scientist at Aurora Automation Technology and also a visiting scholar at University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research interests focus on urban meteorology and climatology, urban resilience and sustainability against extreme events (including extreme heat, rainfall and wind events), inverse identification for air pollutant sources and energy-efficient on building systems and AC systems.

Date: 23rd Feb 2024, Tuesday (2:00pm – 3:00pm)

Presenter: Davide Faranda (CNRS)
Topic: ClimaMeter: Putting Extreme Weather in Climate Perspective

Abstract:
Climate change is a global challenge with multiple far-reaching consequences, including the intensification and increased frequency of many extreme weather events. In response to this pressing issue, we present ClimaMeter, a platform designed to assess and contextualise extreme weather events relative to climate change. The platform offers near real-time insights into the dynamics of extreme events, serving as a resource for researchers, policymakers, and being a science dissemination tool for the general public. ClimaMeter currently analyses heatwaves, cold spells, heavy precipitation and windstorms. This talk elucidates the methodology, data sources, and analytical techniques on which ClimaMeter relies, providing a comprehensive overview of its scientific foundation. To illustrate Climameter, we provide few examples from recent weather extreme events. Moreover, we underscore the role of ClimaMeter in fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between climate change and extreme weather, with the hope of ultimately contributing to informed decision-making and climate resilience. Follow us on X @ClimaMeter and on www.climameter.org.

Speaker Profile:
Davide Faranda is a CNRS research director in climate science at the LSCE laboratory of Paris-Saclay University, leading the ESTIMR group. His main expertise lies in attributing extreme weather events to climate change. Since September 2017, he has also been an external researcher at the London Mathematical Laboratory in London, UK, and at the Laboratory of Dynamic Meteorology at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Date: 27th Feb 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Francisco J. Doblas-Reyes (BSC)
Topic: Research on climate services at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center

Abstract:
The BSC has performed research in climate services during several years. In this time it focused on aspects related to the usefulness of subseasonal to decadal prediction in the energy and agriculture sectors. It has recently started to explore examples for longer time scales. The regional focus of the service has been in Europe, Africa and South America. The accumulated experience as service provider in a research context has demonstrated that the rapidly growing sector of climate services will benefit from a comprehensive approach for quality assurance. This talk will illustrate these points with examples from the collaborative projects in which the BSC is involved.

Speaker Profile:
Dr. Francisco J. Doblas-Reyes started to work on climate variability at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) in 1992, where he did the PhD in physics. He worked as a postdoc in Météo-France (Toulouse), at the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (Torrejón, Spain) and for ten years at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Reading, UK). He was the group leader at the Institut Català de Ciències del Clima from 2010 to 2015. He now lead the Department of Earth Sciences of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), which hosts more than 170 engineers, and natural and social scientists working on supercomputing and data analysis to provide the best information and services on climate and air quality. He is author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers (h index 73, Google Scholar), lead author of the Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports of the IPCC, member of several international scientific committees and advisory boards, and direct supervisor of around 30 postdocs, engineers and PhD students.

Date: 5th Mar 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Danielle Su (CCRS)
Topic: A Matter of Scale – Modelling physical, biogeochemical and ecosystem ocean processes

Abstract:
The spatial and temporal scales that one decides to model at depends on its application for scale and process representation. Such consideration is crucial for ocean circulation models, since they are a foundational component for earth system, ecosystem and biogeochemical models. In this seminar, Dr Su will present on several coastal and regional ocean model configurations and how they can be applied for case studies addressing the following themes: (i) Coastal adaptation design; (ii) Biogeochemical and ecosystem processes; (iii) Impact of climate modes on sub mesoscale ocean processes.

Speaker Profile:
Dr Danielle Su is part of the Core Modelling Development Branch at CCRS and will be working on the development of a high resolution coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave, cSINGV, for Singapore and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining CCRS, Dr Su worked as an oceanographer for the international consultancy, DHI, where her portfolio covered scenario design for coastal adaption, extreme MetOcean design and biogeochemical modelling for blue carbon ecosystems. She completed her PhD at The University of Western Australia where her research focused on the seasonal and interannual variability of flow topography interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean as part of UNESCO’s Second International Indian Ocean Expedition. After her PhD, Dr Su worked at LOCEAN/CNRS in Paris, France as a postdoctoral scientist investigating physical mechanisms of oceanic carbon subduction.

Date: 12th Mar 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Htet Naing (CCRS)
Topic: Machine learning methods for data-driven microscopic traffic simulation modelling and calibration

Abstract:
The progression of machine learning (ML) within the realm of microscopic traffic modelling and simulation presents a unique opportunity to explore the synergy between modern ML methods and traditional microscopic traffic simulation (MTS) models. Thus, this research work aims to enhance MTS models’ accuracy and realism by integrating ML in two critical areas: MTS modelling and calibration. Firstly, it integrates physics-based and learning-based approaches to enhance the modelling and calibration of a central component of the MTS—namely, car-following model. To achieve this purpose, a novel calibration approach based on deep reinforcement learning is employed as well as new physics-guided graph learning-based method is introduced for car-following modelling. Next, a dynamic data-driven simulation framework is proposed for short-term traffic forecasting while adopting physics-guided machine learning paradigm. Finally, it addresses the challenge of fine-grained trajectory reconstruction using MTS combined with surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization in real-world scenarios. In summary, this research work bridges the gap between ML and MTS models by exploiting their synergies, hence marking a significant step forward in the field of traffic simulation.

Speakers Profiles:
Mr Htet Naing is currently a Research Scientist working on the development of machine/deep learning approaches for weather nowcasting models. He has recently submitted his PhD thesis (Computer Science – Pending oral defense) at Nanyang Technological University. He has five years of extensive research experience in machine learning, simulation, and calibration. His prior research focuses on exploiting the synergy between physics and learning via physics-informed/-guided machine learning approaches with successful applications in data-driven microscopic traffic simulation modelling and calibration.

Date: 26th Mar 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Gianmarco Mengaldo (NUS)
Topic: Explainable AI for weather and climate with a focus on extremes

Abstract:
Earth’s climate is changing rapidly under the effect of global warming, leading to more frequent and severe extreme weather events [1,2]. These weather extremes, in turn, are exacting heavy socioeconomic and environmental tolls [3], prompting an urgent need for better understanding and predicting them. In this talk, we present some recent results obtained for the tropical Indo-Pacific region, using methods arising in dynamical system theory. In particular, we show that changes in weather patterns are leading to more weather extremes, namely heatwaves and extreme precipitation. These extremes can only be partially explained by El Niño-Southern Oscillation-driven variability. We then present the use of explainable AI tools to investigate the onset and precursors of these extremes. More specifically, we try to bridge existing human knowledge and “AI knowledge” to better understand their behaviour and predictability.

Speakers Profiles:
Dr Gianmarco Mengaldo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National University of Singapore (Singapore), and an Honorary Research Fellow at Imperial College London (United Kingdom). He received his BSc and MSc in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and his PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College London (United Kingdom). After his PhD he undertook various roles both in industry and academia, including at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Keefe, Bruyette and Woods (KBW). Dr Mengaldo’s adopts an interdisciplinary approach integrating mathematical and computational engineering to study complex systems that arise in applied science. His current research interests involve (i) explainable AI, both theoretical and applied, (ii) the intersection between AI and domain knowledge, (iii) high-fidelity multi-physics simulation tools, and (iv) data-mining technologies for coherent pattern identification. Dr Mengaldo’s main application areas include engineering, geophysics, healthcare, and finance.

Date: 2nd Apr 2024, Tuesday (11:00am – 12:00pm)
Presenter: Yanyan Cheng (CCRS)
Topic: Earth system modelling for Nature-based climate solutions

Abstract:
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a key land-based carbon removal strategy in future Shared Socioeconomic Pathways that are designed to limit global warming to well below 2 °C by the end of the 21st century. It’s crucial to assess the climate and carbon outcomes of such a large-scale projected expansion of bioenergy crops and its impact compared to alternative Nature-based climate solutions, such as reforestation and afforestation. However, most of the current assessments have focused on relatively small domains or have ignored crucial carbon-water-nitrogen interactions. In addition, existing assessments of BECCS either focus on the effectiveness of carbon removal or biophysically-driven climate change impacts. Given that carbon and climate outcomes can diverge, a consensus accounting of the two effects is yet to be done. By using an integrated multisector and multiscale human-natural system modeling framework, this study evaluates the biogeochemical and biogeophysical implications of two alternative land-based mitigation scenarios that aim to achieve the same end-of-the-century radiative forcing. Our findings highlight the need for strategic land use planning to identify suitable regions for bioenergy expansion and re/afforestation, thereby improving the likelihood of achieving the intended climate mitigation outcomes.

Speakers Profiles:
Dr. Yanyan Cheng is currently a Research Scientist at the Core Modelling Development Branch at CCRS. Before joining CCRS, Dr. Cheng is a Senior Research Fellow at NUS. From 2018 to 2020, she was a Postdoc Research Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the U.S. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Wyoming in 2018. She is an Earth System modeler and hydrologist working on the intricate vegetation-water-carbon-land dynamics. Her research interests focus on Nature-based climate solutions, tropical ecohydrology, and hydrological and Earth System model development. She also specializes in the utilization of optimization techniques for Earth system modeling applications.

 

About the CCRS seminar series

CCRS hosts a regular seminar series to share scientific progress in areas of relevance to CCRS and MSS activities, amongst our staff as well as with our collaborators.

These seminars serve also to connect the wider research communities interested in these topics. As such, we actively encourage and promote participation in the seminar series from the local and international researchers/practitioners in the field of earth sciences. You can find out more about the topics that were covered and the seminar speakers from the list of the past talks below.

If you wish to be kept updated on upcoming seminars or to present your research in the CCRS seminar series, or just to find out more about our seminar series, please contact us at NEA_CCRS_Engage@nea.gov.sg for more details.