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MONAN Cover Letter

Note

  • The PDF file of this version of the letter is attached at the end of the page. Version initially presented to the Scientific Committee on August 30, 2021, revised on April 26, 2022.
  • New versions with updates and corrections will be maintained on this page (link to update history).
  • A presentation about MONAN (by Saulo Freitas/INPE) is available via the link.

Model for Ocean-laNd-Atmosphere predictioN – MONAN

The Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies (CPTEC), based at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), is undergoing a restructuring process aimed at optimizing human and financial resources, as well as enhancing its national and international leadership in science and technology. This process is part of a major restructuring project led by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, which promoted the reorganization of INPE into a new structure comprising eight Centers, including the Coordination of Earth Sciences, the new CPTEC headquarters.

In a context of climate change and environmental insecurity, INPE aims to develop new strategies that deliver fast and effective responses to Brazilian society in addressing problems associated with extreme weather, climate, and environmental events that bring significant economic and social impact. Promoting effective solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change relies on creating a national numerical modeling program. The initiative seeks to involve partners from diverse sectors such as academic institutions, public policymakers, and national and regional meteorological agencies, to streamline the transfer of research and technological development conducted at INPE into services. This program will involve the development and operationalization of a unified community modeling system designed to provide a wide range of meteorological and environmental products. In line with Brazil’s National Innovation Policy, INPE seeks to foster the transformation of numerical modeling knowledge into innovative products, processes, and services for society's benefit.

The initiative’s focus is the development and operationalization of a unified community modeling system—the Model for Ocean-laNd-Atmosphere predictioN (MONAN)—to produce forecasts emphasizing the tropical region and South America across various spatial and temporal scales, aiming to meet the needs of the productive and social sectors. With collaboration from the academic sector, INPE will lead the development of MONAN, replacing the current operational atmospheric models. A Scientific Committee composed of national and international scientists will be responsible for MONAN’s governance. This Committee is made up of researchers from diverse meteorological and related fields to discuss and manage MONAN’s development, basing decisions on scientific criteria and seeking academic partners willing to collaborate on the proposed themes, namely:

  • Integrated Modeling System;
  • Atmosphere;
  • Land Surface and Soils;
  • Oceans and Continental/Sea Ice;
  • Space Weather;
  • High Performance Computing and Code Quality;
  • Earth System Data Assimilation;
  • Advanced Data Assimilation Methods and Artificial Intelligence Applications;
  • Pre- and Post-processing Methods for Weather and Climate Forecasts;
  • Surface and Subsurface Hydrology;
  • Statistical Evaluation.

Each theme has a leader who serves as the contact point with other MONAN development areas and is also responsible for creating sub-collaboration networks with partners in the national and international scientific community. These sub-networks will draft documents that outline the requirements, demands, and contributions of the scientific community involved in MONAN’s development.

During MONAN’s development, there will be opportunities for the Brazilian numerical modeling community to engage in building a nationally relevant system, ensuring a more resilient present and a sustainable future for Brazilian society. In the future, the involvement of all Latin America and the Caribbean is anticipated in MONAN’s continuous and long-term development.

For more information about model development and updates from the Scientific Committee, visit: https://monanadmin.github.io/monan_cc_docs/.

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