Expert Meeting on Water Manager Needs for Climate Information in Water Resources Planning

This activity report is based on a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Expert Meeting aimed at identifying the current state of climate information that potentially could be used by water managers that would suit their requirements. The meeting served as a platform to identify current uses of climate information in water management and to provide an overview at which scales climate information has the greatest potential for use now and the near future. Likewise, gaps and deficiencies in present knowledge and research were identified. The meeting showed that climate predictions and seasonal climate outlooks at present have the highest potential to be more readily used, while predictions of climate variability and change are not yet ready to be applied from an engineering point of view. Additionally, other techniques are required to improve prediction skills to reduce large uncertainties. The meeting concluded that all possible information should be processed in such a way that it would allow the development of adaptation processes and activities despite prevailing uncertainties. Major outcomes of the expert meeting include the encouragement to develop demonstration projects; and an agenda and work plan for a WMO initiative on “Improvement in Water Resources Planning through the Use of Climate Information”.