The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) will be officially launched in May 2017. YOPP will be an internationally-coordinated period of intensive observing, modeling, prediction, verification, user engagement, and educational activities initiated by the World Meteorological Organization’s World Weather Research Programme (WWRP). The goal of YOPP is to advance significantly our environmental prediction capabilities for the polar regions and beyond.
The core phase of YOPP will be from mid-2017 to mid-2019, and within this a Special Observing Period in the Southern Hemisphere will occur from mid-November 2018 to mid-February 2019. This will have intensified research activities, including enhanced synoptic observations and radiosonde launches.
To make further progress in the coordination of the various activities planned in the Southern Hemisphere during YOPP, the second YOPP-SH planning meeting will be held June 28–29, 2017 at NCAR immediately following the Workshop on Antarctic Meteorology and Climate. In order to improve Southern Ocean forecasting capabilities in a joint effort, modeling efforts, observations taken at Antarctic stations and in various field campaigns, and the contribution of Southern Ocean data to the YOPP data portal will be discussed during the meeting. Sessions will address the topics of modeling, observations, and YOPP products.