Trieste, 20/01/2017
The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, together with the Guatemalan
System for the Science of Climate Change (SGCCC), Guatemala, the University of San
Carlos, Guatemala and NASA-GISS, USA is organizing a Workshop entitled
“The Science of Climate Change: a focus on Central America and the Caribbean Islands”
To be held in Antigua, Guatemala, on March 14-16, 2017.
Please register at: http://indico.ictp.it/event/7949/
The Caribbean and Mesoamerican regions are lacking a cadre of climate scientists and
modelers, resulting in limited research in the field of physical climate science in the region,
and the necessity to rely on research and products developed in other countries.
The main goal of the workshop is to expose local regional scientists to an overview of the
physics of climate, the anthropogenic effects on climate and climate change problems from
both a global and regional perspectives.
The workshop will also provide information on the state-of-the-science global and regional
modeling.
The final aims of the workshop are
1. Promote capacity building and knowledge transfer between leading experts in the field,
their Institutions and Mesoamerican Universities and Research Institutes.
2. Foster international research programs, visits by young scientists and the development of
research strategies for the Mesoamerican community.
As such, the expected outcomes of the workshop are
(i) Review of the global and regional climate and climate change aspects affecting the
Mesoamerican region.
(ii) Development of topics to be investigated together with the local community.
(iii) Writing a draft strategic science plan / white paper for Climate Change Research and
Training in the Mesoamerican region.
To facilitate meaningful information exchange, the workshop will be limited to about 40
participants, with about 30 students and early career scientists.
A preliminary agenda is at the bottom of this letter.
As a final point, the city of Antigua belongs to the UNESCO list of Patrimony of Humanity. It
is a beautiful colonial city 28km from the Capital with about 25-30 thousand inhabitants.
Excursions to the great heritage of the Mayan civilization can easily be arranged from
Antigua as well as to the colorful Thursday and/or Sunday one-day excursion to the open
market in Chichicastenanago (see it on the web). An after dinner Lecture on the Mayan
Civilization and on the often suggested effect of Climate Change on their demise, is being
arranged as well.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Riccardo Farneti (ICTP, Italy)
Vittorio Canuto (NASA-GISS, USA)
Edgar Cifuentes (USAC, Guatemala)
Edgar Pazos (USAC, Guatemala)
Preliminary Agenda
(Venue: Centro Cultural Santo Tomas de Aquino, USAC)
DAY 1
Morning Session
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Opening of the Workshop
Lecture 1: The Oceans
Lecture 2: The Atmosphere
Lecture 3: Sea level rise
Afternoon Session
Climate variability and change in Central America Sea level rise in the Caribbean Sea Round table: Participation in international projects, development of regional scientific and
educational programs, exchange visits of young scientists with international Institutions (e.g.,
NASA, ICTP).
DAY 2
Morning Session
Lecture 1: Regional Models
Lecture 2: Ocean General Circulation Models
Lecture 3: Climate Modelling in Latin America
Afternoon Session
Regional Modelling in Latin America
Downscaling in Central America
Regional Modelling in Central America
Central and Caribbean american climate
Round table: research priorities and needs for the Mesoamerican and Caribbean regions.
DAY3
• "El Acuerdo de Paris sobre el Cambio Climatico y la COP22 de Marrakech: Salvaremos el
Planeta?" (Laura Fassio, UN)
•
"Maya and Climate Change" (Marcello Canuto, TU)