UCL WRC Presents Brian Golding for the Book Launch of ‘Towards the “Perfect” Weather Warning'

The UCL WRC welcome Brian Golding to launch his new book on Wednesday 20th July, 15:30-17:00 UK time, followed by a drinks reception.

Location: UCL Main Campus and virtual attendance; those joining virtually will be sent a Zoom link via email prior to the event. Please choose ‘virtual attendance’ at checkout using the Eventbrite link above..

Overview:
This book is about the contribution of early warnings to reducing damage, disruption and distress from natural hazards. Its theme is partnership – between producers and receivers of warnings, and between the many experts who contribute to creating a warning.
Excerpt From Brian Golding, Editor

The effectiveness of any early warning system is not a matter of whether warnings are issued but rather if the warnings lead to appropriate and timely action to save lives and reduce damage to critical infrastructure. Thanks to WMO and its members, we know what works. The challenge before us is to make that available in places which need it most but are currently underserved.
Except from Mami Mizutori, Preface

The WRC are delighted to host the launch of one of the most exciting books in warnings published to date. Following the 10-year High Impact Weather (HIWeather) project of the World Weather Research Programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this book brings together 50 expert contributors under the leadership of the editor Brian Golding to highlight the successful partnership across the wide variety of disciplines involved in warning production, between weather services and academia, and between countries. This book is aimed at professionals and trainee professionals with a role in the warning chain, i.e., in weather services, emergency management agencies, disaster risk reduction agencies, risk management sections of infrastructure agencies and relevant parts of government, with an emphasis on putting it into practice. Following the ‘Warnings for All Initiative’ announced by UN Secretary General António Guterres on 23rd March 2022, for countries to ensure that everyone worldwide is protected by early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change, the focus on the role of warnings as part of early action has been heightened. The WMO have been tasked with leading this initiative, and this book has a vital role to play in considering how not just to make sure everyone is covered by warnings, but that they are more effective, generating the actions needed for safety. Integration of the first mile is critical to this process as highlighted in the book.

The event will comprise of an overview by the editor Brian Golding, and then a panel discussion with some of the authors with a Q&A session from the audience (both present and virtually).

Book overview:
This book is about making weather warnings more effective in saving lives, property, infrastructure and livelihoods, but the underlying theme of the book is partnership. The book represents the warning process as a pathway linking observations to weather forecasts to hazard forecasts to socio-economic impact forecasts to warning messages to the protective decision, via a set of five bridges that cross the divides between the relevant organisations and areas of expertise. Each bridge represents the communication, translation and interpretation of information as it passes from one area of expertise to another and ultimately to the decision maker, who may be a professional or a member of the public. The authors explore the partnerships upon which each bridge is built, assess the expertise and skills that each partner brings and the challenges of communication between them, and discuss the structures and methods of working that build effective partnerships. The book is ordered according to the “first mile” paradigm in which the decision maker comes first, and then the production chain through the warning and forecast to the observations is considered second. This approach emphasizes the importance of co-design and co-production throughout the warning process. The book is targeted at professionals and trainee professionals with a role in the warning chain, i.e. in weather services, emergency management agencies, disaster risk reduction agencies, risk management sections of infrastructure agencies.

The Springer Ebook can be downloaded for free here:  https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-98989-7

The UCL Warning Research Centre welcomes researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, the media, businesses, and other stakeholders to attend. The event will be held online and in person at UCL, Bloomsbury, London.

This event is supported by the WRC.

Program (UK Time):
15:30 Welcome by Dr Carina Fearnley - Director of the UCL Warning Research Centre
15:40 Overview of the Book – Brian Golding, Met Office fellow in weather impacts, and WMO co-chair of HIWeather
16:15 Panel Discussion
17:00 Drinks reception

The “Five valleys of death” – taken from ‘Towards the “Perfect” Weather Warning: Bridging Disciplinary Gaps through Partnership and Communication’

Brian Golding

Professor Brian Golding is a Fellow in Weather Impacts at the Met Office, visiting professor at Bristol University and co-chair of the World Meteorological Organisation’s 10-year High Impact Weather project (HIWeather). His first degree in Mathematics at Leeds University was followed by a PhD at Reading University in the study of baroclinic instability in dry and moist atmospheres. In a 50-year career at the Met Office, Brian’s research has spanned numerical modelling, data assimilation, nowcasting, flood and ocean wave prediction, interactive forecaster graphics, and weather impacts in aviation, defence, road maintenance and health amongst others. From 1990-1992 he was on sabbatical at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, applying mesoscale NWP to Australian weather systems. From 2005-2012 he was Deputy Director of Weather Science at the Met Office. Following his retirement from this role, he was awarded the OBE for services to weather forecasting and the prediction of hazardous weather.

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