23rd September, 2016 Tongan Meteorological Technician, Mr. Siale Tahaafe of the Tonga Meteorological Service is attending a specialized meteorological course in Tokyo Japan fully funded by the Japanese Government. This 3 month program is being organized and led by experts from the Government of Japan under the JICA Agency.
The program is designed for participants from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), and is intended to provide basic knowledge and key techniques for use in numerical weather prediction, satellite meteorology and climate information for advanced meteorological services.
It is also designed to build capacity for the application of these resources to the production and delivery of meteorological and climatological information needed by disaster prevention authorities and other users. The Tonga Meteorological Service is expected to use the results of the program to improve its operational abilities through the transfer of acquired knowledge and techniques.
The Program will focus on key techniques such as numerical weather prediction, radar meteorology and satellite meteorology; learn to produce climate information using climate and global environmental data and products, and to brief users on such information and develop comprehensive and concrete action plans to address issues of their own NMHSs for use in their home countries. The Program will further improve the capability of the Tonga MET Office to enhance forecasting of severe weather and tropical cyclones.
There are a total of 8 participants from 8 Countries attending this training including Vietnam, Myanmar, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tonga, Samoa, Iran and Brazil. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has conducted meteorological training for more than 40 years to contribute to building capacity in the meteorological services of developing countries.
Mr. Tahaafe is the 6th Meteorological Officer from Tonga to benefit from this training over the years. Of the 6 trained, 5 are still working at the Tonga Meteorological Service with 3 Officers at the Fua’amotu Forecasting Centre and the other 2 the Meteorological OICs at Vava’u and Ha’apai.
ENDS
For further information please contact the Meteorology Division on 35355 or metstaff@met.gov.to. More information is also available at www.met.gov.to