Research collaborations for better predictions of aviation weather hazards

More than 50 participants consisting of research scientists, federal agencies, and operational forecasters from South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany met in Jeju Island, Korea, during 2–4 November 2016 at the Fifth Workshop on Aviation Meteorology (http://atmosdyn.yonsei.ac.kr/program_2016) to share their research results and forecasting experiences for improving the prediction of aviation weather hazards. As the volume of global air transportation has increased and continues to increase rapidly, improvement in the prediction of aviation weather hazards is greatly needed for the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations. At cruising altitudes (about z = 5–12 km), accurate forecasts for turbulence, icing, and convection are critical for reducing extra costs due to in-flight injuries, structural damage, and flight delays by encountering those hazards (e.g., Sharman et al. 2012; Sharman and Lane 2016). Reliable predictions of upper-level jet and wind variations can also have a significant impact on optimal flight-routing planning (Kim et al. 2015; 2016). Near airports, rapidly updated nowcasts from observing and modeling systems are crucial to identify possible low-level wind shear and downburst events, which can cause serious safety issues for departing and landing airplanes (e.g., Wong et al. 2013). From a long-term perspective, a better understanding of the two-way interaction between climate change and aviation may help establish a better strategy for green aviation in the future (Williams 2016). Despite the importance of research to aviation meteorology, only a few scientific groups internationally are currently studying these topics. To collaborate and promote research activities in aviation meteorology, the Workshop on Aviation Meteorology has been hosted biennially by Yonsei University (YSU) since 2008. The fundamental goal of this workshop is to find pathways to strengthen collaborations among the active research groups, operational weather forecast centers, and stakeholders, which can improve operational forecasting models and observing techniques to better predict and analyze aviation weather hazards and can eventually mitigate the adverse weather impact on aviation. The participants presented and discussed on-going research results on four main themes: 1) development of global aviation turbulence forecasting systems, 2) improvements in modeling and observing systems of aviation meteorology, 3) local weather forecasts and low-level wind shear, and 4) interaction between aviation and climate change.