Meteorology is an integral part of our daily lives, often limited to the weather forecasts we see in the news. However, it goes far beyond that, encompassing the complex physical processes that occur in the Earth’s atmosphere. These processes include climate, which in recent decades has placed meteorology “in the spotlight” due to the increasing impact of climate change worldwide. Today, meteorology is an essential science for predicting, understanding, and adapting to the climatic changes affecting our planet.
CESAM has a robust and active research program in Meteorology, Climatology, and Climate Change, with one of its main research lines focused precisely on these topics. The strategic research line TL1 – Climate Change, Adaptation, and Mitigation has contributed to the development of new approaches to understanding and combating climate change.
Within this research line, Research Cluster 3 – Oceanic and Atmospheric Modeling is dedicated to atmospheric, climatic, and meteorological modeling and research, with a focus on predicting significant climate and atmospheric phenomena. The work carried out by this research cluster has been crucial in leading and participating in several high-impact research projects, both nationally and internationally.
Among the key projects led by CESAM are:
• ClimACT: A climate atlas for Portugal’s future, focusing on impact studies and climate change mitigation.
• CLICURB: A study on urban air quality, climate change, and city resilience.
• FIRESTORM: Research on meteorology and firestorm behavior, a phenomenon increasingly relevant due to wildfires.
• CLIPE: Analysis of climate change impacts on extreme precipitation events in the Iberian Peninsula.
These and other projects developed by CESAM have provided insights and contributions to the advancement of meteorological and climate science, reinforcing the importance of scientific research in developing solutions to tackle the challenges of climate change.
Video: Meteorology explores atmospheric and climatic phenomena, including their causes, behaviour, and forecasting.