Second IOC/WESTPAC Summer School on Monsoon Onset Monitoring and its Social & Ecosystem Impacts (MOMSEI), Phuket, Thailand, 15-19 August 2011
Background
Asian Monsoon plays a significant role in the agriculture and the livelihood of people in the wider Southeast Asian Basin and its neighboring countries since it brings rainfall for the region. However, if the Asia Monsoon deviates from its normal pattern with late or early onset, it will cause floods and droughts, thus finally resulting in the disruption of agricultural operation, even displacement of inhabitants. In this sense, accurate forecasting of the timing of the onset is therefore very important.
To this end, in view that the Asian Monsoon is evidently influenced by and coupled with the ocean, the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) initiated in 2009, within its South East Asian- Ocean Observing System (SEAGOOS), one pilot project entitled “Monsoon Onset Monitoring and its Social and Ecosystem Impact” (MOMSEI). The project aims to improve, from the point of view of ocean-atmosphere interaction, the understanding and forecasting of Asia monsoon and its multi-scale variability at a regional scale through developing and carrying out air-sea observations over the Andaman Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB) and analyzing the preconditioning role of ocean in the monsoon onset since the Asian Summer Monsoon onsets firstly take place over AS&BoB and its vicinity. Since its inception, this project has been continuously developed and implemented with participation of scientists interested in mainly from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Philippine.
Following the successful organization of the First MOMSEI Summer School in Qingdao, China, July 2010, the Second MOMSEI Summer School will be held during 15-19 August, 2011 in Phuket, Thailand with kind host of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC).
The objectives of the MOMSEI Summer School is to build the capacity and improve the knowledge of MOMSEI participating countries, particularly their young scientists on Monsoon Climate, the role of the ocean in the monsoon system, and relevant ocean observation techniques.
Trainees
All trainees will be selected from IOC/WESTPAC member states with priority given to those young scientists and junior technical officers in MOMSEI participating countries. The applicants should have a good command of English. For those wishing to join the summer school, please send your CV, the Application Form to Mr. Wenxi Zhu (w.zhu@unesco.org), Head of IOC Regional Office for WESTPAC, with a copy to Dr. Somkiat Khokiattiwong (skhokiattiwong@gmail.com) at the Phuket Marine Biological Center.
Training Contents
Following multidiscipline lectures will be provided by several invited lecturers, specifically:
• Monsoon and its multi-scale variations
Prof. Tim Li, Univ. Hawaii, USA
• Phenomenon and dynamics of ENSO and IOD
Prof. Tim Li, Univ. Hawaii, USA
• Coral reef ecology
Prof. Claudio Richter, Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany
• Coral and climate
Prof. Claudio Richter, Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany
• Coral in Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand
Dr. Nipon Pongsuwan, Phuket Marine Biological Center, Thailand
• Coral bleaching and its relation to the sea surface temperature and oceanography features in Andaman Sea
Dr. Somkiat Khokiattiwong, Phuket Marine Biological Center, Thailand
• Monsoon monitoring
Dr. Weidong Yu, First Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China
• Regional oceanography in Southeast Asian Seas
Prof. Zengdi Pan, East China Sea Branch, SOA, China
Financial Information
Trainees are encouraged to cover their own travel and local expenditure incurred from the Summer School. However, some limited financial support for the most economical round trip air ticket and local expenditure is available upon request with priority given to the trainees from the MOMSEI participating countries.
All funded trainees are required to reserve and purchase their round-trip tickets as early as possible between their home country and Phuket. Reimbursement will be made after the summer school, depending on all receipts and boarding pass received.
Date and Venue
The Second MOMSEI Summer School will take place during 15-19 August 2011 at the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand. More detailed logistics information will be available soon.
Working Language
The training workshop will be conducted in English.
Visa
Selected trainees traveling to Thailand are perhaps required to have the entry visa to Thailand in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. Please check the visa requirements with the Thailand Embassy/Consulate in your country and apply for the entry-visa as soon as possible.
Accommodation
PMBC will arrange the guest rooms for the trainees.
Contacting Address
Mr. Wenxi Zhu
Head, UNESCO/IOC Regional Office for the Western Pacific
c/o Department of Marine and Coastal Resources
9th Fl., Government Complex B
120 Chaengwattana Rd, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
Tel. +66 2 1411287 Fax. +66 2 1439245 Email: w.zhu@unesco.org
Dr. Somkiat Khokiattiwong
Senior Marine Biologist
Phuket Marine Biological Centre
Department of Marine and Coastal Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
P.O. Box 60, Phuket 83000 Thailand
Tel: 66 76 391091 Fax: 66 76 391127 Email: skhokiattiwong@gmail.com