Activity Report of the Tokyo Climate Center for 2007
Kumi Hayashi
Head, Tokyo Climate Center, Japan Meteorological Agency

The Tokyo Climate Center (TCC) of the Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) has prepared the Activity Report of the Tokyo Climate Center for 2007,
covering climate-related activities made by TCC in 2007 and its action plans for2008.
1. TCC website and products
The Tokyo Climate Center (TCC) of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) launched
a new website (http://ds.data.jma.go.jp/tcc/tcc/index.html) in March 2007. As one of thenew services offered via the site, an online web-based interactive climate database called
ClimatView was made available, enabling users to view and download data on monthly mean
temperatures and monthly total precipitation derived from CLIMAT reports. Monthly
Highlights on Climate System, focusing on monthly highlights of the climate, atmosphericcirculation and oceanographic conditions, has been available on the website since April 2007.
The TCC website will be renewed in early 2008 with several new types of content
including downscaled prediction products for one-month prediction in Southeast Asia. A
new publication, Annual Report on Climate System 2007 will be issued in early 2008,
covering topics on extreme climate events around the world as well as a summary of theclimate system in 2007.
2. JRA-25 and COBE-SST
A joint project between JMA and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power
Industry on the long-term global atmospheric reanalysis known as Japanese 25-year
Reanalysis (JRA-25) was completed in March 2006. The data assimilation system used inJRA-25 is operated as the JMA Climate Data Assimilation System (JCDAS). Both JRA-25
and JCDAS data (1979–present) are available through the JRA-25 official website(http://jra.kishou.go.jp/index_en.html).
3. Extended- and long-range EPS
JMA’s one-month ensemble prediction system (EPS) was upgraded in March 2007,
introducing new climatology of aerosol optical depth based on satellite observation and animproved cumulus convection scheme. For three-month and warm/cold season predictions,a new atmospheric model (GSM0703C) was introduced, consisting of a low-resolution
version of the model used in the one-month prediction described above. The number ofensemble members increased from 31 to 51 and uncertainty in prescribed sea surface
temperature (SST) was considered in addition to uncertainty in the initial condition.
In 2008, new elements of GPV data (700 hPa temperature and its anomaly) will beadded to one-month prediction, which will be available to registered NMHSs.

4. ODAS and El Niño prediction system
Since 1999, JMA’s Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) has been developing a newOcean Data Assimilation System (ODAS) named MOVE (Multivariate Ocean VariationalEstimation) and an ocean prediction model named MRI.COM (MRI Community Ocean
Model). A new ocean analysis system and a coupled ocean-atmosphere prediction model(JMA/MRI-CGCM) are scheduled to be put into operation in March 2008.
5. Global warming projection
JMA has implemented a projection of the atmospheric and oceanic climate around Japan
toward the end of this century with a regional coupled ocean-atmosphere model developed in
JMA/MRI and an improved version of the global coupled ocean-atmosphere model, named
MRI-CGCM2.3.
Both the global and regional features of the projected climate and ocean currents will be
published as Global Warming Projection Volume 7 in March 2008.
6. RCC and GPC
TCC as well as the Beijing Climate Center (BCC) of the China MeteorologicalAdministration (CMA) applied for Regional Climate Center (RCC) status at WMO RA II.
At the Working Group on Climate-Related Matters (WGCRM) at RA II held in Beijing inApril 2007, the Group recommended to the President of RA II that both BCC and TCC be
designated as RCCs. In June 2007, a website for the Regional Climate Center Network at
RA II (http://www.rccra2.org/detail/index.htm) was established in close cooperation withBCC.
JMA was designated as one of the Global Producing Centers (GPC) of Long-Range
Forecasts (LRF) for the WMO at an extraordinary session of the WMO’s Commission for
Basic Systems (CBS) in 2006, and was approved as a GPC at the 59th session of theExecutive Council of the WMO held in May 2007.
7. Capacity building
JMA has conducted annual training courses in meteorology for experts of National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) since 1973 as one of a number ofcourses provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The training
course in 2007 was held from September to December with emphasis on the operational useof numerical weather prediction, satellite meteorology and climate information. In a climate
information session, staff members of the Climate Prediction Division gave lectures on
climate system monitoring, long-range forecasting, El Niño outlook and global warming
projection. In 2008, the training course will be renewed and its curriculum is now underconsideration.
The Training Course on Interpretation of Climate Products and Climate Downscaling
was held at the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) in October 2007. At theinvitation of MMD, TCC’s staff members attended the Training Course for lectures on
various topics including JMA’s numerical/seasonal prediction models, ensemble prediction

system and making guidance, statistical downscaling, access to GPV data and its application
using R Language, and reanalysis data (JRA-25) and its application.
8. International conferences and workshops
JMA held the International Workshop on Applications of Advanced Climate Informationin the Asia-Pacific Region from 20–22 February 2007 in Tokyo under the auspices of Japan’s
Ocean Policy Research Foundation. The Third WCRP International Conference onReanalysis took place in January 2008 in Tokyo. A seminar on climate and seasonal
prediction meeting on East Asian winter monsoons is scheduled for autumn 2008 in Tokyo.