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Research Agenda
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Forecasts of changes in weather patterns over the next few days have reached a high level of skill, but predictions of fluctuations in climatic conditions over the next several months, and of global climate changes over the next several decades are in their infancy.
The ACCESS research programme, which has as a goal the improvement of climate forecasts, focuses on a better understanding of the interactions between the atmosphere, land and oceans that determine climate, and especially on the role of the oceans in those interactions. Of special interest is the development of an operational oceanographic capability for coastal zones, one that will permit the sounding of timely alerts of the onset of unusual coastal conditions. To test the validity of theories for and models of climate changes over periods of decades and more, geological records of the different climates in Earth's distant past -- the recurrent Ice Ages for example -- are invaluable. The ACCESS research programme therefore includes the study of paleo-climates.
The projects described below concern mainly phenomena in southern Africa and the surrounding oceans. These are the initial foci of ACCESS which, in due course, will expand to include phenomena in other parts of Africa, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
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Recent Documents
