Travel Support for an International Meeting on Monsoons and Tropical Rain Belts: Trieste, Italy

DESCRIPTION: This award funds participation of students and early-career US researchers in a workshop on the dynamics of monsoons and tropical rain belts to be held 2-5 July 2018 at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. The workshop, sponsored by the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), brings together researchers with expertise in tropical convection and precipitation, theoretical climate dynamics, climate modeling, and paleoclimate records. The goal is to develop a better understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for the behavior of monsoons and tropical rain belts in past, present, and likely future climates. The event contributes to the advancement of science by providing an assessment of the state of the science, providing a venue for students and early-career scientists to interact with leading researchers in the field, and coordinating research efforts around the globe. Travel funds provided under this award are distributed through a competitive application process. The award has intellectual merit as it addresses fundamental questions in tropical meteorology and monsoon dynamics. It has broader impacts by training the next generation of scientists in this research area. In addition, the questions addressed in the workshop are of societal interest given the large portion of the world's population living in areas affected by monsoons and tropical precipitation.