About Us

The PISSARO project is a collaborative project for the valorisation of research data, led by the LACy (Laboratoire de l’Atmosphère et des Cyclones, Reunion Island) and conducted in partnership with actors from Reunion Island and Seychelles. The main partners of the project are DIROI (Direction Interrégionale de Météo-France pour l’Océan Indien), PIROI (Plateforme d’Intervention Régional de l’Océan Indien) and SMA (Seychelles Meteorological Authority). The DIROI and the SMA are also intermediaries for several users of weather forecasts in Reunion Island, Mayotte, the Seychelles and more widely in the south-western Indian Ocean basin. This project also benefits from the assistance of experts from the international project “Subseasonal to Seasonal prediction” (S2S).

LACy

LACy is a joint research unit (UMR8105) of the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique), the University of La Réunion and Météo-France. This laboratory is part of the OSU-Reunion (Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de la Réunion) and the OPAR (Observatoire de Physique de l’Atmosphère de la Réunion). LACy’s main research themes are the study and observation of the tropical atmosphere and numerical modelling. It is recognised nationally and internationally as a very active laboratory in the field of tropical cyclones. LACy also acts as a scientific lever in the atmospheric and climatological forecasting tools deployed by Météo-France and the Cyclones – RSMC (Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre) of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. In particular, LACy has carried out the development of the ALADIN-Reunion model and then contributed to the local adaptation of its successor, AROME-Indien, which became operational at the beginning of 2016. Researchers from LACy and other partner groups are interested in the meteorological and oceanographic impacts of tropical cyclones on the southwestern Indian Ocean in the current and future horizons.

LACy will lead the PISSARO project and will be involved in all the actions and sub-actions of the project. It will be represented by one of its researchers, Sylvie Malardel, and a postdoctoral student, Hélène Vérèmes, recruited within the framework of the project.

DIROI

DIROI provides operational weather forecasting services in Reunion Island and Mayotte and climate monitoring in these departments. As Cyclones-RSMC, it is also mandated by the WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) to forecast cyclones over the entire southwestern Indian Ocean basin. It provides the project partners with the benefit of its expertise in the field of weather forecasting, seasonal forecasting and climate within the framework of the action around the evaluation, enhancement and improvement of atmospheric and oceanic forecast data at the subseasonal deadline for users in the southwestern Indian Ocean region. The DIROI also brings into the project its network of users of weather forecasting who could become users of subseasonal forecasting.

The forecasting and climatology services are already privileged partners of the LACy teams. The PISSARO project allows to reinforce the synergy between these two organisations. The DIROI represented by its director, Emmanuel Cloppet, and the head of the Climatological Studies division, François Bonnardot, will also actively contribute to the actions of valorisation and dissemination of the results obtained within the framework of this project to all the countries of the Indian Ocean area.

PIROI

The PIROI is a tool of the Red Cross attached to the Directorate of International Relations and Operations, which has been running a regional disaster management programme in the southwestern Indian Ocean since 2000. Based in Reunion Island, the PIROI enables skills and resources to be concentrated as close as possible to vulnerable areas, thus increasing reactivity and flexibility in the face of disasters. The PIROI wishes to develop its structure into a regional centre of expertise, training and innovation dedicated to risk management and climate change in the area.

The PIROI is strongly involved in actions to evaluate and valorise atmospheric and oceanic forecasting data for the subseasonal period, in particular in the part concerning tropical cyclone forecasting. Subseasonal forecasts will improve the information and therefore the reactivity of humanitarian partners, mobilized by the PIROI. In addition, the PIROI wishes to develop the Forecast-based Financing concept which promotes the implementation of anticipated actions based on forecasts, which the project will make it possible to experiment. The PIROI also has a wide expertise in training and communication of hazard and risk management issues. Its contribution in this field will be very beneficial during the setting up of the internet platform as well as for all the training tasks of the project.

The PIROI is represented in the PISSARO project by the deputy head of the delegation for disaster risk management, Eric Sam-Vah, and the training and research officer, Marie Fabien.

SMA

The SMA is the operational meteorological service of the Seychelles. This institute, created in 2016, has strong skills in the field of forecasting, observation and has a climatological research department which is very active in the field of seasonal forecasting and climate change. The SMA will be strongly involved in actions to study subseasonal forecasting for cyclone risk management, water resource management and ultimately for the fisheries sector. Like the DIROI, the SMA is an intermediary towards potential users of subseasonal forecasting in the Seychelles and in the southwestern Indian Ocean region.

The SMA is represented in the PISSARO project by its director, Vincent Amélie. The SMA will lead the organisation of the summer school in the last year of the project. It will also contribute to the actions of valorisation and dissemination of the results obtained in PISSARO.

Other experts

The PISSARO project is part of a global dynamic of development of subseasonal to seasonal forecasting. The interaction with experts in this field, in particular at the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) and in the climate research group at the CNRM (Centre National de Recherches Météorologique) in Toulouse is essential for the actions of the PISSARO project to be of a high level and for the results to be recognised by the international community in this field. Regular exchanges with the other actors of the S2S community are planned throughout the project. Several experts will also participate in the summer school organised in the last year of the project.