IPMA

Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera
Country: 
Portugal
Role in the project: 
Partner

IPMA, is a State Laboratory whose mission is to promote R&D activities in science and technology in the following areas: marine natural resources, aquaculture, marine biology, geophysics and marine geology, meteorology, and climate. IPMA is the Portuguese National meteorological Service (NMS). In the field of atmospheric sciences, IPMA has the following goals: Monitor weather and climate in Portugal, including the issue of weather forecasts and warnings, operate and maintain the network of national meteorological stations, and develop R&D in the fields of meteorology, climate and climate services.

IPMA has about 500 workers, including 110 researcher scientists.

IPMA researchers contributed to the detailed assessments of climate change in Portugal, with involvement in the production of two reports – SIAM (2002) and SIAM II (2005). IPMA is involved in project ECEARTH, in partnership with the University of Lisbon, and contributed to model development and production of scenarios for CMIP5. IPMA is also involved in a project to characterise changes in the Iberian climate, financed by the Portuguese science Foundation and the Portuguese Committee for climate change. IPMA regularly meets with public and private users to establish needs for climate services and is associated with AEMET in the Iberian Centre for Climate Change Services (CISCLIMA). IPMA is a member of the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, an Inter-ministerial Committee to draft a strategic plan for adaptation.
Other relevant areas of research in the fields of atmospheric sciences and geophysics are remote sensing applications (Land Surface Analysis Satellite Applications Facility (LSA SAF), coordinated by IM and financed by EUMETSAT, and FP7 geoland-2 and MACC-II (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate)) and seismology and tsunami propagation (FP7 TRIDEC). Across its broad marine and atmospheric activities, IPMA is involved in more than 70 research projects funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation, EU FP7 programme and EUMETSAT.