International workshop on convectively generated cold pools in the atmosphere.

Cold pools are circular regions of cold air close to the ground which propagate as gravity currents away from convective storms. The cold air is formed by the evaporation of rainfall in the rain shafts of these storms, and this sinks to the ground becaus e of its higher density. They can travel hundreds of km horizontally and are known to be important in the triggering of further convection, as well as the transport of cold air across continents and the generation of dust storms in arid areas. It is inc reasingly recognised that accounting for their effects could improve the representation of convectively-generated rain in climate models, and therefore the accuracy of climate models overall. Research in this field is still in its infancy, and the aim of the workshop is to unite different research groups, share knowledge, and develop an understanding for the remaining challenges for their inclusion in climate models. The key outputs from the workshop would be a report that establishes priorities for fut ure work, and a community of researchers who are willing to work together towards those aims. The project will be in part supported by the European COST Action ES0905-2013, however this only provides funding to support three speakers who are external to the COST activities, and the budget itself is likely to cover only 90% of costs per participant if the meeting takes place in Norway. We would be looking for support to supplement participant funding, and to pay for an extra five speakers to ensure that t he science presented is of the highest calibre, and that sufficient momentum can be obtained at the meeting to establish a working group for future research.