Travel grant for to enhance knowledge base and internationalisation of the TRACKS project

In this particular piece of research, we plan to use the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF) model to investigate how thermally driven gravity waves influence early summer convection over the north-eastern part of Bangladesh. We hypothesize that when the sun sets and the Himalayan foothills cool, a wave propagates southward causing changes in the vertical velocity in the atmosphere. In the presence of the atmospheric moisture over Bangladesh, this wave can trigger, or intensify convection during the early summer months of March-May. But why are we interested in early summer rainfall and not the monsoon itself? The rainfall from the early summer convection (March-May) is particularly important to the people in northeast Bangladesh. During the first year of the TRACKS project, we have carried out a large-scale narrative interview study with over 200 stakeholders in northeast Bangladesh. We designed the climate science research questions around the responses from the people in an earlier pilot survey. In this way, the planned research aims to improve -knowledge about climate to the benefit of society- and therefore answers to the primary objective of the KLIMAFORSK programme. The research stay is also important to maintain solid collaboration within the TRACKS consortium to further internationalise TRACKS research.