Panelist, Segment on Hydrological Products
Dr. Ken Takahashi has a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences. As a researcher, he has focused on the physics of El Niño, its impacts and its prediction, as this phenomenon has historically has produced severe damage due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the arid coastal Peru, as well as drought in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon. He has also focused on large-scale climate dynamics, including the effects of climate change on the global mean hydrological cycle. As member of the Peruvian National Commission for El Niño Study, he played an important role in informing stakeholders, decision makers and general population with respect to the scientific issues, particularly during the 2015-2016 El Niño. He is a member of the WCRP CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group and of the Tropical Pacific Observing System 2020 (TPOS 2020) Steering Committee. In late 2017 he become the Director of SENAMHI, the Peruvian National Meteorological and Hydrological Service.