New course equips you to utilize weather and climate-related open data

Do you want to deepen your understanding of practical climate change mitigation and adaptation? Enroll in the Living with Changing Climate course!

The new course, Living with Changing Climate, is designed for anyone interested in the practical use of open climate and weather data. 

"The course aims to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to assist companies and public authorities in implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation," summarizes the course's lead instructor, Hilppa Gregow, Head of the Weather and Climate Change Impact Research unit at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. 

The course will be conducted online from October 30th to December 11th, 2023. Registration for the course closes on October 29th, 2023. 

The course is conducted in English and is worth 5 ECTS credits. University of Helsinki students can register in Sisu with course code ATM389, other Climate University students here and others via open university here.

The course is part of the Climate University network and is open and free to all students from network-affiliated institutions. Anyone can participate in the course through the University of Helsinki's Open University, with a fee of 75 euros. 

Course materials are available for free on the DigiCampus platform. You can access the course materials without logging in by using the guest account. 

The course allows participants to apply their knowledge in practical group projects 

The course offers a solid introduction to current climate change mitigation and adaptation actions and action gaps worldwide. Real-life examples illustrate how weather and climate risks are formed, how impact chains are investigated, and how risk management plans are developed and implemented. 

At the core of the course is open weather and climate data: its sources, usage, processing, and visualization. Practical examples and case studies demonstrate how weather and climate data are used in decision-making. 

During the course, participants will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge. In group projects, students will investigate the weather and climate data needs of a real organization and propose solutions. 

Upon completing the course, participants will: 

  • Understand weather and climate concepts. 

  • Explain the difference between local and global phenomena. 

  • Critically evaluate public discussions on weather and climate-related phenomena and claims. 

  • Know how weather and climate data are researched and used in real organizations and businesses. 

  • Understand the weather and climate data needs that arise from an organization's decision-making, culture, operations, and stakeholder requirements. 

  • Know how to find open weather and climate data for specific locations. 

Participants are encouraged to have prior knowledge of the Climate.now course or equivalent knowledge in the field of atmospheric sciences and statistical tools.  The course has been produced by the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, as part of the Finnish Academy-funded ClimComp project. 

Further information: 

Hilppa Gregow, Head of Unit, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. 0295 393 510, hilppa.gregow@fmi.fi  

Natalia Korhonen, Researcher, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. 0295 393 431, natalia.korhonen@fmi.fi  

Laura Riuttanen, University Lecturer, University of Helsinki, tel. 029 415 1663, laura.riuttanen@fmi.fi