CONCERTO at the ECMWF 50th anniversary in Bonn, Germany

Between 7–11 April 2025, ECMWF celebrated its 50th anniversary in Bonn, Germany. The programme included an Annual Seminar, multiple scientific workshops, and a formal reception attended by dignitaries such as the Mayor of Bonn, ECMWF Director-General Florence Rabier, and senior representatives from the German Federal Ministry and German Weather Service.

The dedicated workshop on “Ancillary data for land surface and Earth system modelling” attracted 35 in-person and 18 online participants, including land‑surface scientists from ECMWF and the UK Met Office, and featured 13 presentations and a lively poster session.

CONCERTO was presented during the poster session, alongside its sister project CERISE, showcasing a reconstruction of land cover and Leaf Area Index (LAI) using artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. The projects' posters highlighted cutting-edge AI/ML applications to build multi-decadal records of vegetation cover and LAI, an essential step toward improving our understanding of land–atmosphere interactions.  

The poster presentation generated strong interest, and sparked in-depth discussions on how these emerging reconstructions can continuously support the climate and ecosystem modelling within CONCERTO and related initiatives. With ECMWF placing a strong emphasis on advancing machine learning in data assimilation and forecasting, CONCERTO’s work aligned perfectly with the meeting’s core scientific themes.