The Atmospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (APARC) General Assembly 2026 commenced at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, marking India's first hosting of this quadrennial event. The five-day assembly (October 12–16, 2026) brings together 550 participants globally, including 380 in-person attendees (250 national and 130 international delegates) and approximately 180 virtual participants from Europe, the Americas, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and featured Ms. Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN WMO, as Guest of Honor, both participating virtually. The assembly includes prominent atmospheric scientists such as Dr. Hindumathi Palanisamy (Scientific Officer, WCRP, WMO), Dr. Stephanie Evan (CNRS Research Scientist and APARC Co-chair), Dr. Hella Garny (DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics), Dr. Suryachandra Rao (Director, IITM), and Dr. Suvarna Fadnavis (Chair, Scientific Organizing Committee).
The scientific program features 67 oral presentations including 9 keynotes, 17 invited talks, and 41 contributed talks, alongside more than 400 poster presentations. The assembly is structured around six core themes: high-resolution representation of the climate system; atmospheric composition and its variability in a changing climate; dynamical and thermodynamic fingerprints of climate forcing; circulation, composition, and extreme events in the tropics; climate prediction from subseasonal to decadal timescales; and APARC science with and for society.
Special emphasis is placed on emerging frontiers including artificial intelligence and machine learning in climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, extreme event forecasting, and connecting fundamental climate research with societal applications. The event strongly focuses on nurturing the next generation of scientists, with over 120 students and 150 Early Career Researchers participating in mentorship and networking opportunities with international leaders.
APARC is a core project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) focused on understanding atmospheric drivers and processes that control weather patterns and global climate dynamics. The assembly aims to identify emerging research gaps, strengthen scientific partnerships, and develop actionable roadmaps to address pressing climate challenges for societal benefit.