Introduction

The Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research (CECCR) was launched by His Excellence Prof. Osama Tayeb, President of King Abdulaziz University, on 16^th November 2009. The CECCR aims at performing research in the field of climate change and its impacts.

The research in last few decades has indicated that there is a change in the state of climate. This has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme climate events such as the heat-waves, the floods, and the droughts. Natural resources, all over the world, have degraded, impacting the environment, the water resources, the agriculture and the socio-economic aspects of the life.

A main feature that is contributing towards the success of the center is its close proximity to the Department of Meteorology and the interaction with the faculty of Meteorology, Environment & Arid Land Agriculture, as each group has a significant international expertise. The unique capabilities of the  Department of Meteorology prompted  the university to establish the center at the Department to keep up with the accelerated pace of the scientific developments in the field of climate change and the modeling of the climate. The center is planned to  provide the necessary technical support and scientific consultations to the decision makers in the governmental and non-governmental sectors to enhance their adoptability for the climate change impacts. Moreover, the  center aims at nurturing a group of capable researchers to face the future challenges imposed by the arid climate.