World Weather Watch
Instruments and Methods of Observation Programme / Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation
CIMO Newsletter
http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/www.html
Tel.: (+41 22) 730 8409 - Fax: (+41 22) 730 8021
December 2002
The CIMO Newsletter is intended as a complementary means of keeping informed all CIMO members and getting them involved in the work of the Commission, by reporting regularly on its activities as well as on other related organizational matters, meetings, publications, etc.
Readers are encouraged to provide their comments.
THIRTEENTH SESSION OF CIMO
The thirteenth session of the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMOXIII) took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 25 September to 3 October 2002. There were 99participants from 54Members and three international organizations. The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency Professor Dr László Miklós, Minister of the Environment; Prof. G.O.P. Obasi, Secretary-General of WMO; and DrŠ. Škulec, General Director of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute and Permanent Representative of Slovakia with WMO. The session was chaired by the president of the Commission, Dr S.Srivastava.
The Secretary-General, in his opening address, expressed his sincere appreciation and that of the WMO to the Government of the Slovak Republic for hosting the session and further noted the expression of the Slovak Government’s strong support and commitment to the Programmes and to the activities of WMO.
Prof. Obasi reviewed the major events during the past four years of relevance to the Commission, including the Geneva Declaration at the Thirteenth World Meteorological Congress; the setting up of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) by the United Nations; the continuing implementation of Agenda21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and its related conventions on climate change, desertification and biodiversity; and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). In all of these events high priority had been given to weather, climate and water-related issues, and in particular to the need to strengthen observational networks with appropriate instrumentation for systematic observations and measurement of the environment. This emphasized the continuing challenge to CIMO to ensure accuracy of meteorological observations, standardization and compatibility between current and new instrumentation, and the training of staff for instrument maintenance, so that WMO could contribute to meeting the objectives of national development plans and international strategies while contributing to the study of complex meteorological questions.
His Excellency Professor Dr László Miklós welcomed the delegations in Bratislava and emphasized that the meeting occurred at a significant time immediately following the Johannesburg UN Summit on Sustainable Development that included an active debate on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In Slovakia, recent flooding of the Danube River had endangered the city of Bratislava, and Government, private sector and citizens were aware of the importance of reliable measurements that were at the centre of the work of CIMO.
The Commission awarded a Certificate for Outstanding Services to Dr Jaan Kruus (Canada) which was presented by the Secretary-General. The certificate recognized Dr Kruus' long and outstanding contributions to capacity building and training in instruments and methods of observation and to strengthening the functions of CIMO and of his vigorous and devoted leadership as president and vice-president of CIMO.
The Commission reviewed the significant progress achieved in the past four years in several priority areas, in particular improving quality and reliability of GPS-based radiosondes, rain gages and pyrheliometers through calibrations and intercomparisons. The development of functional definitions and standards for automated weather stations assisted in the production and application of these systems. The provision of technical assistance to developing countries, the IMOP technical publications, including new or revised chapters to the CIMO Guide, as well as technical conferences, improved the installation, applications and maintenance of instruments.
Collaboration with international organizations such as the BIPM, ISO and ITU was important for addressing interdisciplinary issues. Close collaboration with the instrument manufacturers, inter alia, resulting in the establishment of the Association of the Hydro-Meteorological Equipment Industry, strengthened the position of the Members’ NMHSs vis-à-vis that community and furthered mutual understanding of needs and opportunities.
The Commission confirmed the need for the international calibration of instruments measuring infrared radiation, welcomed the offer of Switzerland and recommended that a World Infrared Radiometer Calibration Centre be established at PMOD in Davos, Switzerland. In this regard, it agreed to provide technical/scientific guidance in the establishment and continuing quality assurance of such a center.
While generally satisfied with the achievements of the IMOP, the Commission was of the opinion that the programme output fell somewhat short of the targets of the 5LTP, specifically concerning the technical and training support needed for developing countries’ instrument maintenance and calibration. It also noted that progress was slower than planned in certain specific areas of instrument development and standardization of procedures and practices. The reasons for these shortfalls were seen in the insufficient number and/or time of experts made available by Members for this work, which was compounded by the limited financial resources allocated to this programme by Congress.
As regards the draft 6LTP, the Commission noted the draft proposal on the IMOP that had been reviewed by the CIMO Advisory Working Group, was reviewed and agreed by EC-LIV for submission to Cg-XIV. The Commission agreed to recommend to Congress the adoption of the IMOP section of the draft 6LTP and emphasized the following main activities:
Ø Develop performance measures to demonstrate continuous improvement in the quality of observations;
Ø Conduct instrument intercomparisons;
Ø Contribute to the review and update of WMO Technical Regulations, Guides and other material related to Quality Management and standardization of observations;
Ø Evaluate existing Regional Instruments Centres and review their terms of reference;
Ø Facilitate standardization of measurements of long-wave radiation;
Ø Facilitate automation of manual, visual and subjective observations;
Ø Strengthen links with relevant international organizations.
The Commission discussed options for working more effectively during the next intersessional period and concluded that the most effective, flexible and responsive means of carrying out CIMO tasks would be a system of Expert Teams complemented by suitable ways to inform and involve all CIMO members in the process. The Commission agreed that its activities and teams should be grouped together and handled by Open Programme Area Groups (OPAGs) and decided to establish three OPAGs as follows:
(a) OPAG on Surface Observation Technology. Taking into account user requirements, this OPAG evaluates appropriate instrumentation in varying environments, recommends observing methods and provides information on new technologies and systems for measurement of surface meteorological variables. OPAG is co-chaired by Ms C. Richter (Germany) and Dr J. van der Meulen (Netherlands);
(b) OPAG on Upper-air Observation Technology. Taking into account user requirements, this OPAG evaluates appropriate instrumentation (both in-situ and remote sensing) in a variety of atmospheric conditions and provides information on new sensors for measurement of upper air meteorological variables. OPAG is cochaired by Mr R. Dombrowsky (USA), Dr J. Nash (UK) and Dr A. Ivanov (Russian Federation);
(c) OPAG on Capacity Building. This OPAG addresses all CIMO aspects of capacity building activities (through training, technical conferences and RIC). It also coordinates the ongoing update of the CIMO Guide, as well as publications in the IOM Report series and on the IMOP/CIMO website. Furthermore, it interacts with other organizations and other WMO technical commissions. OPAG is co-chaired by MrE.Bazira (Uganda) and Mr H. Zhou (China).
The Commission defined the tasks and deliverables for each OPAG and requested its hereby-established Management Group (CIMO-MG) to set up the appropriate expert teams necessary to carry out this work. The CIMO-MG is composed of the president and vice-president of CIMO and of co-chairpersons of the OPAGs. The CIMO-MG is scheduled to meet early February 2003.
Dr S. Srivastava (India) and Dr R. Canterford (Australia) were re-elected president and vice-president of the Commission respectively.
TECO-2002 AND METEOREX-2002
The WMO Technical Conference on Meteorological and Environmental Instruments and Methods of Observation (TECO-02) and the Exhibition on Meteorological Instruments, Related Equipment and Services (METEOREX-2002) were conjointly hosted by the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 23 to 25September 2002, preceding the thirteenth session of CIMO. 276 experts from 77 countries discussed some 80 papers and posters related to the theme "Progress in Meteorological Observing Technology". TECO-2002 papers and posters have been published in a CD-ROM, as Instruments and Observing Methods Report No.75.
At METEOREX-2002, 61 manufacturers presented their products and new technical solutions for measurements and observing systems. It offered a unique opportunity to exchange experience and knowledge between the experts of meteorological Services and the representatives of the private instrument sector. METEOREX-2002 also provided a welcome opportunity to enhance the collaboration between the instrument manufacturers, and their Association of HydroMeteorological Equipment Industry (HMEI), and the WMO.
OUTCOME OF TECO-2002
During the final discussion the chairs of the individual Sessions summarized the main outcomes of TECO2002 as follows:
Session 1 New Developments and Operational Experience Concerning Automatic Weather Stations
Session 1.1 Surface Measurements including sensors, automatic stations and systems for specific applications and requirements (Co-chairs: J.P. van der Meulen, Netherlands, and K. Essendi, Kenya)
Findings and Recommendations:
¨ A number of papers demonstrated clearly the problems that arise when measuring in icing conditions. It was found that some non-traditional instruments using different technologies show a better performance than more traditional devices.
¨ Optical measuring techniques, using both light scattering and image interpretation technologies have proved their potential for use in automation of visual and subjective observations.
¨ Solid state instruments measuring wind and air temperature, based on ultrasonic technology, show high potential to become alternative measuring standards.
¨ There is a need to promote R&D on new alternative observation technologies in order to improve the quality of measured variables. A typical example is the measurement of temperature using ultrasonics.
¨ Since most instruments are developed for use in moderate climatic zones, there should now be a focus on R&D of observing technologies and strategies for use in regions suffering extreme weather conditions, as in polar regions, tropics and deserts.
¨ Calibrations of instruments should be performed for the whole temperature range of the device operation in order to reduce the impact of the temperature dependency of most of the instruments.
¨ While there exists recommended standards on the design and use of instruments, data processing software and application tools for conversion of raw data into level 2 data require standardization.
¨ Manufacturers should provide instruments with standard digital output to enable design of automatic weather stations by integrating in situ observations and remote sensing technology.
Session 1.2 Upper-air in situ Measurements (Chair: J. Nash, UK)
Findings and Recommendations:
¨ The new GPS radiosonde design begins to overcome difficulties with earlier designs, but further work is required to optimize the system.
¨ Height measurements for GPS radiosondes have become reliable enough so that pairs of systems can be used as height references. Testing of new designs reveals errors requiring further work, but accuracy of temperature and relative humidity are improving.
¨ The report from the WMO intercomparison indicates good performance of GPS radiosondes in the tropics.
¨ The Vaisala RS90 radiosonde and the ‘Snow White’ 3thermistor reference agree at temperatures down to 70°C in the tropics. There has been a major advance in radiosonde relative humidity sensors. Daytime errors in humidity have been identified and require correction.
¨ The Russian Federation has introduced new radar into their network and they are expected to request collaborative test work to optimize geopotential heights from their system.
¨ The USA is in the process of introducing their next generation radiosonde system. Problems with temperature measurement will require collaborative test programmes within the next four years.
¨ Investigations by the Rapporteur on Radiosonde compatibility led to reduction in long-standing systematic errors in measurements in some countries.
Session 1.3 Surface-based Remote Sensing Techniques (Chair: R. Dombrowsky, USA)
Findings and Recommendations:
¨ There remains a need for more detailed testing of 3-thermistor reference systems to better define their accuracy.
¨ Investigation of radiosonde processing algorithms and message reporting procedures should be continued to resolve induced measurement errors.
¨ There continues to be a need to standardize radiosonde design on an international basis. This will require improved training programmes for both instrument and software experts conducting radiosonde development activities.
¨ Due to the increasing need for improved satellite calibration methodologies, more work is needed to resolve the complex issues and the approaches currently being used to calibrate satellite instruments.
¨ The recent recognition of the importance of GPS-PWC (precipitable water content) to numerical weather prediction requires further investigation into the establishment of standards for efficient use in routine operations.
¨ The use of wind profiler radars in operations is increasing rapidly. There continues to be a lack of standardization and uniform quality control procedures. This area must be addressed to ensure quality of data internationally.
Session 2 Quality Management and Calibration Methodology for Surface-based Remote Sensing Systems (Chair: R. Canterford, Australia)
Findings and Recommendations:
¨ Quality management systems (QMS) are being developed by several countries to manage, in particular, automated systems.
¨ With the simultaneous reduction in manual stations and the pressure on network managers for high quality data, computer database systems are essential for quality control and quality assurance.
¨ These QMS have developed quickly since TECO-98.
¨ There is a need to monitor systems for spurious electrical interference spikes which may cause data anomalies or loss.
¨ The CIMO Guide has guidelines for QMS. These guidelines could be developed further as a document for QMS of observations.
Session 3 Management and Financial Aspects for Observing Methods and Technology related to Capacity Building (Chair: A. Belhouji, Morocco)
Findings and Recommendations: