WE Surface-based GOS for Weather January 2008 Up-date

WWW/GOS: Systematic evaluation of the GOS performance based on World Weather Watch (WWW) monitoring results has been continued and respective Members were informed of findings requesting remedial actions. Results of survey on the Impacts of new instrumentation on the GOS are currently being analyzed. New list of regional basic synoptic and climate network stations for Asia is under preparation. In this regard, Members in Asia were asked to provide to the WMO Secretariat their Plans to (re)activate silent stations or to replace them by nearby operational stations.

WWW/GOS con’t To further strengthen coordination activities, Members were invited to nominate National Focal Points responsible for country inputs related to the Implementation Plan for Evolution of Surface- and Space-based Subsystems of the GOS (EGOS-IP). Nominated NFP were requested to provide their reports by March EGOS-IP was updated at the third session of ET-EGOS in July Further details on the ET-EGOS deliberations may be found at Reports/IOS-index.html

AMDAR matters Steps were taken to integrate aircraft observations into the new OBS Department and a new Aircraft Observation Unit was created within the OSD Division. New position will be filled pending the agreement of AMDAR Panel to fund this post and finalization of the Vacancy procedure. This post is seen as a replacement of the AMDAR Technical Coordinator position.

Marine and Ocean Meteorological Observations Following the decision to work towards the WMO Integrated Global Observing System, new Marine and Ocean Meteorological Observations and data Management Unit was created within the OSD Division in support of the integrated approach to the GOS. At the fourth JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT) meeting, Geneva, April 2007, it was noted that high quality radio sondes were needed in particular in the oceans, and that radiosondes generally provided better high vertical resolution information than the aircraft data (AMDAR) over the oceans. Radiosondes data are particularly needed for the calibration of the satellite products especially over the Southern Hemisphere and in the North Pacific. Members are invited to enhance their participation in the ASAP programme under the SOT for providing in situ aerological profiles from ocean data sparse areas as complementary data to AMDAR.

IMOP Instrument Intercomparisons: The WMO Field Intercomparison of Rainfall Intensity Instruments started in Vigna di Valle, Italy on 1 October 2007 and will last until, at least, September instruments of different principles are taking part in the intercomparison. The WMO Field Intercomparison of Thermometer Screens/Shields and Humidity Measuring Instruments has not yet started due to the logistics on site, however most of the instruments (in total 22) have been calibrated and installed. CIMO Expert Team and International Organizing Committee on Surface-based Instrument Intercomparisons are overlooking the intercomparisons and conduct regular telephone conferences to support project leaders/site managers.