One of the major gaps in our weather observational system is over the oceans: Elena Manaenkova

One of the major gaps in our weather observational system is over the oceans: Elena Manaenkova

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Context:

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) commemorates World Meteorological Day every March 23, marking the establishment of the UN body in 1950. The day highlights the crucial role of meteorological and hydrological services in society’s safety and well-being.
• 2024 Theme: The theme for World Meteorological Day 2024 is “At the frontline of climate action,” reflecting urgent climate, weather, and water-related issues.

Global Greenhouse Gas Watch Programme (G3W):

• It is a new greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring initiative of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
• G3W will fill critical information gaps, providing an integrated, operational framework under all space-based and surface-based observing systems under one roof, along with modelling and data assimilation capabilities.
• It will build on WMO’s experience in coordinating international collaboration in predicting the weather and analysing climate on long-standing activities in greenhouse gas monitoring and research under the guidance of the Global Atmosphere Watch, established in 1989.
• G3W predicts a top-down approach to the flux evaluation, which builds on existing capabilities in surface- and space-based observations and modelling, ensuring the timely exchange of all observations and data.
• The G3W will consist of four main components:

1. Comprehensive, sustained, global surface- and satellite-based observations of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations, partial column amounts, total column amounts, vertical profiles, and fluxes supporting oceanic, meteorological, and terrestrial variables, internationally exchanged as rapidly as possible.
2. Prior estimates of the GHG emissions based on the activity data and process-based models.
3. Global high-resolution Earth system models representing GHG cycles.
4. Data assimilation systems combining the observations with model calculations to generate products of higher accuracy.

“Early Warnings for All” Initiative:

• The “Early Warnings for All”initiative is a groundbreaking effort to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027.
• Project partners:
  • The Early Warnings for All initiativeisco-led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other partners.
  • The Early Warnings for All initiative partners beyond the UN with the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, civil society, Big Tech companies, donor governments, development banks, and the insurance sector.

The Early Warnings for All initiative is built around four key pillars: 

1. Disaster risk knowledge and management
   • Systematically gather data and conduct risk evaluations under the supervision of UNDRR.
2. Detection, observation, monitoring, analysis, and forecasting
   • Advancing hazard monitoring and early warning systems under the direction of WMO.
3. Warning dissemination and communication
   • Conveying clear risk information and early warnings under the leadership of ITU.
4. Preparedness and response capabilities
   • Develop national and community response capacities under the guidance of IFRC.

Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) system:

• The WMO has established the Global Cryosphere Watch system but faces challenges in obtaining sufficient physical instrumentation data.
  • The World Meteorological Organization’s Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) is an international mechanism for supporting all key cryospheric in-situ and remote sensing observations.
  • GCW provides authoritative, clear, and useable data, information, and analyses on the past, current and future state of the cryosphere.
• There’s a pressing need for a strategic plan to understand and predict changes in the cryosphere, which significantly impacts global weather and climate patterns.
• This includes addressing observational network deficiencies and facilitating policy-driven information exchange among affected countries.

Source: DTE