Spring 2020 Newsletter published 24 April 2020 The spring 2020 issue of the ECMWF Newsletter is now available. As well as news about ECMWF staff and events, it features articles about new developments and the use that can be made of ECMWF products.
New report on European climate confirms 2019 as warmest year 22 April 2020 A detailed report on the state of the European climate has confirmed that 2019 was the warmest year on record, continuing a trend that means 11 of the 12 warmest years in Europe have occurred since 2000. The report was released by the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service implemented by ECMWF.
Webinars scheduled to explain upcoming changes in June’s forecasting system upgrade 15 April 2020 ECMWF upgrades its forecasting system on a regular basis, and one such upgrade is planned for 30 June 2020. Director of Research Andy Brown will explain how the changes will improve forecasts in two webinars on 21 and 22 April 2020.
Seminars to probe potential for machine learning in weather prediction 6 April 2020 ECMWF is organising a series of seminars given by external experts to explore aspects of the use of machine learning in weather prediction and climate studies. The first will take place on 28 April and will be live-streamed.
Experts probe ‘warm conveyor belts’ to improve weather forecasts 30 March 2020 ECMWF brought together over 100 experts in a virtual workshop from 10 to 12 March 2020 to discuss how the latest research on a type of air flow known as warm conveyor belts can help to improve weather forecasts.
Drop in aircraft observations could have impact on weather forecasts 24 March 2020 One aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a reduction in the aircraft-based observations available to weather prediction centres at the start of forecasts. At ECMWF, aircraft reports are second only to satellite data in their impact on forecasts.
World Meteorological Day focuses on climate and water 23 March 2020 This year, World Meteorological Day on 23 March and World Water Day share the theme of climate and water. In a message to mark the day, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the world faces challenges over floods, droughts and access to clean supplies.
WMO and ECMWF launch new web tool to monitor quality of observations 18 March 2020 The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and ECMWF launched a new web-based interface on 17 March 2020 to help monitor the availability and quality of global meteorological observations.
Data store opens window on past, present and projected climate 12 March 2020 The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) implemented by ECMWF has developed a Climate Data Store that lets anyone discover the world’s past, present and projected climate.
More and better aircraft weather observations are possible, experts say 2 March 2020 Improvements in aircraft weather observation numbers, quality and metadata are possible if numerical weather prediction centres work with the WMO, EUMETNET and the aviation sector, according to experts who met at ECMWF in February.
Warm conveyor belt workshop 10–12 March to be virtual event 27 February 2020 The warm conveyor belt workshop from 10 to 12 March 2020 will be virtual for external participants as part of measures to minimise potential exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Registration has been re-opened to enable more people to participate remotely.
ECMWF launches new weather- and climate-related coding challenges 24 February 2020 ECMWF has published the challenges for its third Summer of Weather Code (ESoWC). Applicants have until 22 April 2020 to submit proposals for weather- and climate-related projects that address the challenges of handling large amounts of data and transforming it into information.
European multi-hazard service moves towards operations 17 February 2020 Experts from four research and forecasting centres met at ECMWF on 4 and 5 February 2020 to drive forward the creation of a 24/7 European multi-hazard virtual advice service for natural disasters.
Experts chart way ahead for satellite cloud and precipitation assimilation 13 February 2020 Eighty of the world’s top experts on using satellite cloud and precipitation observations in numerical weather prediction came together at ECMWF from 3 to 6 February to review progress and chart the way ahead.
New ocean and sea-ice variables added to 60-day forecast database 10 February 2020 Nine new ocean and sea-ice variables have been added to a multi-model sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) weather prediction database hosted by ECMWF. The new variables will help researchers to explore the predictability of ocean and sea-ice conditions.
Tests show that cloud radar and lidar data improve weather forecasts 3 February 2020 ECMWF scientists Marta Janisková and Mark Fielding have shown that using cloud radar and lidar data in global numerical weather prediction can improve forecasts. Their ground-breaking results will be presented during the NWP SAF/ECMWF/JCSDA satellite data assimilation workshop taking place at the Centre from 3 to 6 February.
Getting a grip on warm conveyor belts in weather forecasting 27 January 2020 Predicting warm conveyor belt ascending air flows in extratropical cyclones and their impacts on the weather remains a key challenge for forecasting. A workshop at ECMWF from 10 to 12 March 2020 will bring together a wide range of international experts to discuss the way forward.
ECMWF releases 40-year dataset on weather-induced thermal stress 20 January 2020 ECMWF has released global data on weather-induced, outdoor thermal stress and discomfort in human beings covering the period from 1979 to today. The data have been calculated using weather information from ECMWF’s ERA5 reanalysis.
Winter 2019/20 Newsletter published 17 January 2020 The winter 2019/20 issue of the ECMWF Newsletter is now available. As well as news about ECMWF staff and events, it features articles about new developments and the use that can be made of ECMWF products.