News

News highlights 2020 image

News highlights of 2020

ECMWF news highlights of 2020 include an upgrade of ECMWF’s Integrated Forecasting System; a new supercomputer contract; projects and workshops to drive forward weather science; updates on the EU-funded Copernicus services implemented by ECMWF; and new offices to be located in Bonn.
ECMWF Fellowship Programme graphic

ECMWF appoints seven new Fellows for scientific collaboration

Seven highly respected scientists from Europe and the United States have accepted invitations to become ECMWF Fellows from 1 January 2021. The Fellows will work closely with ECMWF on scientific and technical research in Earth system modelling, ensemble forecasting, and applications.

ECMWF new premises, Bonn, Germany

Bonn to host new ECMWF premises in 2021

The ECMWF Council has selected Bonn, Germany, to host the Centre’s new and third site. The new premises will complement ECMWF’s headquarters in the UK and new data centre being developed in Italy.

Member State flags in ECMWF Council Chamber

ECMWF welcomes Estonia as 23rd Member State

On 1 December 2020 Estonia officially became a Member State of ECMWF. The Centre's Director-General, Dr Florence Rabier, welcomed Estonia's accession to full membership, saying that this new phase will make the collaboration between ECMWF and Estonia stronger and even more vibrant.
European Weather Cloud graphic

Pilot Member State use cases provide insight to shape European Weather Cloud

ECMWF and EUMETSAT’s joint cloud computing infrastructure for the meteorological community is entering a new phase. The focus will be on working with users currently trialling applications on the pilot infrastructure to evaluate the platform and to shape the future operational services.

ECMWF-NWP SAF workshop participants

Experts share research to improve handling of errors in satellite data assimilation

ECMWF and the NWP SAF brought together almost 200 experts in a virtual workshop from 2 to 5 November to discuss how the latest research into the treatment of random and systematic errors in satellite data assimilation can help to improve weather forecasts.
ECMWF Newsletter 165 cover page image

Autumn 2020 Newsletter published

The autumn 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.
ECMWF events 2021

ECMWF events in 2021: virtual, physical or a bit of both!

ECMWF’s 2021 events programme is set to include both virtual and physical events. It features workshops on cloud technologies, ocean data assimilation and hydrological prediction alongside established events such as our user meeting, Annual Seminar and workshop on HPC in meteorology.

Example from CAMS forecast of dust aerosol

Model upgrade improves forecasts of dust aerosol, particulate matter and ozone

The global forecasting system of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) was successfully upgraded on 6 October, leading to improved forecasts of sea salt and dust aerosol, particulate matter and stratospheric ozone. CAMS is implemented by ECMWF on behalf of the European Commission.
Example plots from Climetlab

Python developments enable easier access to weather and climate data

New Python packages and training with Jupyter notebooks are making it simpler to access and use vast weather and climate datasets from ECMWF and Copernicus.
Machine Learning workshop image

Workshop explores potential of machine learning for Earth observation and prediction

The first ECMWF–ESA Workshop on Machine Learning for Earth System Observation and Prediction drew a large virtual attendance of international experts in machine learning and Earth system sciences.
Flooded rail tracks

New upgrades to deliver step-change improvements to flood forecasting

Floods impact billions of people worldwide. Learn about major new upgrades to the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) and explore how the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) helped communities prepare for, and recover from, this summer’s monsoon floods in Bangladesh.
ECMWF medium-range forecast charts

ECMWF moves towards a policy of open data

Hundreds of ECMWF forecast charts are now free and accessible to all.
Satellite and simulated satellite images

ECMWF and Atos launch Center of Excellence in Weather & Climate Modelling

ECMWF and Atos are opening a Center of Excellence in HPC, AI, and Quantum Computing for Weather & Climate to support ECMWF scientists in their work on medium- and long-range weather prediction, and global climate modelling.
Marcin Chrust

Flexible data assimilation framework offers opportunities for innovation

An ECMWF/ESA workshop from 5 to 8 October 2020 will explore the application of machine and deep learning techniques in Earth system observation and prediction. Marcin Chrust considers what scope there may be for such techniques in ECMWF’s Object-Oriented Prediction System.
ECMWF Annual Seminar 2020, group photo

Annual Seminar presents latest in numerical methods for atmospheric and oceanic modelling

Speakers and participants at this year’s Annual Seminar embraced the virtual format to explore the latest developments in computational methods for solving the equations that govern atmospheric, wave, ocean and sea-ice dynamics.
Sam Hatfield

Accelerating weather forecasting models using reduced-precision arithmetic

Sam Hatfield is looking at ways of reducing the computational cost of producing weather forecasts by using lower precision in the calculations. He will present his findings at ECMWF’s Annual Seminar, taking place in virtual format from 14 to 18 September.
Copernicus CO2 satellite image

ECMWF-led CO2 monitoring project on track for 2023 prototype

A European project to build a monitoring and verification support capability for global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) related to human activities is on track to deliver a prototype system by 2023, ECMWF’s project coordinator says.
News highlights image Jan-Jul 2020

News highlights January to July 2020

ECMWF news highlights in the first seven months of 2020 include an upgrade of ECMWF’s Integrated Forecasting System; a new supercomputer contract; projects and workshops to drive forward weather science; and new insights from the EU-funded Copernicus services implemented by ECMWF.