The European Joint Research Project “MeteoMet” – Metrology for Meteorology
The "METEOMET" Joint Research Project (JRP) is focused on the traceability of measurements involved in the climate changes: surface and upper air measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, solar irradiance and reciprocal influences between measurands. It responds to the need of new stable and comparable measurement standards, protocols, sensors and calibration procedures, data-fusion and uncertainty-evaluation methods, to enhance data reliability and to reduce uncertainties in climate models.

The JRP structure reflects two key aspects: scientific innovation and practical traceability for end users. It includes development and testing of novel instruments as well as improved calibration procedures and facilities for ground based observations, in-situ practical calibrations and best practice dissemination. The development of novel instruments for the measurement of water vapour, the most important gas in the atmosphere and a key player in climate change, is a scientifically and technically relevant part of the project.

The Coordinator of Project “MeteoMet” – Metrology for Meteorology has sent out information to various Institutions and Companies (including HMEI and some of our Member companies) looking for partner Collaborators from both institutions and from companies to take part in this three year project.

The project is planned to start on 1st October 2011, lasting for 3 years. A kick off meeting is being organized and a possible date is the 12 – 13 October (an official message and invitation will be sent in September to those who have expressed interest).

The European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) defines the role of “Collaborator” for those Institutions and Companies willing to take part in the project, having an interest in following the activities evolution, addressing some of the results, taking part in the dissemination process. A dedicated “Stakeholder User Group” is included in the Project structure and other information can be found at www.meteomet.org .

The “Exchange of letters” as required by EMRP, for formalizing the involvement of Collaborators in the project by expressing their area of interest and relevant activities is available here. You can also find the JRP Protocol here, in which detailed information on tasks and deliverables are reported and can be used to select the JRP-Consortium activities of your interest. Instructions for filling the letter are reported along the letter itself.

HMEI Members who have expressed interest in this project so far are:

• MODEM who have now been accepted as a Collaborator in this project; and
• SIAP+MICROS who are currently exploring with the project coordinator how they will contribute.

If you are a HMEI Member who wishes or intends to join the MeteoMet project as a Collaborator, please contact Andrea Merlone, PhD, the MeteoMet Coordinator at the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM) Thermodynamics Division, email: a.merlone@inrim.it, for further help and information. Also please cc. Bruce Sumner at hmei@wmo.int.

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Environmental Measurements and The National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a leading UK science and research facility. NPL develops and maintains the UK’s primary measurement standards, supporting an infrastructure of traceable measurement throughout the UK and the world. NPL provides standard calibration, measurement and testing services that are accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).

NPL affirms that as environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and air quality have a very high profile with both government and the public, accurate measurements play a vital role in gauging the scale of anthropogenic and naturally driven effects, pollutant concentrations and the development of strategies to mitigate short- and long-term impacts.

NPL has a strong international reputation and track record in this area including leading roles in the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the European Air Quality Reference Laboratories (AQUILA) and with agencies such as ESA and NASA. NPL is entrusted by Defra, the Environment Agency and NERC to lead UK monitoring networks as well as the provision of traceable measurements for climate change models.

NPL plays a leading role in key areas in this sector:

• Traceable and efficient measurements for air quality monitoring, atmospheric and climate change models. These include gases such as ozone, VOCs and water-vapour and airborne particles from 1 nm to 10 mm in size.
• New developments in data analysis and modelling including one-atmosphere models to ensure the maximum impact and efficiency of traceable measurements and data.
• Development of new standards to underpin gas measurements at polluted and background levels, including collaboration with the WMO on high-accuracy standards for long-term monitoring of trace species.
• Trace chemical analysis of environmental samples including electroanalysis, elemental composition of ambient particulates and the development of the ultra-sensitive technique Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for quantitative trace analysis.
• Earth Observation QA/QC and validation of environmental data and traceability.
• Remote sensing using techniques such as DIAL and the development of new measurement capabilities from ground to space. This will include emerging pollutants such as pesticides and biological pollutants and novel “in-flight” calibration strategies to allow traceability to SI from space.
• Support for UK initiatives in the area of Climate Change through the development of relevant traceable measurements.

NPL provides calibration services for environmental measurements. For example:

• The standards maintained by NPL provide the UK reference for humid air mixing ratio, dew point, relative humidity and related quantities.
• NPL offers calibration of a range of temperature measuring devices including contact and non-contact instruments and also runs training courses in temperature calibration techniques.
• UKAS accredited, 'barometric' calibration service is provided over the pressure range 850 hPa to 1050 hPa, for both electronic barometers and precision aneroid mechanical barometers (PABs).
• NPL specialises in producing an extensive range of gas calibration standards through a chain of direct comparisons to the national measurement standards.

For further information about the work of NPL see: http://www.npl.co.uk/

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Revision of the CIMO Guide and the Report of the IOC-UA-5 Meeting
Dr John Nash is revising the upper-air chapters of the CIMO Guide, to be completed by November 2011, taking into account the results from the Yangjiang Upper-Air Intercomparison as reported on at the  IOC-UA-5 Meeting, in Payerne, 29-31 March.

Thus, most of the tables on Radiosonde accuracy are to be updated and revised. Dr Nash has advised the participating manufactures and the HMEI Secretariat that if there parts of the chapters which HMEI or participants would like revised, to please let him know.

Dr Nash further notes that the algorithm for converting from geometric height to geopotential height needs to be spelled out, emphasising that this purely relates to the gravitational fields at the location, and is not dependent on air density. So he would be grateful if some of the manufacturers could supply him with the basic principle of the conversion they use for geometric height to geopotential height, so that the algorithm that is outlined in the guide, clearly represents consensus practice for this conversion.

If you have input to this revision of the CIMO GUIDE please send the information to Dr Nash by end of September if possible at: john.nash.114@gmail.com.

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CIMO supports New “wind Lidar ISO application” standard proposal
Dr Bertrand Calpini, CIMO President recently observed in regard to Wind Lidar technology: "Over the last years this emerging technology has proven all its potential and slowly become mature, while any “official standard” about Wind Lidar is lacking so far".

DR Calpin notes that this matter was raised to his attention this spring in a European COST Action on renewable energy (see http://www.wire1002.ch/ ). He further noted that "in situ" wind sensors installed on meteorological masts are up to now the only fully recognized measurement reference when assessing the wind conditions at a given site in the view of installing a new wind turbine.

During the WMO Congress in May 2011 Dr Calpini was invited to the ISO Headquarters in Geneva for a meeting in which the level of importance of different possible ISO Lidar applications was discussed. As a result Dr Calpini notes that considering the state of this technology, and also based on the booming demand from the green energy wind industry it was decided to initiate a new ISO Wind Lidar document with highest priority. The initial proposal will be based on previous work achieved by German scientists.

CIMO has invited Dr Arnoud Apituley from KNMI Netherlands, a well-known Lidar expert, to become an active member in the group of experts who would revise and proceed with this new ISO data sheet work. Other interested bodies, including HMEI, have been invited by Dr Calpini to actively support this important work.

As further information on the ISO work for this issue become available, the HMEI Secretariat will inform its' Members of the next stages of this work and how HMEI Members can be involved.

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Opportunity for HMEI Members to present products to CBS ET-AIR / AMDAR Panel meeting and AMDAR Workshop
Bryce Ford from Spectra Sensors will be representing HMEI at the CBS ET-AIR / AMDAR Panel meeting 2-4 November 2011 in Quebec City, Canada , and the AMDAR Workshop, 8-10 November 2011 in Mexico City.

Mr Ford, a HMEI Councillor, will be making presentations to these meetings about the work of the Association of HMEI.

Further Mr Ford is inviting the HMEI membership to include their product(s) in a presentation to the CBS ET-AIR / AMDAR Panel meeting. These will need to be products that are suitable to support the AMDAR objectives, and not just any aviation Wx support products. That includes airborne sensors for Water Vapor, Turbulence, etc. If there are new technologies from the membership that are related to AMDAR objectives, they may also include a chart on whatever they would like Bryce to present.

Also Mr Ford can present this information at the AMDAR Workshop being held in Mexico City Nov 8-10, which is focused on promoting AMDAR implementations for South and Central America. This can include existing products suitable for use in AMDAR, and should include a chart or two on each of the following: Technical Overview, Operational Issues, Aviation Certification Issues, and Current Implementation Status. If there are new technologies from the membership that are related to AMDAR objectives, they may also include a chart on whatever they would like Bryce to present.

Note the same charts could be used at both meetings if wished. Responses need to be received by Bryce by 28th September 2011.

If you have further questions about this or wish to have Bryce present your products please contact him directly at:
Bryce L. Ford ,
Vice President of Atmospheric Programs, SpectraSensors, Inc.
Mobile: +1-202-549-3477
Fax: +1-240-743-4406
bford@spectrasensors.com.

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HMEI requested to help UK Met Office investigate potential environmentally sustainable balloons
HMEI has been informed that Dave Burchill from the UK MetOffice procurement Department is looking at options in terms of more environmentally sustainable balloons. Mr Burchill would like to get in touch with people within the industry to examine the following:
“The UK Met Office is currently undertaking further investigation into the meteorological balloon market and would like to better understand the various potential options within this market with a view to potentially working with manufacturers(s) to develop a more sustainable balloon solution. We would also like to find out whether there are any industry standards within the market to which all meteorological balloon manufacturers have to conform."

If you are a HMEI Member and are able to help and provide information in relation to this project it would be much appreciated if you could contact Mr Burchill at: david.burchill@metoffice.gov.uk.

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Recently Released Member Newsletters and Press Releases
HMEI Members have their own newsletters and press releases which help to keep the public up to date. HMEI has recently received information on the publication of the following recent newsletters and press releases:

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HMEI Members' New Products
This is a New section for the HMEI newsletter. New HMEI Members' products will be entered here as received from Members by the HMEI newsletter editor, please contact: christine@hydrometeoindustry.org 

This year, to date, HMEI has received from Members the following information on their new products.

June 2011   New from Precis Mechanique - tipping bucket raingauge 3039, (anti clogging + range up to 1200mm/h) Unit enabling the remote measurement of rainfall collected at the ground level (1m) with a high accuracy. Read more here in English  or in French here

June 2011 New from Campbell Scientific Canada is the CC5MPX Digital Network Camera The innovative design of Campbell Scientific's first high resolution digital network camera includes remote access and video capabilities. Triggered by time, event, motion or web page control, the CC5PMX Digital Network Camera was designed to meet the stringent operational requirements necessary for remote battery powered installations while producing images of up to 5 megapixels. The ultra-rugged camera can operate over a wide temperature range and has several advanced power saving modes to suit a variety of needs…. Read more about the camera http://www.campbellsci.ca/Catalogue/CC5MPX.html

January 2011 Sommer SPA Snow Pack Analyser After years of research, several test stations Sommer finally is able to present the SPA Snow Pack Analyser. The SPA system measures snow water equivalent (SWE), snow depths, snow density and content of liquid water and ice. Based on these parameters even the run off time of water can be predicted. The system is not affected by ice layers. The SPA is simple and convenient to install and allows automatic and continuous measurement. Through “standby” between measuring phases and optimised for solar-powered stations the SPA offers energy-saving sensor operation. Read more about our SPA Snow Pack Analyser at: www.sommer.at/no_cache/produkte/geraete-sensoren/schnee/sommer/own/spa-snow-pack-analysing- system.html

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Recent Opportunities for Members

Thermograph Enquiry
HMEI had an inquiry in August from Mr Mohammed Al Kouzbari, an electronic engineer, interested in developing Meteorological instruments.

Mr Mohammed Al Kouzbari is working to develop a specific project regarding Thermographs. His question, regarding the Temperature Accuracy for a Thermograph supply with mechanical clockwork with a rang of -20oC to +60oC, is how can one change the Accuracy from ± 1oC to ±0.2oC?

This enquiry was sent to the HMEI membership and several replies were received from HMEI Members (including Campbell Scientific - Canada, Belfort Instruments and Lambrecht) and passed on to Mr Al Kouzbari.

Upcoming WMO Meetings and Workshops

3rd Inter-Programme Expert Team on Data Representation and Codes (IPET-DRC), Melbourne, Australia, 20-23 September 2011
HMEI has been invited to send a HMEI representive expert to this meeting. Michal Weiss from IBL will be attending for HMEI.

More about this meeting is available at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/ISS/Meetings/IPET-DRC_Melbourne2011/IPET-DRC_DocPlan.html 

27th Session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP), Geneva, 26-30 September 2011
It has been requested that HMEI attend this meeting. Therefore the HMEI Secretariat will attend. This meeting is important for the ongoing reinforcement of HMEI links with the ocean monitoring community.

CBS Steering Group on Radiofrequency Coordination (SG-RFC), Geneva, Switzerland, 3-5 October 2011
HMEI has been explicitly asked to attend this meeting. Bruce Sumner the HMEI Executive Secretary will attend for HMEI at this meeting, as lkka Ikonen is no longer representing HMEI on this group.

More information at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/WIS/wiswiki/tiki-index.php?page=SG-RFC-meeting-2-2011

16th WMO/IAEA Meeting of Experts on Carbon Dioxide, Other Greenhouse Gases, and Related Tracer Measurement Techniques, Wellington, New Zealand, 25-28th October 2011
The second announcement is available from: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/documents/SecondAnnouncement.pdf. 

CBS ET-AIR / AMDAR Panel meeting 2-4 November 2011, Quebec City, Canada and the AMDAR Workshop, 8-10 November 2011, Mexico City
Bryce Ford from Spectra Sensors will be representing HMEI at these meetings. He has also invited HMEI membership to include their
product(s) in a presentation to the respective meetings.

Please see the item above in the main part of the newsletter for further information on this.

RA VI Workshop on the Implementation of the WMO Information System (WIS), Sophia, Bulgaria, 1-3 November 2011
The workshop will address:
The regional WIS structure – designation and operations of the Global Information System Centres (GISC), Data Collection and Production Centres (DCPC) and National Centres (NC); functional and technical capabilities to be developed by Members in accordance with their role in the WIS infrastructure; benefits for the NMHSs from the WIS functionalities; capacity building needs for the implementation of WIS at sub-regional and national level.

In addition, the Workshop will provide opportunities for demonstration of WIS functionalities by the RA VI leading centres (GISCs and DCPCs) as well as technical solutions provided by relevant members of the industry.

RA VI has as a strategic priority to improve its partnership with industry and thus all relevant suppliers of WIS systems or components in RA VI are invited to participate in this workshop.

See more on this Workshop at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/dra/eur/RA6_WIS_Workshop.php

If you are a HMEI Member interested in this workshop, please contact Bruce Sumner at: hmei@wmo.int.

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Upcoming Conferences and sponsorship/exhibition opportunities

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OTHER Conference EVENTS links

WMO Events List
WMO has a list of conference events related to weather, climate and water at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/meetings/conferences_en.html

Environmental Expert List
Environmental Expert has a calendar of  Air & Climate Events listed at: http://air.environmental-expert.com/events.aspx?level=1&

AMS Meeting List
The American Meteorological Society has a list of conferences of possible interest to HMEI Members.
Please go to: http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/meetinfo.html

Copernicus Meeting List
Copernicus organizes several scientific meetings each year (for example they organize EGU and EMS each year). Others they organize in the Geo and Environmental fields may be of interest to HMEI Members. Please see the list at: http://meetings.copernicus.org/ 

International Association of Hydrological Sciences
The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) has a list of Hydrology related meetings on its website. Please see: http://iahs.info

American Geophysical Union (AGU)
The AGU has meetings listed at: http://www.agu.org/meetings/s/.

World Water Forum
The WWF website has a Hydrology/Water events calendar at: http://portal.worldwaterforum5.org/wwf5/en-us/Lists/Calendar/UpcomingEvents.aspx

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Any HMEI Member, friend or colleague of HMEI who would like to submit an article or conference/exhibition information for this newsletter, please contact the HMEI Newsletter editor Chris Charstone at christine@hydrometeoindustry.org