This report, by B. Sumner and C. Charstone, focuses on items the HMEI Secretariat believes to be of particular interest for HMEI Members and is not intended to be definitive.

All EC-LXI documents are available from: ftp://ftp.wmo.int/Documents/SESSIONS/EC/EC-LXII/English/DOCs/pdf/. Documents deemed to be of particular interest for HMEI Members have direct links to the individual document included, in the report below.
NOTE: The WMO documents referred to here have at the beginning of each document, the Draft Text only for inclusion in the WMO Executive Council Final Report. Please refer to the Final Report of EC-LXII (when it becomes available) for the finalized texts of the actual decisions made by the Council.

NOTE: For elucidation of any WMO acronyms, for which no expansion has been given, please go to: http://www.wmo.int/pages/themes/acronyms_en.html 

Attendees From HMEI
Bruce Sumner - HMEI Executive Secretary
Christine Charstone, HMEI Administrator

Opening of the WMO Executive Council- LXII
WMO President, Dr Alexander Bedristky, opened the session at 10.00am on Tuesday 8 June 2010. He welcomed all the Executive Council members, the newly elected members to the Council, the Regional Association Presidents and the international associations that were in attendance

The WMO Secretary-General also welcomed the new members to the Council.

Meeting Agenda - Doc 1.2 (see agenda here)
The Agenda was adopted by the Executive Council.

Establishment of Committees - Doc 1.3
The various committees were established, including World Meteorology Day Committee, a sub-committee on scientific lectures at Congress XVI and a sub-committee for the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).

Report of the President - Doc 2.1
In December 2009 the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste joined WMO, bringing membership to 189 members of WMO. The President also discussed the work being undertaken under the topic of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GCFS).

Report of the WMO Secretary-General - Doc 2.2
The Secretary-General reported on details of the World Climate Conference (WCC-3), including the recommendation to establish the GFCS, and the establishment of the High Level Task Team (HLT), which will develop the report of the GFCS for submission to Congress next year. This report will set and provide climate service procedures for many years to come.

The African Ministers Conference in Nairobi was mentioned. Many important decisions were made, particularly by the Ministries to support meteorological development in Africa for forthcoming years. Further such ministerial meetings are planned to be held every two years.

Reports of the Regional Associations - Doc 2.4 (See document here)
Contained within this document are the summaries of the Presidents of the six Regional Associations who made brief presentations on the activities that have happened during the last twelve months in their respective regions.

Future work in the Associations is previewed at the beginning of the document. This includes:

RA1

• The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), created a Task Force of ten members to define the institutional framework and internal arrangements of AMCOMET.
• Expansion of the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP), THORPEX Africa and THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (GIFS-TIGGE).
• The initiation of a pilot project on Marine Meteorology Project (Monitoring and Services) for the Northwest African Basin covering Mauritania, Senegal, Cape Verde and The Gambia, should be replicated in other maritime regions in Africa, such as the Gulf of Guinea.
• Continuing participate in the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and possible implementation of a series of workshops in support of climate risk reduction similar to those currently underway for the Horn of Africa for other regions in Africa.

RAII

• It was requested that WMO should give continued assistance to Regional Members in establishing and enhancing multi-hazard early warning systems.
• Following the Beijing Climate Centre (BCC) and the Tokyo Climate Centre (TCC) being designated as WMO RCCs in RA II, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation have initiated actions to establish RCCs.
• Following the implementation of the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS) project in Asia, there are proposed activities in 2010 including an integrated observation
  network to secure exchange of aerosol observations in near-real time and exchange of SDS forecasting products between the Asian project partners.

RAIII

• There has been the creation of an Open Committee chaired by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to consult with all WMO Members of the Region to identify priorities and related activities for each NMHS, in order to elaborate a draft RA III Strategic Plan for discussion during the XV-RA III session to be held in September 2010 in Bogota (Colombia).
• As a pilot project, the WMO Regional Office for the Americas has been relocated to Asuncion (Paraguay).

RAIV

• The RA IV Haiti Task Team to coordinate assistance to Haiti was seen as an excellent example to other Regions of regional level assistance to countries (particularly LDCs) following a disaster.
• The Focus Group of WMO’s Virtual Laboratory on Satellite Meteorology, using Internet and Visit View software, is continuing with great success.
• The relocation of the GOES-12 spacecraft at 60°W, is now providing adequate coverage for South America.

RAV

• The Association has adopted the Strategic Plan for the Enhancement of NMHSs in Regional Association V (South-West Pacific) (2010-2011) and endorsed the proposed roadmap towards development, refinement and endorsement of the RA V Strategic Operating Plan for 2012-2015.
• The highest priority is being given for the Region to:
  (a) improved end-to-end Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS);
  (b) improved infrastructure (data and information services) for weather, climate and water;
  (c) better climate services; (d) sustainable aviation services; and (e) capacity building.
• The RAV has established four Working Groups on: Hydrological Services; Climate Services; Weather Services; and Infrastructure, as well as the Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean (TCC) and the Management Group.
• It was requested that WMO continue to give high priority to strengthening the capacity of the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS)/RSMC Nadi-TCC to ensure providing tropical cyclone-related services and aviation services to Members in the Region at its fully operational level.
• It was requested that assistance to the Region through WMO fellowships and other training events be maintained or increased.
• It was confirmed that the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is a new member of WMO (189th Member of WMO) since 4 December 2009. Also the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu are taking the necessary steps to becoming Members of WMO.

RA VI

• The Association has re-established its Management Group and established Working Groups on: Technology Development and Implementation (WG/TDI); Climate and Hydrology (WG/CH); and
  Service Delivery and Partnership (WG/SDP).
• The major regional projects endorsed by the Association include: Establishment of a RA VI Regional Climate Centre Network, and Re-design of the Regional Basic Observational Network (a WIGOS Demonstration Project).
• The “cooperation model” used for enhancing the role and building capacity of NMHSs to support disaster risk reduction, based on cooperation between WMO, other concerned UN agencies (UNDP, UN ISDR) and partners (European Commission, World Bank, regional inter-governmental bodies), is considered an excellent model and opportunity to assist NMHSs in the less developed part of the Region. It is requested that WMO continue building such partnerships in support of disaster risk reduction.
• RA VI wishes to play a major role in the Global Framework of Climate Services (GFCS). Thus a RA VI Pilot Regional Climate Centre (RCCs) Network has been initiated and a regional implementation plan targeting WMO designation of the Network by the end of 2011 has been endorsed by XV-RA VI. There are continuing research efforts in the Region to develop a comprehensive Earth System model in which feedbacks from the biosphere are included.
• The (RAVI) Regional Basic Observation Network will be carried out as a WIGOS Demonstration Project.
• Following the Iceland volcanic ash fallout, a transfer from research to operations has been coordinated for specialized observing networks to be used in support of improved forecasting of volcanic ash with an expected huge impact on the aviation industry.
• The Association has identified the relationship between NMHSs and the private sector service providers and the related issue on data policy, as a major challenge for its Members.

Reports of Technical Commissions - Docs. 2.5
Much of the presentation of this item concentrated on the Report of the 2010 Meeting of the Presidents of Technical Commissions. Please see this document at ftp://ftp.wmo.int/Documents/SESSIONS/TCs/english/2010/final_ptc_10.pdf.  The meeting to which this report refers looked at the long-term stability of the Strategic Plan (SP) and Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Commissions, and has made recommendations for  the Technical commissions such that they can accommodate the changing needs of the WMO Expected Results (ERs).

The summarized Reports of the Technical Commissions' activities noted:

• The last JCOMM session was held in Casablanca. The next session may be held in Korea.
•  The last CAS session was in November 2009 in Incheon, Korea.
• Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme (AREP) will be subsumed into the three major research programmes of CAS, namely GAW, WWRP and THORPEX.
• The last CAeM was held in Hong Kong in February 2010. A new OPAG was formed: the Expert Team on Meteorological Services in the Terminal Area (ET-MSTA).
• CCl met in February 2010 in Turkey. CCl made a change from OPAG’s to a new single OPAG pool of 200 experts and the formation of Task Teams with experts to be drawn from the pool as required.

A report on developing the Global Framework for Climate Services - Doc 8.1
The chairman of the High Level Task team presented a detailed report on the content and details that will be included in their report which will help to build a climate services system to bring climate change information, forecasts and guidance to people across the entire world.

From the floor several speakers mentioned that improved observations, particularly in the tropical areas where observations are very sparse, are critically important for full implementation of the GFCS.

Vocanic Ash - Doc 8.4
Regarding the recent volcanic ash event, it was noted that the UK Met Office coordinated the European Lidar observational availability, an close collaboration with all European met services, the WMO, ICAO, EUMETNET.

To assist with monitoring future volcanic events a better observational network needs to be established. Also monitoring of SO2 and related aerosols, which, although they are not as dangerous as volcanic ash to aircraft, do have long-term corrosive effects on aircraft.

Climate - Doc 3.2 (see document here)
This document noted the holding of the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) and its outcome the decision to establish Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). Also the the importance of observations and research to the success of GFCS was emphasised.

In regard to climate modelling, the EC endorsed the need for a “seamless” approach to coordinate weather, climate, water and environmental prediction research. The document notes the recommendations to achieve this at point 3.2.3.7.

The WMO Technical Commissions were asked to work to ensure the success of the GFCS. There was an emphasis on a cross-cutting and cooperative approach.

Forecasts and warnings, including aviation, marine and oceanography, public weather services and tropical cyclones - Doc 3.1 (see document here)
The EC noted that improvements had been made and continue to be made in The Global Data-processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS), which includes the operational numerical weather prediction and forecasting systems of WMO Members.

The EC noted that Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) in its pilot phase was showing good results; with two regions running pilots: Southern Africa and South Pacific Islands. The EC requested that the CBS expand this project into other regions, focusing on developing countries, LDCs and SIDSs.

The EC noted that the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology, at its fourteenth session (CAeM-XIV, Hong Kong, China, February 2010), adopted the concept of new “Meteorological Services for the Terminal Area” encompassing information on weather phenomena and parameters impacting the safety and regularity of aviation operations in the wider terminal manoeuvring area.

There are plans proposed by the ICAO Meteorological Warnings Study Group (METWSG) to establish a trial for the provision of advisory messages prepared by lead States, which were endorsed by CAeM-XIV. Such trial advisories could support the issuance of SIGMET for convection, turbulence and icing. WMO strongly urged its Members to ensure full cooperation with such trial advisory centres during the test period planned to take place in 2011.

In regard to Operational Tropical Cyclone Forecasting the Council noted that there was an increasing need for including uncertainty information in the forecasts for more effective disaster risk assessment. Also the EC recommended to Members that R&D, and technology transfer to operational forecasting be pursued, as well as ensuring interactions between researchers and operational forecasters.

In the Marine area the EC recommended to Members that as probabilistic forecasts of ocean wave height provides early guidance of extreme events, the combined use of deterministic and probabilistic wave forecast guidance would help the NMHSs in their risk assessment at an early stage in forecasting and improving marine-related decision-making processes.

It was noted that the JCOMM/CHy Coastal Inundation Forecast Demonstration Project (CIFDP) had been initiated for building improved operational forecasts and warnings capability for coastal inundation from combined extreme waves, surges and river flooding events. The CIFDP will be initially implemented in the Bay of Bengal and in the Caribbean regions.

The Guide to Wave Analysis and Forecasting (WMO-No. 702) is a technical guidance publication which helps in ensuring the provision of high quality, accurate, consistent and timely operational forecast products. Also the English version of the first edition of the JCOMM Guide to Storm Surge Forecasting has been prepared, and will be published shortly.

Hydrology - Doc.3.3 (see document here)
The Commission for Hydrology (CHy) recent activities included

• Launching the Help Desk of the Integrated Flood Management Programme in June 2009 with contribution from Japan and Switzerland.
• Development of a Strategy for Flood Forecasting and Early Warning (FFEW) in the Zambezi Basin to strengthen the institutional and technical capacity of the countries involved, with financial support from the USA.
• Integration of SADC-HYCOS and the SARFFG as a pilot project under WIGOS/WIS.
• Regional Workshop on Integration of Seasonal Forecasts and Hydrological Information for Water-related Sectors in the Western Coast of South America (WCSA), held in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 25 to 28 January 2010.
• The first meeting of the UNESCO/WMO Liaison Committee for hydrological activities with full quorum since 2002 took place in Paris in January 2010.
• The issuance of guidance material supporting a quality management framework in hydrology.
• The implementation of the flash flood guidance project in Southern Africa and in the Black Sea region.
• The publication of:
  (a) Manual on Low-Flow Estimation and Prediction;
  (b) Guide to Hydrological Practices in English (6th edition);
  (c) Manual on Probable Maximum Precipitation (3rd edition);
  (d) Manual on Stream Gauging (2nd edition).
• There is a CHy e-board that is widely used to disseminate information on CHy linked activities, including regular updates of its activities. The address of the e-board is: http://www.whycos.org/wordpress/
• There is also an e-forum with more than 100 members, with two topics currently under discussion: (a) Quality Management Framework–Hydrology: Limitations of Hydrological Forecasting; and (b) CHy activities in “Water, Climate and Risk Management”. The address of the e-forum is: http://www.whycos.org/chy13/index.php

In regard to the Project for the Assessment of the Performance of Flow Measurement Equipment it was noted that a Management Committee had been set up, chaired by a representative of CHy and formed by representatives of WMO Regional Working Groups on Hydrology, IAHR, IAHS, ISO and HMEI. The project has so far resulted in such things as a synthesis report on survey results on field discharge measurement instrumentation and techniques used operationally, a set of guidelines for the assessment of uncertainty of hydrometric measurements, and an example on uncertainty estimation of Weighing and Timing Measurements of Discharge, all of which are available online at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/hwrp/Flow/flow_tech/index.php.

WIGOS and WIS - Doc 3.4  (see document here)
WIGOS (WMO Integrated Global Observation System) is an integrated global observing system, supported by WIS (WMO Information System), WIGOS is considered essential to realizing socio-economic benefits globally.

WIGOS has three phases, 1) Testing and development 2007-2010; 2) implementation 2011-2014; and 3) operation from 2015 onwards.

It was noted that there is a requirement to develop new measurement standards on snowfall, snow depth and solid precipitation.

CIMO has decided to address the calibration of weather radars. A series of inter-comparison workshops is envisaged to evaluate and document the various quality control and adjustment algorithms for quantitative precipitation from different radar technologies. The Executive Council requested members to participate in the radar “data and algorithms comparison” to cover the widest possible range of technologies.

There was a call to make more user friendly volcanic ash and aerosol measurement instruments, as such instruments are currently quite difficult to operate and generally need very technically qualified technicians to make the observations.

It was announced that a Lidar Measurement workshop will be held in Geneva on 20-23 September 2010 as part of the Volcanic Ash initiatives being implemented by WMO.

The meeting noted the continuing strong need to protect radio frequencies relevant to meteorological use. It was suggested that additional resources are required to make this happen, as the position of WMO will be weakened if it does not continue to be a leading player.

The meeting noted that ocean networks need to be continued and expanded. It was particularly noted the polar waters need to have more observations, possibly in the form of enhanced Argos capabilities in the polar regions.

John Nash the CIMO President noted with pleasure the comments that had been made during discussion of this document and the expressions of willingness from the various WMO Commissions to be involved in and to work with WIGOS. He stressed that on-going work, cooperation and sharing of experiences between Commissions were essential to achieve an effective global observing system.

Executive Council Panel of Experts on Polar Observations, Research and Services (EC-PORS) - Doc 3.4(1)
This panel is working on integrating Arctic and Antarctic observations, research etc, with all other interested parities. WMO sees its capabilities as such that it is the key leader in these areas.

Enhanced Capabilities of NMHSs in Developing Countries (DCs), particularly Least Developed Countries (LDCs) - Capacity Building- Doc. 6(1) (see document here)
This document gives the current state of the capacity building programs in WMO for DCs and LDCs; also the areas in which new and ongoing work, programs and challenges are seen.

Concern was expressed regarding some cut backs in the programs for DCs and LDCs, particularly in the French speaking workshops and training. Concern for the implementation of funding awarded (i.e. when visas were not given for travel to use the awarded funding). Concern was also expressed regarding the funding for such programs and how costing for these had been presented.

CLOSE OF MEETING
The WMO EC-LXII closed Friday 18 June 2010.