author:
Jean Quiby, C-SRNWP Programme Manager
MeteoSwiss
The SRNWP Programme started the first of January 2000.
Immediately after its official start, it has been necessary to organise a meeting of the NWP specialists of the countries hit by the very severe storms of the 26th and 27th of December 1999. The meeting took place in Paris on the 20-21 January and a second meeting and final meeting was organised in Toulouse in October. The numerous studies devoted to these severe events have proved that the dynamical and physical formulations used today in the operational numerical weather prediction models are adequate to simulate correctly such fast and intense events. The problem of the generally poor performance of our models in the forecast of these events resides primarily in the data analysis techniques used the determination of the initial conditions. A posteriori integrations made with correct initial conditions have produced very good results.
The priority for the first year has been put on the exchange of scientific information between the five consortia. This has been realised by the introduction of a workshop calendar for our five Lead Centres (LC) and by the creation of a supplementary Lead Centre: the LC for Verification of Direct Model Output.
Now Lead Centres have to organise a workshop every two years. In 2000, we had the workshops of the LC for Variational Methods and of the LC for Statistical Adaptation of Model Results. These two workshops have been very well attended and have given, each for its field, a very good overall picture of the situation in Europe. For the year 2001, four LC workshops are scheduled.
A great care has been taken to liaise with other European projects, in the first place with the COST actions, in order to avoid duplications of work. A close look has been taken in the activities of the COST Action 716 (Use of the GPS information for the NWP) and of the COST Action 717 (Use of the radar information for the NWP): these two Actions are well implemented in the NWP groups of many NWS; there is no danger of similar works done outside the NWS community.
An objective for the first year was also to have interactions with the other EUMETNET Programmes whose objectives will or could influence the NWP scientific and operative activities. On the first place stood connections with the EUCOS Programme. An close collaboration has been defined by reciprocal invitations to meetings relevant for both Programmes and by joint organisation of meetings, as for example the ones on the December 1999 storms. Concerning other EUMETNET Programmes, a session has been dedicated to the MAP-NWS Programme at the SRNWP Annual Meeting and for the year 2001 E-AMDAR will be invited.
As it is a necessity today, a Programme Web-site has been set up (http://srnwp.cscs.ch) where all the practical informations (list of addresses, calendar of meetings, reports, etc.) can be found.
A first proposal for exchange of NWP software between consortia and between NWS has been submitted to the EUMETNET CO. This delicate problem will still need work till a proposal can be accepted by the Council.