Annual Report 2010, C-SRNWP Programme

author:

Andras Horanyi, C-SRNWP PM
Hungarian Meteorological Service
1024 Budapest, Kitaibel Pal utca 1., Hungary

submitted to:

EIG EUMETNET Secretariat

Summary

The recent phase of the C-SRNWP Programme is defined for the period of 2008-2011. The main objectives of the programme are scientific and operational cooperation between the five European LAM Consortia (ALADIN, COSMO, HIRLAM, LACE and Met Office) together with the improved information exchange on numerical weather prediction. The main driving forces of the cooperation are the Advisory Committee (composed by the leaders of the five European limited-area modelling Consortia), the eight Expert Teams (data assimilation and use of observations, diagnostics, validation and verification, dynamics and lateral boundary coupling, link with applications, physical parameterisation [upper air], predictability and EPS, surface and soil processes [model and data assimilation], system aspects) and the Programme Manager. Beside these ingredients there are two related EUMETNET programmes for short range weather prediction: SRNWP-I (Interoperability) and SRNWP-V (Verification). The most important new deliverable of the programme is the establishment of the surface data exchange within Europe for the validation of land-surface numerical modelling schemes of the Consortia models. From the second part of the year onwards the C-SRNWP Programme Manager was acting as interim Forecasting Capability Programme Manager of EUMETNET, therefore the involvement of the programme into the forecasting issues (roadmap teams, coordination between the forecasting programmes) of EUMETNET had been significantly increased.

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1. Headlines

The C-SRNWP Programme had been continued in 2010 based on the building blocks established in the previous years. In practise these elements are the SRNWP Advisory Committee (with continuous email correspondence between its members and a meeting after the annual EWGLAM/SRNWP workshop) and the eight Expert Teams ensuring the scientific cooperation between the five limited-area (LAM) Consortia (ALADIN, COSMO, HIRLAM, LACE and Met Office) of Europe. At the end of the previous year Russia joined the COSMO cooperation, therefore became member of the SRNWP community as well. At the end of the year Poland became a new contributing member of the programme. The most important event of the cooperation was the annual EWGLAM/SRNWP meeting, which was held in United Kingdom this time. The collection of the surface observational data from different European measurement stations was successful and the operational data exchange had been started (the objective is to use the data for validating the land-surface schemes of the LAM Consortia models).

2. Status of programmatic targets

The main activity of the C-SRNWP programme is the scientific and technical (operational) coordination between the five LAM Consortia in Europe (ALADIN, COSMO, HIRLAM, LACE and Met Office). The coordination is ensured by the eight Expert Teams (data assimilation and use of observations; diagnostics, validation and verification; dynamics and lateral boundary coupling; link with applications; physical parameterization: upper air; predictability and EPS; surface and soil processes: model and data assimilation; system aspects) established in the previous years and through the regular correspondence (including the annual meeting) between the members of the SRNWP Advisory Committee. Recent information can be found about the programme in general and about the workplans of the Expert Teams in particular at the SRNWP webpage hosted by the Hungarian Meteorological Service.

2.1. Expert Team issues

The Expert Teams based their activities as it was laid down by their respective workplans. The workplans are identifying such common areas of interest, where the Consortia can work together. Certainly, at the moment there is stronger synergy between the ALADIN, LACE and HIRLAM groups (due to their code cooperation) than the other two Consortia, however each Expert Team is making efforts to extend cooperation for the benefit of all the Consortia. The additional SRNWP-related programmes (Interoperability and Verification) are good examples for that (see more below). The Expert Teams have an essential role to organise the scientific sessions of the annual EWGLAM/SRNWP meeting (review talks, scientific sessions and discussions).

The Expert Teams (together with the Advisory Committee) had an important role to provide inputs of the SRNWP community towards various high level EUMETNET demands: the definition of observational requirements of numerical weather prediction, the drafting of proposals for the Assembly on the development of high resolution ensemble prediction systems and on the roadmap of the SRNWP cooperation. The Expert Team on "surface and soil processes (model and data assimilation)" carried out a surface data collection activity with the primary aim to be able to validate the land-surface schemes of the SRNWP Consortia models.

The data exchange is operational (see details at cosmo-model.org). At the end of the year the extension of the station list had been started: authorisation of the access to the data from Cardington (UK) was also received and two other locations (one is being in Russia and another one in Hungary) are also targeted. The official request-letters were sent by the C-SRNWP Programme Manager and the data collection is managed by the Expert Team.

2.2 SRNWP Advisory Committee issues

The SRNWP Advisory Committee consists of the heads of the various European LAM Consortia. For the meetings also the SRNWP-I and SRNWP-V Programme Managers are invited, additionally the autumn meeting was also attended by the Expert Team chairpersons. The main issues of discussion of the Advisory Committee were as follows: scientific issues around the eight Expert Teams (including the two related programmes), long-term strategy of the SRNWP programmes together with a proposal to the EUMETNET Assembly, observational requirements of the NWP models presented to the PB-OBS community, organisation and scientific details of the EWGLAM/SRNWP annual meeting.

2.3 Links with the partners

The relation with the partners was ensured by the contact persons at each member, who received regular (mostly email) information about the latest news of the Programme. Poland expressed its interest to become contributing member of the programme at the end of the year. Russia became an informal member of the cooperation being member of the COSMO Consortium (without financial contribution and EUMETNET membership).

2.4 Other SRNWP-related Programmes

There are two other programmes under the umbrella of SRNWP: SRNWP-I (Interoperability) and SRNWP-V (Verification). Both programmes are coordinated by Met Office (for SRNWP-I the Programme Manager is Rachel North and for SRNWP-V is Clive Wilson).

The Interoperability Programme defined the standard exchange format (GRIB2) together with the list of parameters to be exchanged. All the "adaptor" programmes are part of the Consortia modelling softwares and being developed by the Consortia experts (upon definition of the various model grids and vertical coordinates). This solution ensures that the future maintenance of the interoperability-related softwares will be carried out by the Consortia. The SRNWP-V programme had started the operational inter-comparison of the main Consortia models of SRNWP (results are available at the EUMETNET portal). The extension of the SRNWP-V programme until the end of 2012 was asked and then granted by the EUMETNET Assembly with unchanged coordination (by the Met Office), but with additional deliverables.

3. Communication and cooperation

The Programme Manager attended several meetings, workshops on behalf of the programme. On the one hand these meetings were scientific workshops of the different Consortia (for instance ALADIN-HIRLAM workshop or COSMO General Meeting) and "cooperation meetings" with other programmes of EUMETNET (for instance E-SAT – EUCOS Science Advisory Team – meeting or ECSN Advisory Committee Meeting) and with the Coordination Office (for instance Forecasting Capability Programme meeting or PM meeting).

This meant that in 2010 more links were built with the observational and climate communities with special emphasis on the NWP observational requirements. The Assembly tasked the C-SRNWP Programme Manager to act as an interim Forecasting Capability Programme Manager, therefore coordination between all the forecasting programmes of EUMETNET (C-SRNWP, SRNWP-I, SRNWP-V, EMMA, SATREP, EUMETCAL) had been increased. The proposal (EUROPredict: Mesoscale Predictability of High-impact Weather Events) for the European Science Foundation was updated (based on the reviews), but in spite of the very positive evaluation the support was finally not obtained.

4. Benefits Delivery

The C-SRNWP cooperation is clearly very beneficial for the participating states with the further developments and improvements of the European Consortia limited area models. Improved models provide better forecasts and respectively better forecasts have great economic value not only for the meteorological services, but more importantly also to the entire society. The importance of the numerical weather prediction (NWP) infrastructure is clear for the meteorological services, since it has a central role in their production chain, however the perspectives (and also possible limitations) for the use of NWP models should be promoted to all the users of the meteorological community.

5. Financial report

Date: 4.2.2011
End of Year 2010 Income and Expenditure Statement
2010 End of Year Statement 2010 Approved Programme Budget Difference from Budget Approved 2011 Programme Budget
Revenue
R1 Contributions from participating members 34,800 34,800 0 35,000
R2 In kind subsidy of the Hungarian Meteorological Service 2,501 0 2,501 0
R3 Surplus approved for use in year as S2 200 200 0 0
Total Revenue 37,501 35,000 2,501 35,000
Cost
C1 Salary 30,000 30,000 0 30,000
C2 PM Travel* 7,501 5,000 2,501 5,000
Total Cost 37,501 35,000 2,501 35,000
Balance in year - surplus / (deficit) 0 0 0 0
Surplus
S1 Surplus at start of year 200 200 0 0
S2 Approved allocation to revenue -200 -200 0 0
S3 In year project surplus or deficit 0 0 0 0
S4 Surplus at end of period 0 0 0 0
*Remarks: Revenue - R2 and Cost - C2: The increased travel cost (around 2,501 euro) is covered as in-kind subsidy of the Hungarian Meteorologial Service.

6. Risks and issues

The C-SRNWP Programme is managed by a Programme Manager on a part-time basis (one-third of full-time equivalent), therefore the Programme Manager has additional duties demanded from his home institute. This manpower is sufficient to coordinate the C-SRNWP Programme, however it is largely insufficient to additionally coordinate the entire Forecasting Capability Area of EUMETNET (since the C-SRNWP Programme Manager is also acting as Interim Forecasting Capability Programme Manager). In practise it means that the Forecasting Capability Programme Manager activities can be realised only with some limitations, therefore it would be desirable to establish as soon as possible the permanent solution for the Forecasting Capability Programme Manager position (certainly with more manpower).

Another issue is related to the memberships of the programme. The C-SRNWP Programme has three types of members:

The last type of membership was always existing (without any problem), but its potential legal consequencies in terms of intellectual property rights, data policy and funding might be assessed by the relevant EUMETNET Advisory Committee (PFAC).

7. Programme change requests

None to request.

8. Assets list

None to report.

9. Outlook for 2011

On the one hand in 2011 the programme is going to be continued on the same basis (Expert Teams, Advisory Committee, EWGLAM/SRNWP annual meeting) as before ("business as usual"). As regards the scientific issues the further extension and consolidation of the surface data exchange programme is anticipated and the report of the first results will be fed back to the Assembly (and particularly to those Directors, who provided data access for this exercise). Additionally, the Programme Manager will continue his work as Interim Capability Programme Manager for Forecasting.

In that context the activities of the Forecasting Drafting Team is especially important in order to discuss, propose and refine the roadmap document to be submitted to STAC/PFAC and to the Assembly. Due to the timeframe of the EUMETNET roadmaps it is envisaged that either a one-year prolongation of the programme or the establishment of the Forecasting Capability Programme will be asked from the Assembly from 2012 onwards.