Third Quarterly Report for 2012 (1 July - 30 September 2012)

1. Headlines

The most important activities in the third quarter were related to

• data policy for the re-distribution of OPERA products (volume data)
• definition of test periods for which ECMWF provides high-resolution EPS runs to drive short-range LAM EPS systems
• exploring in what extent the high-resolution AMDAR profiles can be digested by present European SRNWP models and what is the priority of assimilating high-resolution AMDAR profiles
• the evaluation of the bid of KNMI for the Forecasting Programme Management
• composing OMSZ's bid for C-SRNWP for the next Programme phase

Details on the above coordination tasks can be found in the next chapter.

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 (which now has been renamed to Advisory Expert Team according to the EUMETNET rules).

During the third quarter of 2012 the following tasks have been managed:

After having the NWP requirements successfully incorporated to the OPERA project requirements for the next programme phase, data policy issues have been raised regarding the re-distribution of radar volume data. Assembly at its 8th session proposed that each NMS requiring volume data should agree with each data provider on a bilateral basis. It has been recognized by the C-SRNWP and OPERA PMs that it was a too complicated data policy proposal and it has been communicated to Secretariat.

ECMWF previously agreed to run 2 x 2 weeks test periods with a high-resolution IFS EPS (T1279) to drive short-range EPS experiments of SRNWP members. Progress have been made recently by reaching an agreement on the dates of the test periods.

The coordination on preliminary testing of high-resolution vertical AMDAR profiles (see the Q2 report for more explanation) is still pending. No feedback have been received from the data assimilation ET members in this respect until the end of September. To make a step forward the opinion of the data assimilation ET members was asked about the priority of assimilating AMDAR profiles in increased resolution. Answers are aggregated as arriving to the C-SRNWP PM.

The C-SRNWP PM has contributed to the evaluation of KNMI's bid for the Forecasting Programme Management in the next EUMETNET Programme phase (2013-2017).

The C-SRNWP PM compiled OMSZ's proposal submitted for the management of the C-SRNWP project in the next EUMETNET Programme phase (2013-2017).

2.1. Expert Team issues

Members of the EPS expert team have been active in discussing the dates for the test periods for which ECMWF runs high-resolution EPS for driving short-range EPS systems.

It is to be mentioned that since several months no chair has been found within the ET for "physical parametrisations", "dynamics and coupling" and "System aspects".

2.2 Links with the partners

The two most important links with partners are those with the OPERA programme for putting forward a simple data policy scheme for the redistribution of volume radar data for assimilation purposes and with ECMWF for communicating SRNWP requirements for driving high resolution short-range EPS systems possibly by additional IFS EPS runs.

3. Financial report

4. Risks and issues

None to report.