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Vaisala's Radar Donation Facilitates Extreme Weather Research In Meteorology Edition - Spring 2017 Vaisala’s Radar Donation Facilitates Extreme Weather Research in Colorado / Page 9 Advancements in Airline De-icing / Page 10 Better Quality Air Means a Better Quality of Life / Page 20 VN-MET-Spring-2017-C210094EN-210x280.indd 1 17.1.2017 10.32 Vaisala in Brief Vaisala is a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement. Building on 80 years of experience, Vaisala contributes to a better quality of life by providing a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services for chosen weather-related and industrial markets. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs approximately 1,600 professionals worldwide and is listed on the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange. Events & Webinars www.vaisala.com/events Contents www.vaisala.com/webinars Meteorology Edition - Spring 2017 Publishing Information Published by: Vaisala Oyj P.O. Box 26 3 Getting Ready for Changing Weather FI-00421 Helsinki FINLAND Phone (int.): + 358 9 894 91 4 Improved Weather Forecasting Internet: www.vaisala.com Capabilities for the Bahamas Editor-in-Chief: Tiina Kiianlehto 6 Helping the Sun Shine Brightly on Contributors: Katri Ahlgren, Anne the Global Solar Industry Hänninen (CoComms), Francesca Davidson, Elina Nylund, Melanie Scott, 9 Vaisala’s Radar Donation Facilitates Riika Pikkuvirta, Jon Tarleton, Carrie Tennick (Axonn Media) Extreme Weather Research in Colorado Cover photo: Shutterstock The image Schiaparelli Lander 10 Advancements in Airline De-icing Model at ESOC by Gerbil on page Using Fire Weather Outlooks to Identify 15 is licensed under the Creative 12 Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Areas of Concern and Help Reduce Incidents International license. Space-Proof Sensors https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ 15 File:Schiaparelli_Lander_Model_at_ 16 Flying into the Eye of the Storm ESOC.JPG Design, Layout: Grapica Oy Printed in Finland by: Grano Oy 19 Vaisala’s Corporate Science Advisor Knighted ISSN 1238-2388 20 Better Quality Air Means a Better Quality of Life Subscriptions 22 Belgium’s Air Quality Tracked with For subscriptions, cancellations, feedback Vaisala Lidar Ceilometers and changes of address, please email: 23 Vaisala Expands to Africa [email protected] Disclaimer and Copyright This publication may include forward- looking statements or other explicit or implied statements on future expecta- tions, results or performance. Such statements may materially differ from actual future results or performance and, being subject to certain risks and uncertainties, are not to be relied on. The copyright of this publication is reserved by Vaisala. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of 2 Spring 2017 Vaisala. VN-MET-Spring-2017-C210094EN-210x280.indd 2 17.1.2017 10.32 President’s Column Getting Ready for Changing Weather Extremes of weather are becoming more prevalent. Since the work done to curb the rise in global temperature will prove its efficacy only with time, there is a more urgent need to adapt to the impact of tropical storms, lightning storms, and floods. What does that require? Since weather cannot be changed, deflected or mitigated, we need to have warning systems in place, making it possible to protect people and property. They, again, cannot work properly without reliable observations. Hurricanes are a good example. Knowing where they will land and how strong they are, is literally a matter of life and death. Evacuating people from the path of a major hurricane can save thousands of lives. Evacuating people from the wrong place incurs unnecessary costs and eats at people’s confidence in forecasts, which can lead to tragedies later on. So they, like other types of weather, need to be studied and observed over long periods of time, to be able to see slowly occurring changes and trends. Decisions need to be driven by data and science. United States already has its Weather-Ready Nation program, bring- addition to mitigating extreme weather ing together government organizations, impacts, they can then use relevant private enterprises and academia to weather information in order to eradi- build communities that are ready and cate poverty and achieve internation- resilient to severe weather events. ally agreed development goals. Kjell Forsén However, extreme weather often Vaisala is gradually getting more President and CEO occurs in regions that are highly involved in this work, too, helping vulnerable to its effects – in developing nations get weather-ready. countries where the infrastructure is Helping save lives and minimize not as advanced. damages to property makes our work This is one of the reasons why the relevant to the whole humankind and World Meteorological Organization motivates us to keep looking for new wants to build meteorological capacity ways to improve our operations and in the least developed countries. In solutions. Spring 2017 3 VN-MET-Spring-2017-C210094EN-210x280.indd 3 17.1.2017 10.32 Improved Weather Forecasting Capabilities for the Bahamas The Bahamas Over recent years, severe weather The Bahamas is an archipelago has become more frequent in of some 700 islands scattered over is investing in a the Caribbean. So improving the 100,000 squares miles of ocean. The weather forecasting capabilities weather in the northern islands can new nation-wide of the Bahamas Department of be completely different from that in Meteorology will help improve warn- the southernmost islands. Moreover, meteorology network ings and preparedness for severe the islands are low and flat, prone to weather and will assist in minimizing any rise in sea level, and in particular to keep its citizens loss of life and property from the to flooding from heavy rains and to ravages of tropical cyclones (hurri- storm surge from hurricanes. and visitors safe from canes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions) affecting the country. Equipment to Cover extreme weather. “The Bahamas is called the all Islands ’Jewel of the Caribbean’ because of its beauty, and because of its Currently, The Bahamas has only one geographical location to the United Doppler Weather Radar installed at States of America it is envied by the Lynden Pindling International many. But this comes at a price. Airport, in the capital city Nassau, From the beginning of June to the on the island of New Providence. end of November, is the official hur- It covers the Northwest Bahamas ricane season,” says Trevor Basden, but only a portion of the Central Director of the Bahamas Department Bahamas. The Southeast Bahamas is of Meteorology. completely without coverage. 4 Spring 2017 VN-MET-Spring-2017-C210094EN-210x280.indd 4 17.1.2017 10.32 After Hurricane Joaquin caused The deliveries will start at the thus improve aviation safety as opera- widespread destruction in the beginning of 2017, to be completed tors are more accurately advised of Central Bahamas and the Southeast by the end of 2019. the weather parameters over and in Bahamas in 2015, the Government the vicinity of the airports. of The Bahamas heeded the cry of “The Bahamas has some five Keeping People Safe the meteorology department and million visitors annually, and we have decided to invest in a network of “Thanks to the weather radars, we 28 government owned airports on our Doppler Weather Radars that will will be able to see more accurately islands. The heavy rains, lightning, cover the whole country whose the current weather and when tropi- thunderstorms, low visibility and land and sea area is on par with cal cyclones are in The Bahamas – wind shear associated with severe that of Cuba. how fast they are moving and how weather events are definitely a hazard When looking for the best suit- severe they really are.” to aviation, so we need to be able to able provider, the Department of The radars will help in building a service the airports better as well as Meteorology soon turned to Vaisala. more reliable early warning system in meet International Civil Aviation Orga- “We have over 40 years of order to alert the population of signifi- nization (ICAO) and World Meteoro- history with Vaisala, and Vaisala cant or severe weather conditions logical Organization (WMO) standards has provided the most robust and The AWOSes will assist the air- and regulations.” reliable equipment. In this case, ports to operate more efficiently and it was also important that Vaisala thought of the whole picture for The Bahamas – not just trying to made the deal. Training, for example, was an essential part of the contract for us,” Mr. Basden points out. The contract was signed with Vaisala partnering with FMI on October 26th 2016. Vaisala will provide The Bahamas with four Doppler Weather Radars, nine Automatic Weather Observation Systems (AWOS) for airports, sixteen Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), one Direct Readout Ground Station (DRGS), and related ser- vices. FMI will provide meteorologi- cal software and training. Electronics Manager Byron Bain (on the left) and Director Trevor Basden from the Bahamas Department of Meteorology visited Vaisala’s factory and headquarters in Finland in late 2016. Spring 2017 5 VN-MET-Spring-2017-C210094EN-210x280.indd 5 17.1.2017 10.32 Helping the Sun Shine Brightly on the Global Solar Industry Vaisala Solar Time Series Tools offer easy access to bankable solar resource records at any location around the world. It’s no secret that solar technology energy players to act quickly and aggressive new target. The initial is presenting major opportunities make investments at the right time. result of this work was the country’s for the energy sector and all sorts of Latin America is a prime example. first renewable energy auction, held businesses around the world. In 2016 In the last few years there has been a in September 2016 with the results global solar capacity is expected to great deal of focus on solar develop- announced in early October.
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