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WMO Bulletin, Volume 46, No. 3 THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations The purposes of WMO are: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL President J. W. ZtLLMAN (Australia) To faci li tate worldwide cooperation in the estab­ First Vice-President C. E. BERRfDGE (British lishment of networks of stations for the making of Caribbean Territories) meteorological observations as well as hydro­ Second Vice-President N. SEN RoY (India) logical and other geophysical observations related Third Vice-President (post vacant) to meteorology, and to promote the establi shment and maintenance of centres charged with the prov­ Ex officio members of the Executive Council ision of meteorological and related services; (presidents of regional associations) Africa (Region I) To promote the establi shment and maintenance of systems for the rapid exchange of meteorological K. KONARE (Mali ) Asia (Region II) and related information; Z. BATJARGAL (Mongolia) To promote standardization of meteorological and South America (Region Ill) related observations and to ensure the uniform W. CASTRO WREDE (Paraguay) publication of observations and statistics; North and Central America (Region IV) A.J. DANIA (Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) To further the application of meteorology to avia­ South-West Pacific (Region V) tion, shipping, water problems, agriculture and S. KARJOTO (Indonesia) other human activities; Europe (Region VI) To promote activities in operational hydrology P. STEINHAUSER (Austria) and to further close cooperation between Meteoro­ Elected members of the Executive Council logical and Hydrological Services; A. A. AL-GA IN (Saudi Arabia) To encourage research and training in meteor­ Z. ALPERSON (Israel) ology and, as appropriate, in related fields, and to L. A. AMADORE (Philippines) (acting) assist in coordinating the international aspects of A. ATHAYDE (Brazil) such research and training. A. I. BEDRITSKY (Russian Federation) J.-P. BEYSSON (France) A. B. DIOP (Senegal) The World Meteorological Congress E. w. FRIDAY (USA) is the supreme body of the Organization. It brings U. GARTNER (Germany) (acting) together delegates of all Members once every four J. C. R. HUNT (United Kingdom) years to determine general policies for the fu lfilment P. LEYVA-FRANCO (Colombia) of the purposes of the Organization. G. McBEAN (Canada) M. S. MHITA (United Republic of Tanzania) E. A. MUKOLWE (Kenya) The Executive Council L. NDOR IM ANA (Burundi) is composed of 36 directors of national Meteoro­ A. M. NooRIAN (Islamic Republic of Iran) logical or Hydrometeorological Services serving in an I. 0BRUSNIK (Czech Republic) individual capacity; it meets at least once a year to T. ONo (Japan) (acting) supervise the programmes approved by Congress. G. E. 0RTEGA GIL (Mexico) G. K. RAMOTHWA (Botswana) Y. SALAHU (Nigeria) (acting) The six regional associations G. C. SCHULZE (South Africa) are each composed of Members whose task it is to R. A. SONZINI (Argentina) coordin ate meteorological and related activities J. ZIELINSKI (Poland) within their respective Regions. H. ZOHDY (Egypt) (acting) Zou JINGMENG (China) The eight technical commissions PRESIDENTS OF TECHNICAL COMMISSIONS are composed of experts designated by Members and Aeronautical Meteorology: C. H. SPRINKLE are responsible for studying meteorological and Agricultural Meteorology: C. J. STIGTER hydrological operational systems, applications and Atmospheric Sciences: D. J. GAUNTLETT research. Basic Systems: S. MLLDNER Climatology: W. J. MA UNDER Hydrology: K. HOFIUS THE SECRETAR IAT OF THE ORGANIZATION IS LOCATED AT Instruments and Methods of Observation: J. KRUUS 41 AVENUE GIUSEPPE-MOTTA, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND . Marine Meteorology: J. GUDDAL WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SECRETARY-GENERAL Vol. 46 No. 3 G. 0. P. OBASI July 1997 DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL M. JARRAUD ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL A. S. ZAITSEV The offic.ial journal of the "". .orld I IB3TT 1ILILJEl7fl'lJI!i\.1 Mete01ologrcal Organrzatron D V ll ! '\/ 208 In thi s issue 209 The Bulletin interviews: Professor Bo R. Doos Subscripti on rates: 217 The EUMETSAT Polar System, by T. Mohr Surface mail 1 year: SFR 52 223 NOAA satellite programmes: new advances for the 2 1st century, 2 years: SFR 94 by R. S. Winokur 3 years: SFR 124 228 Improved meteorological function of the Multifunctional Trans­ Airmail port Satellite, by N. Sato 1 year: SFR 72 230 Satellite meteorology applications: a demonstration project for 2 years: SFR 130 Regional Meteorological Training Centres, by J. F. W. Purdom 3 years: SFR 172 237 The economic value of meteorology, by J.-P. Beysson Published quarterly (January, Apr il , July, 242 Weather presentation on Croatian television, by Z. Nenadic, October) in English, French, Russian I. Cacic and M. Sijerkovic and Spanish editions . 244 Impact of climate, by C. C. Wallen Remittances and all other correspon­ 249 Meteorological observing systems before 1870 in England, dence about the WMO Bulletin shou ld France, Gennany, Russia and the USA: a review and compari­ be addressed to the Secretary-General. son, by J. R. Fleming OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN SIGNED ARTICLES OR 259 The global climate system in 1996 IN ADVER TI SEMENTS APPEARING IN THE WMQ 262 Commission for Marine Meteorology-twelfth session Bulletin ARE THE AUTHOR'S OR ADVERTISER'S OPINIONS AN DDO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT Anniversaries THOSE OF WMO. The mention of specific 265 The 75th anniversary of the National Hydrometeorological companie s or products in articles or Service of Ukraine and the 25th anniversary of the first in s­ advertisements does not imply that trumental meteorological observations in Ukraine, by V.N. they are endorsed or recommended by WMO in prefe rence to others of a simi­ Lipinsky lar nature which are not mentioned or WMO programme news adve rtised. Extracts from unsigned (or 268 Tropical Cyclone Programme initialled) article s in the journal may be 269 Climate infom1ation and prediction services reproduced provided the customary acknowledgement is made. Requests 270 World Climate Data and Monitoring Programme to publish signed articles (in part or in 272 World Climate Research Programme whole) sho uld be addressed to the Edi­ 274 Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme tor. 275 Global Atmosphere Watch 276 Aemnautical meteorology World Meteorological Organization 278 Hydrology and water resources Case postale 2300 CH-1211 Geneva 2 279 Education and training Switzerland 28 1 Infonnation and public affairs 282 Technical cooperation Tel.: (+4 1.22) 730.84.78 Fax: (+41.22) 733.09.82 283 In the Regions e·mail: bulletin@lpc .wmo.ch 285 News and notes 288 News from the Secretariat 293 Obituaries 296 Reviews 305 Calendar of coming events Editor: A. S. ZAITSEV 306 Members of the World Meteorological Organization Associate Editor: Judith C. C. TORRES In t!liis issure This edition of the WMO Bulletin contains many inter­ mesoscale meteorology advanced meteorological esting items, including feature articles on our cho­ satellite demonstration interpretation system" (more sen theme of developments in meteorological satel­ readily known as RAMSDIS) programme can help lite technology, as well as on a wide variety of other RMTCs develop into specialized satellite applica­ topics. tions training centres. Firstly, the Bulletin interview is with Prof. B. R. Mr Jean-Pierre Beysson, Director-General of D66s, a well-known figure in the international meteo­ Meteo-France, gave a lecture at the Seventh Interna­ rological community. He was Director of the Joint tional Festival of Meteorology at lssy-le s Moulineaux, Planning staff for the Global Atmospheric Research France, in February 1997, on the economic value of Programme in the WMO Secretariat for 12 years meteorology. The lecture is reproduced here in view until his retirement in 1982. Today, he is sill scientifi­ of the current public and media interest in the topic cally active and heads the organization Global Envi­ and the need for improved visibility of Meteorologi­ ronmental Management in Vienna, Austria. cal Services. The first feature article is entitled "The EUMET­ On a similar track, the next article describes SAT Polar System-observations from space in the and presents the re sults of a survey carried out in 21st century". Dr Tillmann Mohr, Director of EUMET­ Croatia (by Zeljana Nenadic, lvan Cacic and Milan SAT, outlines the historical and future perspectives, Sijerkovic) about the public's reaction to, and per­ current status and content of this new programme, ception of, televised weather programmes and their ground infrastructure, instrument payload and appli­ value and how to improve and strengthen the rela­ cations and concludes with a summary of the bene­ tionship between a television network and a national fits to be derived. Meteorological Service . The following article, by Robert S. Winokur, "Impact of climate" was the title of a lecture sets out the US National Oceanic and Atmo spheric delivered by C. C. Wallen to the European Confer­ Administration's polar-orbiting and geostationary ence on Applied Climatology in Sweden in May satellite programmes, whose aim is to ensure the 1996. Reproduced here, it addresses definitions continuity of critical meteorological, oceanographic and applications, as well as impacts of climate, and climatological observations in the next century. especia lly as regards the establishment of a stable The improved meteorological function of the socio-economic system. Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) is the James Fleming then gives us an erudite, com­ subject of an article by
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