WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION JULV 1972 VOL. XXI No. 3 THE WORLD METEOROLOG ICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. WMO was created: to faci litate international co-operation in the establi shment of networks of sta­ tions a nd centres to provide meteorological services a nd observations, to promote the establishment and maintena nce of systems fo r the rapid exchange of meteorological information, to promote standardization of meteorological observations and ensure the uniform publication of observations and statistics, to further the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, water problems, agriculture and other human activities, to encourage research and training in meteorology. The World Meteorological Congress is the supreme body of the Organization . It brings together the delegates of all Members once every four years to determine general poli cies for the fulfi lment of the purposes of the Organization. " The Executive Committee is composed of 24 directors of national Meteorological Services serving in a n individual capacity; it meets at least o nce a year to supervise the programmes approved by Congress. Six Regional Associations are each cori1posed of Members whose task is to co-ordinate meteorological activities with in their respective regions. Eight Tec/111ical Commissions composed of experts designated by Members, are responsible for studying the special technical branches relating to meteorologica l observation, a nalysis, forecasting, research and the applications of meteorology. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: M. F . TAHA (Arab Republic of Egypt) First Vice-President: W. J. Gmss (Australia) Second Vice-President: J. BESSEM OULIN (France) Third Vice-President: P. KOTESWARAM (India) R egional Association presidents Africa(!): M. SECK (Senegal) North and Central America (IV): Asia (II): A . P. NAVAl (Iran) J. R. H. NoBLE (Canada) South America (III): South-West Pacific (V): S. BRAVO FLORES (Chile) K . R AJENDRAM (Singapore) Europe (VI): R. SCHNEIDER (Switzerland) Elected members F. A. A. AcQUAAH (G hana) B . J. MASON (U.K.) B . AzMY (Morocco) A. N YBERG (Sweden) E. Bo BINSKJ (Poland) M. SAMIULLAH (Pakistan) 0. CORONEL PARRA (Venezuela) E. SOssENBERGE R (Fed. R ep . of Germany) G. EcHEVERRJ OssA (Colombia) K . TAKAHASHJ (Japan) G. FEA (Italy) S. TEWUNGWA (Kenya, United Republic E . K. FEDOROV (U.S.S.R .) of T anzania, a nd Uganda) R. M . WHITE (U.S.A.) TECHNICAL COMMISSION PRESIDENTS Aeronautical Meteorology: Hydrology: E. G . PoPov P. DUV ERGE Instruments and Methods of Observation: Agricultural Meteorology: W. BAlER V . D. RocKNEY Atmospheric Sciences: J. S. SAWYER Marine Meteorology: S. L . TIERNEY Basic Systems: 0. LtiNNQVIST (acting) Special Applications of Meteorology a nd Climatology: H. E. LANDSBERG The Secretaria t of the Organization is located at 41 Avenue Giuseppe-Motta, Geneva, Switzerla nd WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION SECRETARY-GENERAL: D A. DAVIES DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL: K. LANGLO [!!1~00 ~D[[~[~~ JULY 1972 EDITOR: 0. M. ASH FORD VOL. XXI No. 3 THE PICTURE ON THE COVER TABLE OF CONTENTS Page At its fourth session (see p. 179), the WMO The Leipzig Meteorological Conference, 1872 136 Commission for Hydrology took steps to Significant weather in 1971 . 141 ensure that all the elements of the hydrological Hydrometeorological Service of the Ullrai- cycle are covered as appropriate in the WMO nian S.S.R. 148 programme in operational hydrology. One Regional Association for Europe - Extra- April 1972 . 154 of the recommendations related to the develop­ ordinary session, Lucerne, ment of an evaporation pan which could serve World Weather Watch . 156 as an international reference standard. Evap­ Meteorological training and research . 159 oration measurements and estimates are of Global Atmospheric Research Programme . 163 course required by hydrologists for many pur­ Meteorology and the environment........... 166 water balance of poses, including studies of the Meteorology and ocean affairs . 168 an area and reservoir planning. The picture Technical co-operation . 170 on the cover shows the large evaporation tank and other observing equipment installed in Hydrology . 179 Entebbe, Uganda, at the headquarters of the News and notes . 187 WMO project for the hydrometeorological News from the WMO Secretariat . 190 survey of Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Albert Reviews................................... 195 (seep. 177). Members of WMO .. 00. 00 ......... 00....... 200 {Photo WMO/INTERFOTO MTI Calendar of coming events . 201 by Tamas Fenyes) Selected list of WMO publications . 202 The WMO Bulletin is published quarterly in four separate editions : English, French, Spanish and Russian. Annual subscriptions (see order form) and all other correspondence about the Bulletin should be addressed to the Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization, Case postale No. 1, CH- 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. Publication date is normally 15 January, 15 April, 15 July and 15 October. Contributions for a particular issue should reach the Editor at least ten weeks before the publication date. Permission to publish extracts from the WMO Bulletin is granted, provided the customary acknowledgement is made. Signed contributions do not necessarily represent the views of the Organization. 135 THE LEIPZIG METEOROLOGICAL CONFERENCE, 1872 By Academician E. K. FEDORov and Dr. V. BoHME International co-operation has long been practised by Meteorological Services of all countries. The vehicle of this co-operation, the World Meteorological Organization, will shortly be celebrating its centenary. It is of interest, in this context, to have a look at the first steps taken to set up links between Meteorological Services. From tllis point of view the first large-scale international Meteorological Conference held at Leipzig in August 1872 is worthy of serious attention. Early proposals for a conference "At the present time the increasing interest in meteorological research shown by all civilized countries has led to a demand for far-reaching co-ordination and standardization of the methods and procedures in use in different countries. Such suggestions have been put forward and discussed so frequently (for example, by C. H. D. Buys Ballot in his paper Suggestions on a uniform system of meteorological observations, Utrecht, 1872), that the undersigned consider it both feasible and timely to propose the convening of a meteoro­ logical conference ... "Although we have no intention of predetermining the views of the congress itself, we nevertheless think it advisable to set out below some questions that might be laid before the congress for discussion and possible solution ... " ... The above-mentioned list of questions, discussion of which would lead on to other points, clearly shows the importance of the problems likely to come under considera­ tion at an international meteorological congress, and we are sure that we can rely on the stipport not only of specialists in the field, but also of scientific societies and, indeed, of governments, to ensure the successful organization of such a congress ... " These paragraphs are quoted from a circular letter (1) * by H. Wild, C. Jelinek and C. Bruhns suggesting the holding of an international meteorological conference. They show what sort of problems were put forward by the sponsors of the conference and what role the Leipzig Conference played in the preparation of others, whose cen­ tenaries also fall in the 1970s, such as the first Meteorological Congress at Vienna in 1873 and the second Meteorological Congress at Rome in 1879. These three events of the 1870s constitute an important and far-reaching step forward in the development of a many-sided, fruitful and world-wide co-operation between nations in the field of meteorology and geophysics. This co-operation gave rise to the International Meteo­ rological Organization (IMO), which became the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1951, and also to such international efforts as the First International Polar Year, the International Geophysical Year, the Years of the Quiet Sun, the World Weather Watch and, lastly, the Global Atmospheric Research Programme. Mention should also be made of the Maritime Conference, an international meeting of meteorological experts held in Brussels in 1853, which dealt with only one particular subject, but nevertheless a very important one for the meteorology of the time, the pro­ vision of weather information for shipping. It was organized on the initiative of the Academician Fedorov is director of the Hydrometeorological Service of the U.S.S.R. and Dr. Bohme is director of the Meteorological Service of the German Democratic Republic. * See references on p. 141. 136 well-known oceanographer, Lt. M. F. Maury (U.S.A.) and was held under the chair­ manship of E. Quetelet, the Belgian astronomer and meteorologist. The major sea­ faring countries were represented at this conference, which discussed such pressing meteorological problems as the standardization of meteorological observations made at sea. After 1860 an increasing number of proposals were made for holding an interna­ tional meteorological conference aimed at co-ordinating methods of measurement and analysis of meteorological information. Thus, for example, H. W. Dove, director of the Prussian Meteorological Institute in Berlin, suggested, albeit without success, that a meteorological conference should be held simultaneously with the Swiss Congress of Naturalists in 1863 to set up a common organization for terrestrial