This book provides an overview of the early years of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and reviews the work of the institute over the past 30 years, describing along the way the European approach to medium-range weather forecasting. Its combination of historical view and scientific insight is unique.
Author(s): Austin Woods
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 282
Contents......Page 14
Foreword from the President of the ECMWF Council......Page 5
Foreword from the Director ECMWF......Page 6
Foreword from President of Committee of COST Senior Officials......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 12
1 The first Director......Page 15
2 The beginnings: the political background......Page 32
3 Meteorological developments 1967 to 1971......Page 37
4 The Project Study......Page 50
5 The Convention......Page 62
6 In the United Kingdom......Page 76
7 1974 to 1980 — The Formative Years......Page 86
8 The Analysis System, from OI to 4D-Var......Page 99
9 The Medium-Range Model......Page 112
10 Ensemble prediction — forecasting the error......Page 129
11 Seasonal prediction......Page 143
12 Wave prediction......Page 156
13 Data from on high......Page 172
14 Re-analysis — towards a new ERA......Page 181
15 Archives and Graphics: towards MARS, MAGICS and Metview......Page 197
16 The computer system: CDC, Cray, Fujitsu, IBM......Page 208
17 Communicating the forecasts: mail and 50 baud to RMDCN......Page 225
18 Commercial issues......Page 235
19 The Staff......Page 243
20 And the outlook is …......Page 250
Annex 1 Directors......Page 261
Annex 2 The Council and its Committees......Page 268
Annex 3 List of abbreviations......Page 275
