3.2                                   Overview of general meteorological and forecasting requirements

The history of the activities of the various national Antarctic forecasting services will vary from country to country as will their current requirements. For an excellent overview of the infrastructure of many of the stations that are operating in the Antarctic the reader is referred to the web site of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) at http://www.comnap.aq/comnap/comnap.nsf. Here the visitor will gain an overview of the extent of the international effort in Antarctica.

In some cases (e.g.: Australia) a government–based national weather agency is recognised as the national lead agency for Antarctic weather programmes. In other cases semi–government research institutions (e.g.: British Antarctic Survey (BAS)) or private interests provide the services on contract to the national government concerned. In general though, collectively the major objectives of the weather services/agencies of many nations that operate in Antarctica are, among others, to:

·                         maintain, if not improve, the present quality of surface and upper–air observing programmes;

·                         ensure efficient real–time transmission of meteorological data as contributions to the international network agreed to by the WMO, Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR);

·                         develop the application of data received by satellite remote sensing of the atmosphere over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean;

·                         provide sea ice images and analyses in support of shipping operations and climate research;

·                         improve assimilation of high latitude data in global and limited area weather prediction models of the atmosphere;

·                         improve understanding of Antarctic meteorology, with the aim of providing, improved weather forecasts;

·                         collaborate with other agencies in improving the coupled ice–ocean–atmosphere climate models;

·                         continue to monitor atmospheric trace gases and particles (aerosols) as indicators of the impact of human activities.