Topics Covered:
- Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
What to study?
For Prelims and Mains: WMO- objectives, functions, reports and significance.
Context: Every year, on March 23, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) commemorates its founding by observing World Meteorological Day. This year, the organisation is celebrating its 69th anniversary.
Theme: “The Sun, the Earth and the weather”. This year’s theme also sits in perfectly with the next cycle of the Sun’s activity starting in 2020, also known as the Solar Cycle 25.
About WMO:
What is it?
- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to meteorology (weather), climatology (climate), operational hydrology (water) and other related geophysical sciences such as oceanography and atmospheric chemistry.
- Predessor organization — International Meteorological Organization (IMO) — founded in 1873.
Reports:
- Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
- Status of the World Climate.
What does WMO do?
- WMO coordinates the activities of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in 191 States and Territories so that basic weather, climate and water services are made available to anyone who needs them, when they need them.
- WMO guarantees the publication of observations and statistics and furthers the application of meteorology and hydrology (including the monitoring and predictions of climate change and ozone) to all aspects of human activities such as aviation, shipping, water management and agriculture.
- WMO also encourages research and training in meteorology and hydrology and their related applications and contributes towards reducing the impact of weather- and climate-related hazards. This is accomplished through regular, reliable forecasts and early warnings on flooding, drought, tropical cyclones, tornadoes and other extreme events.
- Predictions concerning locust swarms and the transport of pollutants (nuclear and toxic substances, volcanic ash) are also provided by WMO Members.
Sources: down to earth.
