Dec 14 1978
From The Space Library
The Intl. Council of Scientific Unions and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that more than 140 nations would participate in the largest international scientific experiment ever held, beginning in January 1979. The Global Weather Experiment (GWE) would establish the practical limits of weather forecasting and design a global observation system to achieve them. During the 12mo experiment, a massive array of scientific personnel and observing equipment would monitor earth's oceans and atmosphere to compile the most complete record of global weather data ever assembled. The experiment, part of the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP), would be a joint effort of the 2 organizations and all 147 member nations of WMO; 5 other international organizations were also contributing. U.S. participants would include the Depts. of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and State; NASA; the Natl. Center for Atmospheric Research; the Natl. Science Foundation; the Defense Nuclear Agency; the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard; and many academic institutions. NOAA would coordinate U.S. participation.
The experiment would supplement the existing World Weather Watch (now generating more than 40 000 observations daily) with 10 satellites, about 50 research vessels, 110 aircraft (including 10 research planes), 300 high-altitude constant-level balloons, and 300 instrumented drifting buoys. One focus of attention would be the broad belt around the equator, an enormous heat sink absorbing much of the sun's energy and generating much of the world's weather, but so far comparatively unobserved. To obtain more data on this crucial region, GWE would operate observing systems during two special periods (Jan. 5 to March 5, and May 1 to June 30) to gather vital tropical-wind information. The combined systems would generate weather data for 85% of the earth's area not covered by the World' Weather Watch.
At the end of the Global Weather Experiment Nov. 30, 1979, centers in a number of nations would process the data and forward the results to World Data Centers in Moscow and Washington, D.C., and to meteorological research laboratories in Bracknell, England, and Princeton, N.J. Scientists would use computers to refine the data and construct for the first time a complete 12-mo world-weather history. They would run computer experiments using this unique record to test their results, and to determine not only the practical limits of weather prediction but also the data needed to reach these limits and the kind of system needed to gather the data. The socioeconomic impact of improved weather forecasts could be dramatic; industries, for example, could benefit from knowing what the weather would be as far as 8 to 10 (or even 14) days in advance. (GWE Release 78-1)
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