ECMWF is to continue as the computational centre for the hydrological forecasting activities of the EU-funded Copernicus Emergency Management Service for a further six years. The computational centre helps to deliver the European and Global Flood Awareness Systems, EFAS and GloFAS.
ECMWF has opened a forum for its users to post comments on topics related to weather and forecasting, join conversations and provide feedback to the Centre.
ECMWF needs up-to-date satellite observations of weather-related variables to initialise its forecasts and to conduct research. Its partnership with EUMETSAT is essential in this regard.
The Report reviews improvements in forecast performance, advances in research, the Centre’s contributions to Europe’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, preparations for the new data centre in Italy, and how we have worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECMWF researchers have used detailed soil and weather observations up to about 200 metres above ground from several observational super-sites in Europe to assess and improve different aspects of our weather forecasts.
The second fully virtual Using ECMWF’s Forecasts event was held from 1 to 4 June 2021. The meeting attracted people from all over the world to discuss and provide feedback on ECMWF products and services.
ECMWF is to ingest data from Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) later this year to improve our understanding of the behaviour of the Gulf Stream and its influence on weather. Up to six solar-powered USVs will cover a part of the Gulf Stream that is crucial for forecasts.
Some 170 scientists from around the world presented recent progress and challenges ahead in ocean data assimilation in a virtual event from 17 to 20 May 2021, organised jointly by ECMWF and OceanPredict.
ECMWF scientists made a big contribution to the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2021, held online from 19 to 30 April. Their presentations touched on many aspects of weather prediction as well as work done by the two EU Copernicus services run by ECMWF.
An upgrade of ECMWF’s Integrated Forecasting System implemented on 11 May has introduced single precision for high-resolution and ensemble forecasts and increased the vertical ensemble resolution.
Registration and abstract submission are open for ECMWF’s online workshop on the use of high-performance computing in meteorology from 20 to 24 September.
The spring 2021 issue of the ECMWF Newsletter is now available. As well as news about ECMWF staff and events, it features articles about new developments and the use that can be made of ECMWF products.
The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service implemented by ECMWF has produced a comprehensive overview of last year’s European climate. The European State of the Climate 2020 also includes a focus on the Arctic and a summary of global conditions.
A change in ECMWF’s seasonal prediction system SEAS5 has reduced the underprediction of tropical storms. Frédéric Vitart had a key role in developing it.
The latest climate projections for the coming decades are now available in the Climate Data Store of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). A special event for decision-makers in Spain explored how such C3S climate data can help drive solutions for water and energy sectors.
This year, World Meteorological Day on 23 March focuses on ‘The ocean, our climate and weather’. At ECMWF, the ocean is an integral part of ensemble forecasts for medium, extended and seasonal ranges.
ECMWF will host a three-day virtual event on global to local hydrological modelling and forecasting from 29 June 2021. Abstract submission is open until 31 March 2021.
The year 2020 continued the upward trend of global forecast performance, driven by regular updates of the Integrated Forecasting System. Headline scores show positive effects in medium-range as well as extended-range forecasts.
ECMWF will present EU plans on 5 March to develop a high-precision digital model of our planet. The purpose is to create a digital twin of the Earth that will make it possible to explore various natural processes and human activities.