23 March – World Meteorological Day

„Polar meteorology : understaning global impact”

         What is the meaning of the World Meteorological Day?

         Every year, on 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), celebrate World Meteorological Day. This Day commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the Organization.  Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System. As a result a new era of international colaboration in the field of hidrology and meteorology makes its appereance.

        The Republic of Moldova jointed the World Meteorological Organization on 29 July 1994, accorting to parliament decision nr. 210-XIII. The succese of WMO activity consists in global international colaboration, as the weather and clime are without administrative and economic frontieres.  

     What’s the difference between the celebration of this day in 2007 from the previous years?

      Every year WMO celebrate on 23 March the World Meteorological Day focused on certain theme, which is up- to- date.

     The theme of 2007 World Meteorological Day is „Polar meteorology: understaning global impact” in recognition of the importance of, and as a contribution to, International Polar Year (IPY).  

    The main concept of the IPY 2007-2008 is to carry out internationally coordinated, interdisciplinary scientific research and observations focused on the Earth’s Polar Regions. The official period of observations is from 1 March 2007 to 1 March 2009. The events are organized by WMO and International Council  for Science.  There are already 200 of international interdiciplinary projects focused on studies of a wide range of scientific, phisical, biological and social issues related to the polar regions. Over 50.000 of scientists and experts from 60 countries all over the world will be involved in the activities of the IPY. In additon, the IPY 2007-2008 will symbolize the celebration of 50 years from the organization of the International Geophisical Year 1957-1958, which will lead to the development of far-reaching descoveries, data and international colaborations in the fields of geophisics, biology and social science.   

     Key scientific objectives of the IPY are to link the phisics, biological and social issues of the polar regions to those from the Earth. IPY also will give outstanding  posibilities to establisch a domestic comunication between a great number of scientific disciplines and interconections with training at all levels and a interconection with public.

    What is the contribution of NHMS to the reserch programme of the polar regions?

    Through the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and other institutions of its Members, WMO will be making substantial contributions to the new IPY in the areas of polar meteorology, oceanography, glaciology and hydrology, in terms of scientific research and observations.  .Another essential input to the IPY will be provided through WMO's Space Programme.

     WMO Programmes will generate complex bases, comprehensive datasets and authoritative scientific knowledge to ensure further development of environmental monitoring and forecasting systems, including severe weather prediction. Moreover they will be able to asses with a high accuracy the clime change and their consequences.   

    Weather forecasts in Artic polar regions are very necessary in order to protect the local people, to support maritim operations in these regions, as well as geological researcheas and oil and gas exploration. The output data and observations from the hidrometeorological stations are very important and they will made posible to predict the clime evolution at a global level.

     The State Hydrometeorological Service have a fruitful cooperation with WMO, what are the advantages of this colaboration?

     The State Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Moldova is a special institution which monotor the weather and its evolution, prevent the severe meteorological events as well as carry out the monitoring of environmental polution, that has a distinguish background. The first sistematic manned meteorological observations were made in Chisinau, in 1884.

      The State Hydrometeorological Service joined the WMO in 1994. Its main aim is global control of hydrometeorological activities and environmental monitoring. International cooperation in related fields is the milestone that ensure the Service sustainable run. Hydrometeorological observation data colected by the national services are diseminated to the synoptic mapping and near-time forecast World and Regional Centres.

     WMO provide the Service with both technical assistance and financial. Due to this assistance the experts of our Service participate to the international conferince, workshops and training courses.

     Through the WMO Voluntary Assistance Programme, State Hydrometeorological Service benefit from specific technical assistance, a tool set for the soil moisture monitoring, equipment and software for receiving information from the Toulouse Space Centre(Meteo-France) etc.

    The Sate Hydrometeorological Services signed bilateral agreements with National Hydrometeorological Services. It has strong relationschps with neighbouring national hydrometeorological services. In order to strengh the colaboration,  the Service develops long-term intergovernamental programmes with Ukraine and Roumania. The agreements pledge to exchange of information and monitoring of the water resources in the border rivers Dniestr and Prut.

       What about the regional cooperation of State Hydrometeorological Service?

      The Service assists within the regional projects on exchange of hydrometeorological information between the Danube (DANUBE – HYCOS) and Black See Countries (BLACK SEAHYCOS).

     Up-to-day the State Hydrometeorological Service has an adequate network of stations and  water gauges in order to observe systematically meteorological and hydrometeorological events and control the envoronmental polution level. There are used and prepared state of the art technology for processing related information. The experts besides their work, carried out comprehensive scientific researches in related fields, that are focused on enhansing the quality of forecasts, increasing the number of forecast production and information regime.

     Meanwhile, the Service takes appropriate steps to improve the national data collection, processing and forecassting system through the National ecological Fund, which led to the automate the Service meteorological stations.

      In order to show the role of the State Hydrometeorological Service in the  community, we will present only one  convinsing argument.

     According to WMO assesment the costs for receiving hyrometeorological information has an economic inmpact of 1:10, which means that every lei invested in State Hydrometeorological Service gives a benefit of 10 times higher.

      Which are the goals of Service perspectives?

     In the early 2001 within the governamental startegy  „Country modernization- public welfare” I, as a manager of the present institution, drawn the future development plan aimed to strenghting and increasin the building capacity of State Hydrometeorological Service, that is the only competent institution in the related field. In order to reach this aim,  the Services coworkers redoubled efforts , enhanced the technical-material base which  raise the image of the Service as a  reliable source of information.

     We aim to automate the observation network, data collection and process in order to modernize the Service. Assisted by the governmental bodies and National Ecological Fund, we hope to automate all the meteorological stations and some water and hydrochimocal gauges up to a complete automate of monitoring network in 2007. Regarding the staff, a determinative to a successful activity of any institutions, the Government have supported from 2002 the trainning of specialists. The specialists who have postsoviet education are trainned in order to meet the current  requirements and to apply new technologies. Only in this way we will satisfy the increasing requirements of end-users.

     What do you wish for your experts in near future?

    Today, the World Meteorological Day inspire hope that our society will be aware of the role of State Hydrometeorological Service and the significance of hydrometeorological information for both the country present and future and assurance of current society security. 

    We express our gratitude on this special day to all meteorologist- specialists fom our country for their hard work which they are doing for several years and their contribution to the building capacity of the State Hydrometeorological Service as a specialized institution.  

 Director                        V. CAZAC