Climate Exchange

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apacity

evelopment

identifying sources is a quest.Mobilizing resources and funds

demands energy and best practices must be shared.

Date rescue must be encouraged for other reasons,

namely because it contributes to making various

communities work together towards a single goal:

developing awareness and educating about risk, in the

framework of climate change.

A final word

It is a critical obligation to advocate for, and support,

data rescue. A strong voice has to come from the Global

Framework for Climate Services. Resources are critical,

of course, but our example aims at showing that this can

be dealt with. Research projects are gradually bringing

onboard data rescue work packages. It is important to keep

in mind that data rescue is not an aim; it is a tool, the input

to homogenization and reanalysis; it feeds climate science.

NMHSs have to be heavily involved, since they inherit

from a long history. Similarly, data rescue is an effort that

needs collaboration with academic, climate, history and

archive scientists. The construction of a research project,

enabling targeted data rescue, is valuable, as are systematic

enterprises. Of particular note is the original public-private

partnership in our example with the support of the founda-

tion of amajor French and international bank, BNP Paribas.

We have challenges ahead, due to resources. But we

would like also to emphasize that data rescue tells us that

we have to think now for the future. We know that we

have to recover a memory of the past: this must remind us

that we have a duty to observe current data that will help

future generations of climatologists to answer the questions

they will be asked. These scientists will appreciate that our

generation, today, has enabled them to work and deliver to

societies a few decades from now. We know data rescue is

critical; let us not forget that data seeding is also vital.

The Fondation BNP Paribas international jury decided that this

action should be one of the supported projects, allowing a very

significant fee. This was not only a huge financial support, but also

an authoritative message that data rescue is a critical contribution

to climate sciences and to culture – and also to adaptation. This

action is now underway. The rich potential is already confirmed as

decontamination operations begin.

Beyond meteorology and climate science

Météo-France is acting with few scientists at the forefront on these

matters in France, spreading the message of the importance of data

rescue. The example is being followed by many communities which

are used to closely interacting with meteorologists – for example,

hydrologists. Of course, in the past a lot of scientists have carried

on such efforts – but the message now is that data rescue has to be

considered as a systematic eneterprise, run with all the necessary

priority and support: climate change imposes a higher momentum

where, traditionally, only a few isolated scientists were trying to act.

Data rescue must be considered as a real climate service. Indeed, it is a

long chainof actions. At each step, close partnerships have to be established

with various actors: priorities are given by climate scientists, while oppor-

tunities and clues are permitted by historians or archivists. Searching and

Source: Météo-France and Archives Nationales

A map from November 1916 found in the French archives and currently

undergoing asbestos decontamination in a joint effort between the Archives

Nationales and Météo-France, sponsored by Fondation BNP Paribas

Following after the destruction of the allied fleet in the Black Sea by

a storm, during the Crimean war, a weather service was established

in France; this chart was drawn soon after, in 1857, and shows a

French network but also connections with other European countries