Digital Reach

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HE MAIN PURPOSE

of the World Meteorological Organization

(WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN),

is to facilitate international cooperation to promote the

rapid and free exchange of information on weather, climate and

water. Its fields of competence range from taking the pulse of the

Earth-atmosphere system to environmental satellites, from

weather forecasting to climate change studies, drought predic-

tion to ozone-layer depletion studies, tropical storm and flood

warnings to scientific environmental research and advice on

sound environmental governance. WMO also furthers the appli-

cation of weather, climate and water information to aviation,

shipping, water resources, agriculture, leisure, energy and indeed

all other weather-sensitive activities.

The importance of information

Weather phenomena of unusual severity or duration pose a

threat to life, property, human activities and the environment.

They include tornadoes, thunderstorms, cyclones, flood-produc-

ing rain and drought. Natural disasters, which occur on

timescales ranging from minutes to years, have led to an enor-

mous toll of human suffering, loss of lives and property damage.

Severe weather has impacts in all countries. It is estimated that

90 per cent of the three million people killed as a result of

natural disasters in the past 20 years lived in developing coun-

tries, the majority of which are situated in areas prone to natural

disasters and dangerous weather events. In addition to direct

damage, severe and extreme weather has serious indirect effects

on food security, the spread of disease, and long-term problems

of desertification, famine and mass emigration.

Accidental or intentional (e.g. war-induced) releases of

hazardous materials into the atmosphere and water bodies also

constitute a major threat to life and safety and can take on inter-

national or even global dimensions. Information and warnings

on the predicted concentration of toxic or radioactive materials

How weather, climate and water information

saves lives and promotes sustainable development

World Meteorological Organization

NMS

SATELLITE

SOUNDINGS

SATELLITE

IMAGES

GEOSTATIONARY

SATELLITE

POLAR

ORBITING

SATELLITE

WEATHER

RADAR

UPPER-AIR

STATION

SATELLITE

GROUND

STATION

SURFACE

STATION

AUTOMATIC

STATION

OCEAN

DATA

BUOY

WEATHER

SHIP

AIRCRAFT

Provision of information benefits many weather - sensitive sectors