EUMETNET WG-ENV

The Objectives

The EUMETNET Working Group ENVironment (WG-ENV) was established at the end of 1997 with as main objectives to:

improve understanding and co-operation between Members in the environmental area;

develop proactive co-ordinated relations with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and other environmental organisations

The Tasks

Organise exchanges of information and know-how between Members related to measurements and forecast in the environmental domain;

Recommend best practices and, if advisable, propose EUMETNET Programmes that would allow all European citizen to benefit from the best possible meteorological information pertaining to the environment (e.g. pollutants concentration forecasting);

Maintain liaison with the EEA with a view to serve its meteorological needs, promote the European National Meteorological Services (NMS) as providers of information and services to EEA and enlist the support of EEA for EUMETNET actions in favour of the environment. In particular, EUMETNET and the EEA will exchange information about activities of mutual interest and will analyse the possibilities for co-operative Programmes in the field of Air Quality Forecasting and Climate Monitoring.

Maintain liaison with relevant COST Actions and other relevant international initiatives.

Activities

WG-ENV’s activities in implementing the above tasks can be divided into two phases. During the period 1998-2004, the major part of the effort was on inventorying existing activities and material related to air quality issues to link them and on supporting a forum for collecting and assessing information about observed climate change in Europe (European Climate Support Network: ECSN). After this initial period, the group intensified the dialogue with organisations and partners interested in building up an integrated air quality information network for Europe, including a continuous dialogue with major European projects such as GEMS (coordinated by ECMWF), ProMOTE (coordinated by KNMI), EUMETSAT’s Ozone SAF and relevant COST Actions (715 and 728).

Major highlights during 1998-2004

For the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D) project (initiated by ECSN and supported by EUMETNET) a co-operation with EEA was established through WG-ENV.

EUMETNET Workshop on ground-level O3 forecasting (Langen, Germany, 21-23 February 2000)

Compilation of a list of web sites with real-time ground-level O3 forecasts for European areas (under reconstruction)

Compilation of a list of web sites with near real-time measurement data of air pollutants for European areas (under reconstruction)

Recent achievements (2005-present)

Workshop on “Real-time Air Pollution Data Exchange and Forecasting in Europe” (EEA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-8 April 2005), involving all key organisations with interests in the topic such as National Meteorological Services (NMSs), National Environmental Agencies (NEAs), the European Environment Agency (EEA), major European projects such as GEMS and ProMOTE and non-European experts (US-EPA)

Drafting of an “Outline strategy for an Implementation Framework (2005-2011) to set up a European Network of Air Quality Forecasting and Information Systems (ENAQFIS)” based on inputs from the organisations represented at the Copenhagen workshop and using as archetype the operational integrated system AirNOW of the US-EPA.

Initiate and support the drafting of a proposal for a COST-Action “Towards a European Network on Chemical Weather Forecasting and Information Systems”. This COST-Action was launched in April 2007 and will work until April 2011 (http://www.chemicalweather.eu/). Most WG-ENV Members are involved in this Action, which includes delegates from 18 countries, thus showing wide interest across Europe. It is aimed at supporting GMES Atmospheric Service activities especially with respect to: (i) providing a forum for harmonizing, standardising and benchmarking approaches and practices in data exchange and multi-model capabilities for air quality forecast and near real-time information systems in Europe, (ii) assessing existing and work out new solutions for integrating the development efforts at national and international levels, and (iii) serving as a platform for the information exchange between meteorological services, environmental agencies and international initiatives. An EEA delegate is observer to the Action.

Contribution to the drafting of a document for promoting the development of a GMES Pilot Atmospheric Services

Participation to the GMES Atmospheric Service workshop in Brussels in Dec 2006.

Involvement in the “in-situ” Working Group under the Implementation Group established by the European Commission for developing the GMES Atmospheric Service

Involvement in the coordination of EUMETNET inputs to the development of the GMES Atmospheric Service

Links

· EEA

· EUMETSAT

· GEMS

· GEO

· GMES

· ProMOTE

· US-EPA

Since November 2005, WG-ENV is chaired by Sylvain Joffre (FMI, sylvain.joffre(at)fmi.fi). The vice-chair is Thomas Klein (SMHI, Thomas.Klein(at)smhi.se).

Membership: Alan Gross (DMI), Barbara Fay (DWD), Philippe Nacass (Meteo-France), Paul Agnew (UKMO), Ulrike Pechinger (ZAMG), Peter van Velthoven (KNMI), Mikhail Sofiev (FMI), Sonja Vidic (NMHS of Croatia) and Tim Haigh (EEA). Observers: Adrian Simmons (ECMWF), Eleni Paliouras (DLR), and Rosemary Munro (EUMETSAT).

Updated : 19 June 2008



The Objectives The EUMETNET Working Group ENVironment (WG-ENV) was established at the end of 1997 with as main objectives to: improve understanding and co-operation between Members in the environmental area; develop proactive co-ordinated relations with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and other environmental organisations
The Tasks Organise exchanges of information and know-how between Members related to measurements and forecast in the environmental domain; Recommend best practices and, if advisable, propose EUMETNET Programmes that would allow all European citizen to benefit from the best possible meteorological information pertaining to the environment (e.g. pollutants concentration forecasting); Maintain liaison with the EEA with a view to serve its meteorological needs, promote the European National Meteorological Services (NMS) as providers of information and services to EEA and enlist the support of EEA for EUMETNET actions in favour of the environment. In particular, EUMETNET and the EEA will exchange information about activities of mutual interest and will analyse the possibilities for co-operative Programmes in the field of Air Quality Forecasting and Climate Monitoring. Maintain liaison with relevant COST Actions and other relevant international initiatives.
*Activities* WG-ENV’s activities in implementing the above tasks can be divided into two phases. During the period 1998-2004, the major part of the effort was on inventorying existing activities and material related to air quality issues to link them and on supporting a forum for collecting and assessing information about observed climate change in Europe (European Climate Support Network: ECSN). After this initial period, the group intensified the dialogue with organisations and partners interested in building up an integrated air quality information network for Europe, including a continuous dialogue with major European projects such as GEMS (coordinated by ECMWF), ProMOTE (coordinated by KNMI), EUMETSAT’s Ozone SAF and relevant COST Actions (715 and 728). Major highlights during 1998-2004 For the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D) project (initiated by ECSN and supported by EUMETNET) a co-operation with EEA was established through WG-ENV. EUMETNET Workshop on ground-level O3 forecasting (Langen, Germany, 21-23 February 2000) Compilation of a list of web sites with real-time ground-level O3 forecasts for European areas (under reconstruction) Compilation of a list of web sites with near real-time measurement data of air pollutants for European areas (under reconstruction) Recent achievements (2005-present) Workshop on “Real-time Air Pollution Data Exchange and Forecasting in Europe” (EEA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-8 April 2005), involving all key organisations with interests in the topic such as National Meteorological Services (NMSs), National Environmental Agencies (NEAs), the European Environment Agency (EEA), major European projects such as GEMS and ProMOTE and non-European experts (US-EPA) Drafting of an “Outline strategy for an Implementation Framework (2005-2011) to set up a European Network of Air Quality Forecasting and Information Systems (ENAQFIS)” based on inputs from the organisations represented at the Copenhagen workshop and using as archetype the operational integrated system AirNOW of the US-EPA. Initiate and support the drafting of a proposal for a COST-Action “Towards a European Network on Chemical Weather Forecasting and Information Systems”. This COST-Action was launched in April 2007 and will work until April 2011 (http://www.chemicalweather.eu/). Most WG-ENV Members are involved in this Action, which includes delegates from 18 countries, thus showing wide interest across Europe. It is aimed at supporting GMES Atmospheric Service activities especially with respect to: (i) providing a forum for harmonizing, standardising and benchmarking approaches and practices in data exchange and multi-model capabilities for air quality forecast and near real-time information systems in Europe, (ii) assessing existing and work out new solutions for integrating the development efforts at national and international levels, and (iii) serving as a platform for the information exchange between meteorological services, environmental agencies and international initiatives. An EEA delegate is observer to the Action. Contribution to the drafting of a document for promoting the development of a GMES Pilot Atmospheric Services Participation to the GMES Atmospheric Service workshop in Brussels in Dec 2006. Involvement in the “in-situ” Working Group under the Implementation Group established by the European Commission for developing the GMES Atmospheric Service Involvement in the coordination of EUMETNET inputs to the development of the GMES Atmospheric Service

*Links* · EEA · EUMETSAT · GEMS · GEO · GMES · ProMOTE · US-EPA

Since November 2005, WG-ENV is chaired by Sylvain Joffre (FMI, sylvain.joffre(at)fmi.fi). The vice-chair is Thomas Klein (SMHI, Thomas.Klein(at)smhi.se). Membership: Alan Gross (DMI), Barbara Fay (DWD), Philippe Nacass (Meteo-France), Paul Agnew (UKMO), Ulrike Pechinger (ZAMG), Peter van Velthoven (KNMI), Mikhail Sofiev (FMI), Sonja Vidic (NMHS of Croatia) and Tim Haigh (EEA). Observers: Adrian Simmons (ECMWF), Eleni Paliouras (DLR), and Rosemary Munro (EUMETSAT).

Updated : 19 June 2008