The objectives

The objectives of the EUMETNET AMDAR Programme (E-AMDAR) are:

• to serve EUCOS requirements for additional upper air measurements of wind and temperature;
• to maximise the efficiency/cost ratio of implementing AMDAR (Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay) systems for EUMETNET Participants by reducing duplication in the use of resources and seeking to meet requirements in the most cost-effective manner.

The requirements

To provide:

A. ascent/descent measurements as a complement and potential substitute for radiosondes on the territory of EUMETNET Members at over 130 (140 in 2008) European airports, 38 (40 in 2008) of which should provide at least 3 hourly profiles between 0600 and 2400 UTC.

B. measurements from data sparse areas having an incidence on short range forecasts in Europe, to be adjusted as necessary according to the results of the EUCOS design studies (routes from Europe to North Africa, South America and Canada, over Siberia and the Arctic). The majority of these observations is a contribution to the WMO World Weather Watch Programme.

The programme will optimise the data collection process and address the need for humidity measurements as soon as practicable.

The tasks

The Programme will :

• design an overall programme to meet the EUCOS requirements.
• facilitate the necessary software adaptation on development and installation.
• ensure proper running of the operations.
• provide a mechanism to allow participants to fund the procurement of additional data for their specific needs.
• conduct its activities in liaison with the WMO AMDAR Panel.

The organisation

The UK Met Office was responsible for the pilot phase of E-AMDAR (1999-2002).
The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) was chosen to be responsible for the Operational phase (2003-2006) and has been re-selected as the Coordinating Member for the current Programme phase which will last until the end of 2012.

The Programme Manager is Mr Stig Carlberg. The Technical Co-ordinator is Mr Stewart Taylor.