Question 7: Meteorology and hydrology in many countries are dealt with by different government organizations. What is your suggestion to make the WMO structure better adapted to the reality of such management of different sectors, to promote more effectively coordination of meteorology and hydrology in Member countries?

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25 Replies to “Question 7: Meteorology and hydrology in many countries are dealt with by different government organizations. What is your suggestion to make the WMO structure better adapted to the reality of such management of different sectors, to promote more effectively coordination of meteorology and hydrology in Member countries?”

  1. – Strengthening the collaboration between the Meteorological and Hydrological Agencies or Services.
    – WMO to create direct link with the Hydrological services Agencies.

  2. In Finland, hydrology and meteorology are organized in separate institutes/Services. However, co-operation and data sharing is seamless and smooth related to flood forecasting. Data sharing is almost in real time. This co-operation between NHS and NMS is arranged through a virtual Flood Center – meteorologists and hydrologists on duty have weekly teleconference meeting on meteorological/hydrological situation. There is a steering group and a development group working on improving work of the Flood Centre. Also, meetings on collaboration and development of models and measurements needs are organized regularly to share the knowledge. In these meetings the whole service chain from data to services are covered.

    So, separate NHS and NMS services can work effectively together. I have also seen some examples in the world of combined NMHSs where meteorologists and hydrologists do not have that much co-operation. It is not only depending on how things are organized in the organization matrix.

    In meteorology data protocols and data quality control procedures are more advanced than in hydrology and hydrology could benefit from meteorology. However, it should be born in mind that many hydrological measurements have special features (also depending on geography) compared to standardized meteorological measurements and their protocols.

  3. La coordinación de ambos se vería reforzada si se tuviese en cuenta su carácter de servicios complementarios, independientemente de si están integrados o no en la mismo departamento (o ministerio) a nivel nacional. Esta complementariedad implica tener en cuenta tanto las diferencias y las similitudes como las sinergias de la meteorología y la hidrología en el estudio del ciclo hidrológico. Que esta complementariedad se vea reflejada en la estructura de la OMM de alguna manera redundaría en un coordinación más efectiva.

    The coordination of the NHS and NMS could be reinforced it their character of complementary services will be taken into account ( independently of their integration on the same department at the national level). This complementarity implies considering their differences and resemblances as well as the sinergies of meteorology and hydrology for describing the water cycle. This complementarity being incorporated in the WMO estructure somehow will result in a better coordination.

  4. In Peru, we have the SENAMHI, which has the component of meteorology and hydrology, in which WMO participated in its formation, as a need for both specialties to be united in an organization for a collaborative and participatory work in which you will contribute a more efficient way in the results of generating knowledge of the ecosystem and its variability in relation to anthropic activities in it.

    I think it is a good way to encourage teamwork between two specialties that have a direct relationship with CLIMATE and WATER, basic factors for the development of life in the basins and especially on planet Earth.

  5. Our suggestion to the WMO is that it must consider and take into account directly the Hydrological Services of the countries, there has been a gap that has occurred in the past, in accompaniment, support, investment that contributed to the low level of development hydrological level of applicability as Services, although some academies or engineers achieved development of technological use (software, models). Countries of the Caribbean and Central American region, for example, have been changing and modifying their laws internally to unify these services, others keep both services separate, and where they are, WMO was weak in the past in supporting NHS, in a way that other.

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