OECS Commission observes World Meteorological Day
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Commission observes World Meteorological Day today, March 23, under the theme “Understanding Clouds.” This year’s theme was selected to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather, climate and water. Clouds play a pivotal role in weather forecasts and warnings and help to drive the water cycle and the entire climate system.
World Meteorological Day 2017 provides an opportunity to stimulate discussion on clouds, one of the key uncertainties in the study of climate change. There is a need to better understand how clouds affect the climate and how a changing climate will affect clouds.
This day also reminds us to celebrate the innate beauty and aesthetic appeal of clouds, which has inspired artists, poets, musicians, photographers and countless other enthusiasts throughout history.
This year's World Meteorological Day marks the launch of a new edition of the International Cloud Atlas. The Atlas has its roots in the late 19th century and was revised on several occasions in the 20th century, most recently in 1987, as a hard copy book, before the advent of the Internet.
For the first time, the Atlas has been produced in a digital format and is accessible via both computers and mobile devices. The new World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Atlas is a treasure trove of hundreds of images of clouds, including a few newly classified cloud types. It also features other meteorological phenomena such as rainbows, halos, snow devils and hailstones. It is the single authoritative and most comprehensive reference for identifying clouds, and is an essential training tool for professionals in the meteorological community and those working in aviation and shipping.
The Atlas is available at the following link: https://www.wmocloudatlas.org/home.html.
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
https://public.wmo.int/en/WorldMetDay2017
