Starting with the present issue of the MAP Newsletter, the Editors take a new
initiative to have the editorial from a non-European MAP member for every second issue.
This further emphasizes the international character of a very active field project such as
MAP. So please let me present the current history on MAP as viewed from Canada.
The period of «hard but exciting work» that Philippe Bougeault announced in
terminating the editorial of the previous issue has indeed started among the MAP people
during the last six months and is featured in the following three salient
articles of our Newsletter.
To prepare the funding for the period after the îcollectiveî HERA research plan,
several of us have been heavily involved in preparing a whole new set of EU proposals,
each with concrete products resulting from well-focused MAP research items: the article
herein on EU-proposals describes this important effort, introducing many new
acronyms in the MAP family. The article by T. Gutermann on the recent signature of the MAP-NWS
contract by EUMETNET member countries tells about one of the major achievements of
1996 to ensure the life of the backbone of MAP, i.e. the Programme Office (PO) and the
Data Centre (MDC). Finally, the report by the WG of Routine Network Data indicates
the impressive status, at the end of 1996, on the important and very demanding work spent
to assemble information about meteorological observation platforms, with special emphasis
to non-GTS data; the reader will certainly be impressed, looking forward to the
actual data collection by the MDC from these sources! Most of us as scientists are
primarily motivated towards the MAP because of this potential for ultra-high data density.
My personal opinion is that this potential is being achieved through special efforts at
the human relation level and that I owe these a high respect.
Our Southern Hemisphere îalpine” colleagues of SALPEX have also been
working hard recently, with their most intensive field phase so far held during
October/November 1996 over South Island, New Zealand: please read article by D. Wratt.
Amazingly, SALPEX has a strong parallel with the historical path followed by the Canadian
group working in MAP in the sense that both teams have linked their study of orographic
precipitation right from the start with major hydro-electric catchments.
The selection of the MAP Operations Centre is also receiving top attention during this
winter, with the required site surveys, infrastructure compilations and legal actions
concerning clearance for dropsonde launching. CIG is working out a recommendation for IGP
decision by June.
1996 has seen the opening of MAP to hydrology right from the start of the
year at the SSC meeting of January in Bologna, followed in April by the first MAP
hydrology workshop in Zurich. Then in August, H. Davies represented MAP at the GEWEX
Hydrometeorology Panel in Toronto, thus initiating closer relations. In November followed
the Hydrology Meeting of Brescia (I) where discussions really touched a concrete ground by
identifying specific alpine watersheds and feasible model coupling exercises. This process
of opening up has remarkably increased the vita-lity/health of the MAP and it is
notable that the acronym of the corresponding EU proposal is Raphael, which
comes from the Hebrew Re-pha-el (God who heals) and Ro-phe (doctor). The
year closed with the dissemination in December of a Revised MAP Design Proposal now
including hydrology (available on the WEB).
An important milestone for the WG on Numerical Experimentation is the availability on
the MDC of the analyses from ECMWF required for the simulation of the MAP Episodes.
Top ranking in the Future Events is the MAP Meeting at Belgirate (Laggo Maggiore) in
June. The extension of the duration this year to three days is yet another sign of
the enthusiasm raised by MAP. Donít miss to register in time; also note that hotel
reservation is due for March 25. The Belgirate meeting will be a time of decision on
important MAP issues.
Robert Benoit, Dorval, Canada
Member, MAP-CIG and WG-NUM