13th SRNWP Meeting 12th of October 2006, Zurich (Switzerland)

1. “Initiate the reorganisation and strengthening of the SRNWP Programme”EMN/C27/Doc12C27 took place the 4-6 April 2006 in Toulouse SRNWP Programme 13th SRNWP Meeting 12th of October 2006, Zurich (Switzerland)

2. Documents distributed for preparation of the 3rd phase of the SRNWP Programme and Reactions • Documents distributed in August 2006: • Programme Proposal DRAFT_1 • Programme Decision DRAFT_1 • Reactions received from: • UGM • Meteo-France • SMHI • HIRLAM-ALADIN • COSMO • Preparation of the discussion: • All the reactions considered with the same weight, independently of their origin (only ideas considered!)

3. Aim of this meeting • Our work: We have define the main features of the next phase of SRNWP Programme (from 1st Jan.08) • The main points are • Aims of the Programme • Governance of the Programme • Projects (scientific and operational) associated with the Programme • To finalise in broad lines Aims and Governance • A dedicated meeting will very probably be necessary to define the projects • To define the organisational procedure in order to have the “Programme Proposal” ready in April 2007 together with the Proposal(s) for Project(s) • First step: Writing of DRAFT_2 based on the decisions of this meeting • Distribution of DRAFT_2 to the participants in November • To bring discussions to a close, we will possibly have to vote. Please only one vote per SRNWP Member (per NMS).

4. Aims of the new ProgrammeList of the aims (or goals) of each answerSynthesis

5. HIRLAM - ALADIN • Diffusion of NWP knowledge (main activity of the present SRNWP) • Enhanced scientific cooperation by research projects (mandate Vision workshop) • Enhanced operational cooperation and increased interoperability between models (mandate Vision workshop) • Training and education activities in NWP (new!) • Stronger liaison role with EUMETNET Programmes (already active), ECMWF (refused) and the climate modeling community (new!)

6. COSMO • “Goals must be related to the recommendations of the Reading Workshop” • Interoperability issues • Realisation of the quick wins: common plots (has started with the WGCEF); model verification (Project proposal ready) • European Multi-model LAM • COSMO priorities of the HA goals: • Enhanced Operational Cooperation (Interoperability) • Enhanced scientific cooperation through scientific projects • Information exchange (meetings, LC or WG, etc) • Training and Education

7. UGM • Supports the COSMO comments, but with the following differences: • Priorities: • Scientific Cooperation • Training and Education • No priority for “Operational Cooperation” as it is not a “clear concept”. • Programme of training mission

8. Meteo-France • “Meteo-France supports the project of reinforcing SRNWP in the spirit of the Vision” • “Most current SRNWP activities should continue in a future reinforced SRNWP” • New SRNWP activities “with strong priority” • Adoption of common formats and rules for the input and output between the European NWP systems (with specific funding) • R&D of common postprocessing and verification • R&D on multi model LAM ensembles (GLAMEPS could be seen as the European contribution to TIGGE-LAM) • OBSNET initiative under the responsibility of SRNWP (instrumented sites as NWP benchmarking tools) • European LAM reanalysis (i.e. EURRA Project) • Planning of observing systems for mesoscale NWP

9. SMHI (H-A internal document) • Increase co-operation in NWP development in Europe • Aim for a pan-European code frame work and one or a few European Community models (only 3 models on the km-scale) • To promote operational co-operation: interoperability, data formats, etc. • To spread and exchange NWP knowledge in Europe: SRNWP Workshops, European Conference, LC reports, etc • Interaction with other EUMETNET Programmes: not so easy (relation SRNWP – Consortia) Recommendation “Try to stick to a limited number of tasks and aims and make them work well”

10. Aims of the new ProgrammeList of the aims of each answerSynthesis

11. Diffusion of NWP knowledge • Accepted by all • Tools • SRNWP Workshops, EWGLAM Meetings, SRNWP web site, LC or WG Reports, European NWP Conferences (To harmonize with the decisions on “Governance”)

12. Enhancement of the scientific cooperation (1) • Remark: It is not always obvious whether a proposal has to be classified under “scientific cooperation” or under “operational cooperation” • Not always clear distinction between • Projects that should be financed by the EUMETNET Council outside the SRNWP Programme (for EUMETNET they are also called “Programmes”) and normally would have a different RM that the one of the SRNWP Programme. For submission to Council, they need their own “Project Proposal” and “Project Decision” (can be the same document). • Projects that should be realised inside the SRNWP Programme, directly financed by the NWS or the Consortia without interference of the EUMETNET Council • This remark applies equally to the proposal for the “operational cooperation”

13. Enhancement of the scientific cooperation (2) • Accepted by all • European LAM re-analysis (in coordination with ECMWF and ECSN/EUROGRID) • Common interfacing between dynamics and physics in order to facilitate exchange of physical packages • Cloud Resolving Scale (CRS) • DA at the CRS • Physical parameterizations suitable for the CRS • Comprehensive LAM verification with the satellite information, particularly METEOSAT 8 (cf. diurnal cycle)

14. Enhancement of the operational cooperation • Accepted by all, except UGM (no clear definition). • common data formats for in- and outputs of models (e.g. exchange of analyses, of post-processing packages).Special funding proposed by Meteo-France, also considered as possibility by H-A. Goal of the theme “Interoperability” of the Vision. • interoperability in the coupling between global models and the SRNWP LAMs • adoption or development of common postprocessing, verification and intercomparison tools. Goes further than the Vision. • common plots from all the consortia(already decided by the forecasters). “Quick wins” proposal of the Vision. • harmonisation of quality control of observations • centralized verification and intercomparison between the European LAMs(Project Proposal ready). Chosen as the “early project” as suggested by the Vision. • Coupling of the SRNWP models with air chemistry models

15. Training and Education Activities in NWP • Proposed by all, but with differences in the size. Not always very specific. • Creation of a WG on education and training in Short Range NWP • sharing educational material on the web • organization of a yearly SRNWP summer school • Co-ordination with ECMWF training • Liaise with the national academia on training tools and events • “Guest Researcher Programme”: stays of one year or so • Programme of “Mid-term mission” for new staff and for exchange of personal between Consortia

16. European Multi-model LAM EPS • Accepted by all • Development of a large multi-model LAM EPS as the European contribution to the THORPEX Project TIGGE-LAM • Fulfil the theme “European interactive multi-model LAM” of the Vision

17. Synthesis • Enhancement of the operational cooperation • Diffusion of NWP knowledge • Enhancement of the scientific cooperation • European Multi-model LAM EPS • Training and Education Activities in NWP Priorities

18. Governance of the new Programme • Lead Centres • SRNWP Workshops • EWGLAM Meetings • Advisory Committee • Other Tools

19. Lead Centres (1) • LC have been created in 1999 to • organise every 2 years a workshop on their topic • This function has been well fulfilled • inform regularly the NMS on the state-of-the-art of their topic • Has been only partially fulfilled (reasons known) • act as consultant for the NMS in their topic • This function has never been activated (reasons known) • Alternatives • Suppression of the LC with no replacement • Suppression, but “discussions how their objectives could be reached in an alternative manner” • No suppression, but take measures in order that LC can fulfil their 3 duties (financial support) • Replacement of the LC by Working Groups: teams of scientists from all Consortia working in specific areas (cf. COSMO)

20. Lead Centres (2) • If LC are retained or if WG are created, • how many? • for which topics? • Today we have 7 LC’s: • High resolution data assimilation • Non-hydrostatic modelling • Numerical techniques • Statistical and dynamical adaptation of model results • High resolution verification • Soil and surface processes and assimilation of surface variables • Short-range EPS

21. SRNWP Workshops • Today: a workshop every 2 years for each of our 7 topics • Alternatives for the new SRNWP Programme • SRNWP Workshops are maintained (all minus one) • LC are maintained or replaced by WG • Each LC (respective WG) organises the workshops on its theme • LC are suppressed and not replaced by WG • Decision on workshops (time and topic) by the advisory committee • Do we keep the two year rule? • SRNWP Workshops are suppressed (one opinion) • In order to reduce the number of meetings, LC Workshops should be replaced by one annual “Inter-consortia Conference” open to Academy (cf. idea European Conference on NWP)

22. EWGLAM Meetings • Have to be maintained annually following the Ljubljana format (all agreed) • Following the Vision recommendation “Develop better working relations with Academia”, the PM suggested they alternate every two years with “European NWP Conferences” (similar to the AMS NWP Conferences) • Two positive reactions to this idea • A suggestion: Consider EMS • PM shall contact the President of the EMS for a first exchange of opinion of this topic

23. SRNWP Advisory Committee • All agreed that for an enlarged Programme with projects and more activities an advisory body is necessary • Form of the AC • Each NWS represented • The NWS finance the Programme • Large → less efficient • Participation centred over the Consortia • Small → Efficient • 2 stages: “daily management group” (small, many contacts with PM) and AC with all NWS represented • ok for a Consortium. Unnecessary complicated for SNWP

24. Programme Manager and Programme Length • All agreed for a full time PM with full reimbursement of his salary and expenses to the Responsible Member (about € 90’000 a year) • Duration of the Programme: presently 4 years • Next Programme: • 3, 4, 5, years? or more?