International collaboration
Here you can read about the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and its commissions, and the UN Commission on Long-range Transboundary pollution.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
The World Meteorological Organisation was founded in 1945 under the auspices of the UN. The collaboration promotes amongst other things, the establishment of networks for making observations, the exchange of data, more effective communications and the creation of joint standards. All appropriate measurements must be made in one standardised way, so that numerical data is clear and can be read by anyone.
A large part of the work of WMO is done in technical commissions. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute is involved in all the commissions at WMO in order that we can protect the institute's interests and stay informed about global developments. Even though the commissions only meet every four years, there is always ongoing work on many worldwide collaborative projects. Contact with other institutions and the exchange of professional expertise is useful for the further development of both the discipline and the institute.
Other partners
The Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) is engaged in something fundamental for all meteorology, namely observation stations and observation networks, in addition to data communication and various centres for data processing.
The Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) coordinates research on the composition of the atmosphere and the processes there. Important areas are urban meteorology, which aims to forecast air quality on a small scale, and extreme weather forecasting, with a special emphasis on tropical storms.
The IOC/WMO Joint Commission for Oceanography and Marine Technology. It is coastal states in particular that participate in JCOMM, and Norway prioritises the field highly due to the important maritime services and our long coastline.
The Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM) works with weather forecasting for aviation.
The Commission for climatology (CCl) is important in terms of climate changes such as global warming. The commission plays an important role within global climate programmes with regard to climate data and the use of climatology.
The Commission for Hydrology (CHY). The institute is a member together with the Hydrological Department of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate. As water resources become more valuable, this commission has become more important. Both water quality, flooding and flood disasters are part of the commission's areas of responsibility.
The Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) is especially important for developing countries. Here the Norwegian Meteorological Institute collaborates with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
The Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO) works on the standardisation of instruments and measurement methods
The UN's convention on long-range Transnational Pollution (LRTAP)
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has a contract with the UN's convention on long-range Transnational Pollution (LRTAP) that covers all European countries plus the United States and Canada. Here the institute's calculations form the basis for agreements on emission reductions.