Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)
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| Bureau of Meteorology | |
 |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 January 1908 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Australia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Annual budget | A$ 254.7 million (2007-08) |
| Minister responsible | Peter Garrett, Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts |
| Agency executives | Mr Barry Grear AO, Chair, Bureau of Meteorology Advisory Board Dr Greg Ayers, Director of Meteorology |
| Parent agency | Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |
| Website | |
| www.bom.gov.au | |
The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together the state meteorological services that existed before then. The states officially transferred their weather recording responsibilities to the Bureau of Meteorology on 1 January 1908.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Services and structure
The Bureau of Meteorology is the main provider of weather forecasts, warnings and observations to the Australian public. The Bureau distributes weather images via radiofax and is responsible for issuing flood alerts in Australia.
The Bureau's head office is in Melbourne Docklands, which includes the Bureau's Research Centre, the National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre, the National Climate Centre, as well as the Hydrology and Satellite sections.[3]
Regional offices are located in each state and territory capital. Each regional office includes a Regional Forecasting Centre and a Flood Warning Centre, and the Perth, Darwin and Brisbane offices also house Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres. The Adelaide office incorporates the National Tidal Centre, while the Darwin office the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (Analysis).
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issues Tropical Cyclone Advices[4] and developed the Standard Emergency Warning Signal used for warnings. The Bureau is responsible for tropical cyclone naming for storms in waters surrounding Australia. Three lists of names used to be maintained, one for each of the western, northern and eastern Australian regions.[5] However as of the start of the 2008-09 Tropical Cyclone Year these lists have been rolled into one main national list of tropical cyclone names. [5]
The regional offices are supported by the National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre (NMOC) which is also located at the head office in Melbourne Docklands.
The Bureau maintains a network of field offices across the continent, on neighboring islands and in Antarctica. There is also a network of some 500 paid co-operative observers and approximately 6,000 voluntary rainfall observers.
[edit] Management
The Director of Meteorology in the Bureau of Meteorology is Dr Greg Ayers. Deputy Directors are Dr Rob Vertessy (Water Division), Mr Gary Foley (Services), and Dr Neville Smith (Research and Systems). The Bureau's Advisory Board is chaired by Mr Barry Grear AO.
[edit] Former Directors
Former Directors of the Bureau of Meteorology are:
| Director | Years |
|---|---|
| Henry Ambrose Hunt | 1908-1931 |
| William S Watt | 1931-1940 |
| H. Norman Warren | 1940-1950 |
| Edward W Timcke | 1950-1955 |
| Leonard J Dwyer | 1955-1962 |
| William J Gibbs | 1962-1978 |
| John Zillman | 1978-2003 |
| Geoff Love | 2003-2008 |
| Neville Smith (Acting Director) | 2008-2009 |
[edit] Technology
In Head Office an NEC SX-6 Supercomputer provides the framework for weather modelling and simulation[6], whilst other UNIX servers support the Computer Message Switching System and Real-Time Data Base. The Australian Integrated Forecast System affords the main computing infrastructure in the Regional offices.
[edit] See also
- The Weather Company, another Australian weather service provider
[edit] References
- ^ "BOM celebrates 100 years". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/01/2129737.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
- ^ "Collections in Perth: 20. Meteorology". National Archives of Australia. http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/perth/chapter20.htm. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ "Bureau of Meteorology Head Office 700 Collins Street". Bureau of Meteorology. http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/new_accom/700-Collins.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ Tropical Cyclone Advices, Bureau of Meteorology, 2009
- ^ a b "Tropical Cyclone Names". BOM. http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/cyclone/about/cyclone-names.shtml#names. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
- ^ http://www.hpccc.gov.au/hpccc/seminars/seminar_program/Introduce_Modules_Speakers.pdf
[edit] External links
- Bureau of Meteorology main page
- National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre
- Federation and Meteorology: the history of meteorology in Australia
- BOM on Top500.org
