The growth of marine meteorology―a major support programme for the World Weather Watch

摘要

At the time of the First International Meteorological Conference in Brussels in August 1853, a number of major maritime nations had been recording and exchanging weather information for several years. Lieutenant Matthew Maury of the US Navy was the driving force behind the conference, and he was also respected for his studies of ocean currents and winds. He can be said to be the founder of marine meteorology, operational oceanography and the international co-operation, that ultimately led to WMO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Conference agreed on a standardised ship's meteorological logbook and accompanying instructions, as well as specifying the parameters to be measured. Twenty-four columns covered pressure, wet and dry bulb temperature, wind, cloud, sea-surface temperature and, notably, sea temperature at depth. This may be seen as laying a first very small foundation stone for the World Weather Watch.