The International Antarctic Weather Forecasting Handbook

This volume presents a comprehensive account of the theory and practice of weather forecasting in the Antarctic. It is designed to be of practical use to forecasters on the Antarctic stations and on research/supply vessels, but will also be of value to those concerned with research into Antarctic meteorology and climatology. It splits broadly into two parts. In the first, the climatology of the Antarctic is reviewed and there are discussions on the nature of the weather systems found over the continent and Southern Ocean. The means used to forecast all the main meteorological elements are discussed as well as the use of satellite data and the output of numerical weather prediction models. In the second part, the meteorological conditions found at various locations around the Antarctic are considered and guidance provided on the forecasting rules and techniques used at specific locations.

JOHN TURNER is a research scientist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, UK where he leads a project investigating the climate of the Antarctic. He has a BSc in Meteorology/Physics and a PhD in Antarctic Climate Variability. From 1974 to 1986 he worked at the UK Meteorological Office where he was in involved in the development of numerical weather prediction models and satellite meteorology. He also spent a year as a forecaster in the Central Forecasting Office in Bracknell. Since 1986 he has been at BAS working on high latitude precipitation, polar lows, teleconnections between the Antarctic and lower latitudes and weather forecasting in the Antarctic. From 1995 to 2003 he was the President of the International Commission on Polar Meteorology. He is currently the Deputy Secretary General of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences.

STEVE PENDLEBURY is a meteorologist with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia where he is the Regional Director for the Bureau’s Tasmania and Antarctica Region. He has a BSc in Physics. From 1972 to 1990 he worked as a forecaster/applied research and development meteorologist in Perth, West Australia and in Hobart: post 1990 he has led the Bureau’s Regional Forecasting Centre in Hobart prior to taking up his present position. He has undertaken several trips to the Antarctic as an operational meteorologist with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE – now the Australian Antarctic Programme (AAP) including the 1976-77 austral summer as the first Australian forecaster to operate “in the field” (at Mount King, Enderby Land); and in 1991–92 he led the first summer of operation of the Antarctic Meteorological Centre at Casey Station. He is currently a member of the World Meteorological Organization’s Executive Council Working Group on Antarctic Meteorology.

Web pages produced by Steven Colwell and Tom Brooke from Word documents supplied by Steve Pendlebury. Any corrects, updates or broken links should be sent to src@bas.ac.uk

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