'Weather' or not to work together

Better weather forecasts in the High North will benefit tourists and explorers alike. PHOTO: GV-PRESS

Fierce storms can rage at sea and on land near the North Pole. At other times, the fog can be thick as pea soup or it can snow for days on end.

We need to know more

In recent decades, meteorologists have got really good at forecasting the weather for the coming few days. In the Arctic, however, weather forecasts are still not good enough because meteorologists have too few observation stations to tell them how the weather is developing. It is also because those who forecast the weather quite simply know too little about the wind and weather in the High North. It is very important is to learn more about predicting blizzards and storms.

The need for weather forecasting

The Arctic is attracting growing numbers of people, including many tourists. At the same time, Norway and other countries have started producing oil and gas from the oceans of the High North. Shipping has also picked up. All involved parties need to know how the weather will be, and whether there is bad weather on the horizon.

Balloons in the atmosphere

To find out more about the weather around the North Pole, researchers are going to release balloons carrying meteorological instruments into the atmosphere. They will also be placing buoys in the ocean to measure temperatures and winds. From a German research aircraft, researchers will use an advanced laser instrument to produce a wealth of new information next winter.

Calculated on supercomputers

These days, weather forecasting is largely based on calculations involving millions of numbers. Supercomputers are required to make these calculations. However, the results depend on the numbers you use for your assumptions. These figures have to be as correct as possible. Weather scientists are currently trying to do something about that.

Translated by Linda Sivesind

*Published in 'Polar Research', supplement to 'Nysgjerrigper' 3-07.*