XXIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy & Geophysics
QUADRENNIAL REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
METEOROLOGY AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
for 1999-2002
The International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences exists to promote the
study of the science of the atmosphere and to support international cooperation, presentation of
results, and education and public awareness. Detailed information and minutes for past years are
shown on the IAMAS website, www.iamas.org. At our Scientific Assembly in Innsbruck,
Austria, in July 2001, there were 840 registrants, and $45,000 (USD, $5,000 contributed by
WMO) was distributed for 56 travel grants to attendees from developing countries. Scientists
younger than 30 registered for free. The highlight was a Symposium presented by Working
Group 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). The report included the
work of 100-150 atmospheric scientists, mostly IAMAS members.
IAMAS is the IUGG agent for the Alliance for Capacity Transfer (ACT), which is a joint project
with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). IUGG and the University Corporation for
Atmospheric Research (UCAR) received a UNESCO grant of $30,000 from ICSU for 1999. The
money was used to assemble proposals to prospective donors and to build up a small Web
management group. All IAMAS bodies have endorsed ACT, but input from the developing world
is needed to design the different parts of the project.
In 2002, IAMAS and its ten Commissions prepared for upcoming conferences, especially by
planning scientific symposia for the IUGG Assembly in Sapporo. The “Special Nakaya-Magono
Celebration: The Growth of Ice Crystals and Snow” will honor these two science giants from the
University of Hokkaido. The “Sushi Lunch Lecture Series,” open to all IUGG2003 attendants,
will provide a relaxed learning atmosphere in which listeners can eat sushi or a sandwich, have a
pop, and be entertained by top speakers discussing the atmosphere and related geophysical fields.
The Commission for Atmospheric Electricity cosponsored a session at the 34th COSPAR
Scientific Assembly in October 2002 on "Changing Middle Atmosphere Electrodynamic
Phenomena." The Commission for Polar Meteorology was involved in 2002 in a workshop on an
improved database of Antarctic climate data. IAMAS participated in the inaugural meeting of the
Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GeoRisk) in June 2002 in Budapest.
At the Executive Council Meeting of the World Meteorological Organization in spring 2002, the
IAMAS Secretary General noted that the burning of biomass suppresses the rain formation
process, especially in developing countries, and urged that the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) pay more attention to precipitation, a major unknown in climate models
and summer weather forecasting.
IAMAS enjoys strong connections with its scientific community: Immediate Past President
Robert Duce is president of the ICSU Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, and VicePresident M. Geller is vice-president of the Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics.
Secretary-General R. List co-ordinates IUGG/IAMAS activities with the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), the WMO-ICSU World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the
International Geosphere- Biosphere Programme.
For the period 1999-2002 IAMAS has provided support exceeding $110000 for scientists from
developing countries to attend conferences or symposia. That is close to the IUGG’s quadrennial
contribution to IAMAS. A special tax of $30 per conference participant and minimal office and
meeting expenses provided the funds. At the end of 2002 the balance sheet of IAMAS revealed
our best-ever financial situation. Thus, we have adequate funds available to further support
attendance at IAMAS meetings by scientists from developing and needy countries.
Our website was upgraded in 2000 via a substantial grant to support the Webmasters Dr. Bettina
Bauer (- 2001), and Dr Marc Wueest (from 2001) through the auspices of ETHZ. The IAMAS
statutes were revised in 1999 to create a nomination committee for the Bureau and Executive
Committee. This three-member body proposed Professor Huw Davies (Switzerland) as President
and Dr. Rit Carbone (USA) and Professor Bob Vincent (Australia) as Vice Presidents. Professor
Guoxiong Wu’s (China) term as Member at Large was extended for another four years, while Dr.
Leonard A. Barrie (Canada), Jean-Louis Fellows (France), Professor Igor Mokhov (Russia), and
Professor Akimasa Sumi (Japan) were newly elected.