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Federation and MeteorologyBureau of Meteorology
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Table of Contents

Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962

Foreword

Terminology

Prologue

Preface

Chapter 1: The Warren Years, 1946 to 1950

Chapter 2: International Meteorology

Chapter 3: The Timcke Years, 1950 to 1955

Chapter 4: A Year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chapter 5: The Dwyer Years, 1955 to 1962
Leonard Joseph Dwyer—A Complex Character
Reorganising the Bureau
Public Weather Services
Forecasts for the General Public
Importance of Radio Stations
The Advent of Television
Automatic Telephone Forecast Service
Beacons
Wording and Verification of Forecasts
Warnings
Services for Aviation
Atomic Weapons Tests
Atomic Weapons Tests—Mosaic G1 and G2
Atomic Weapons Tests—Buffalo 1, 2, 3 and 4
Atomic Weapons Tests—Operations Antler, 2 and 3
Atomic Weapons Tests—Minor Trials
Instruments and Observations
Radiosondes
Radar/Radio Winds and Radar Weather Watch
Automatic Weather Stations
Sferics
Meteorological Satellites
Telecommunications
Tropical Cyclones
Bureau Conference on Tropical Cyclones
International Symposium on Tropical Cyclones, Brisbane
Hydrometeorology
Design of Water Storages, Etc
Flood Forecasting
Cloud Seeding
Reduction of Evaporation
Rain Seminar
Cloud Physics
Fire Weather
Research and Special Investigations
International Activities
The International Geophysical Year
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean
International Symposium on Antarctic Meteorology
International Antarctic Analysis Centre
ADP, EDP and Computers
Training
Publications
Management Conference
Services Conference
CSIRO and the Universities
Achievements of the Dwyer Years

Chapter 6: A Springboard for the Future

Appendix 1: References

Appendix 2: Reports, Papers, Manuscripts

Appendix 3: Milestones

Appendix 4: Acknowledgements

Appendix 5: Summary by H. N. Warren of the Operation of the Meteorological Section of Allied Air Headquarters, Brisbane, 1942–45

Endnotes

Index
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Forecasts for the General Public (continued)

The task of then deciding the details of the weather forecasts issued by the Divisional Offices was the sole responsibility of the forecasters in those offices. Reg Clarke and I often had considerable discussion of the relative importance of the three components in forecast production, chart analysis, prognosis and forecasting of the weather. Reg thought that the three sectors were of equal difficulty. I believed that when the prognostic charts were completed only fifty percent of the task had been accomplished.

Forecasts were issued in the early morning, and revised versions were issued at other times during the day. In preparing weather forecasts it was necessary for forecasters to consider the smaller scale features of the atmosphere including land and sea-breezes, orographic effects and the atmospheric processes leading to the formation of fogs, frosts, thunderstorms, precipitation (including hail), duststorms and gales. Forecasts of minimum and maximum temperatures required assessment of the amount of cloud cover and the wind speed.

Another important consideration in preparing weather forecasts was the wording of the forecasts. It was necessary to use words easily understood by the general public.

A growing demand for weather forecasts required Divisional Offices to prepare detailed forecasts for an increased number of districts within their States in addition to those for the capital and other cities.

At our analysts' conference in the Warren years (see Chapter 1) we had discussed in considerable detail the stages in the preparation of weather forecasts. In organising the conference we had taken great care to involve forecasters from all Divisional Offices and some major field offices in addition to Central Office staff. Len Dwyer did much to encourage close liaison between Central, Divisional and field office staff during his term as Director.


People in Bright Sparcs - Clarke, Reginald Henry; Dwyer, Leonard Joseph; Warren, Herbert Norman

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Gibbs, W. J. 1999 'A Very Special Family: Memories of the Bureau of Meteorology 1946 to 1962', Metarch Papers, No. 13 May 1999, Bureau of Meteorology

© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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