Science in the Met Office : thirteenth report of session 2010-12 / House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology.
Date:
2012
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Science in the Met Office : thirteenth report of session 2010-12 / House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/136 (page 15)
    19. RCUK also expressed concerns that: The strategy contains a series of “recommendations” rather than a description of what will be done. In this respect it has something of the feel of an internal recommendation to the Met Office board rather than a set of goals towards which the Met Office is committed. Implementation is only addressed at a very high level. A formal implementation plan was in fact later published by the Met Office, during the course of our inquiry.” Professor Slingo acknowledged that the role of partners, such as NERC, would be “critical” in the implementation phase. The importance of collaboration and partnership is discussed in greater detail later in this report (paragraphs 60-72). The new research and development structure 20. The science strategy “recognises the unique position of the Met Office in having world- class weather forecasting and climate prediction in one place”. While the Met Office considered it “essential” in the short-term to maintain clearly identifiable programmes in both weather and climate research, it was proposed in the science strategy that integration across these programmes could and should be improved. This would be achieved by: e Bringing together all research and development under a single Director of Science; e Forming a new directorate in Foundation Science; and e Establishing a programme of integrating and innovating activities.” The lack of integration across weather and climate research was noted in the past as a key weakness that “did not readily facilitate common developments” across these areas.”! Professor John Pyle, Chair of the Hadley Centre Science Review Group and a member of MOSAC, told us that the new structure looked like a “good model but only time will tell”.”” The National Oceanography Centre considered that the new structure may also “foster a closer research partnership” with the broader research community in the UK and abroad.” Professor Pyle particularly welcomed the establishment of the new Foundation Science directorate, which he considered might “ease some of the tensions in developing a single Unified Model [...] for both weather forecasting and climate research”.”* 6 ~~ Ev w15, para 13 6? Met Office, Met Office science strategy 2010-2015: Implementation Plan, November 2011 *% ~§Q 101 69 Met Office, Met Office science strategy 2010-2015, November 2010 70 Met Office, Met Office science strategy 2010-2015, November 2010, p 8 7. Ev w7-8, para 3 [Australian Bureau of Meteorology] 72 Ev 56, para 4 2B Ev 61, para 3.2.2 ™” Ev 56, para 4