Survey on alternatives for dangerous and obsolete instruments WMO - IOM 117

Transcription

1 VAISALA AWARD 2016 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTRUMENTATION AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Survey on alternatives for dangerous and obsolete instruments WMO - IOM 117 TECO 2016, Madrid, Spain, Sep Ms. Amudha Bakthavathsalu India Meteorological Department (IMD) Dr. Rabia Merrouchi National Meteorological service of Morocco

2 VAISALA AWARD 2016 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTRUMENTATION AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Acknowledgements India Meteorological Department National Meteorological Service Morocco Members of the Expert Team on Regional Instruments Centres, Calibration and Traceability ( ) World Meteorological Organisation and Dr. Isabelle Ruedi, WMO in particular. Vaisala Family, colleagues and friends

3 VAISALA AWARD 2016 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTRUMENTATION AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Former DGM AVM Dr. Ajit Tyagi Ex DGM Dr. L.S. Rathore, IMD, New Delhi and Permanent Representative at WMO Present DGM Dr. K.J. Ramesh, IMD New Delhi.

4 VAISALA AWARD 2016 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTRUMENTATION AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Background for initiating the survey which led to At its Fifteenth Session (2 8 Sept. 2010, Helsinki, Finland), CIMO recalled the need for new, simple and inexpensive instruments and associated calibration facilities to replace health hazardous (mercury) instruments and obsolete instrumentation still used in numerous NMHSs in developing countries.

5 Minamata Convention on Mercury, countries have ratified it. India signed it on 30 Sep % countries which have responded to the questionairre have ratified the Minamata guidelines

6 Element Mercury (Hg) Z = 80 also known as quicksilver, a liquid metal. Discoverer : Unknown. Known to ancient Chinese, Egyptians (1500 B.C), Hindus Mercury is not found free in nature. Cinnabar is the only important ore of Mercury. Toxic mercury sulfide mineral with a chemical composition of HgS. Almadén Mines, Spain produced more than 250,000 tonnes of mercury in the galleries dug out in the 17 th 18 th centuries Inventions Barometer : 1643 Toricelli Thermometer : 1724 Farenheit Celsius scale (1742)

7 OPAG CAPACITY BUILDING C1. Expert Team on Regional Instrument Centres, Calibration and Traceability Under the guidance of Dr. Roger and Dr. Isabelle Ruedi, WMO Position Name Dr/ Ms/Mr Chairperson Jerome Duvernoy France Vice Chairperson Drago Groselj Slovenia Members He Xiaolei China Rabia Merrouchi Morocco Country Representative from international organization(s) Kouichi Nakachima Amudha Bakthavathsalu Jean Ngamini Japan India Agency for the Safety of Aerial Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) Many work plans were finalised for action by the task teams constituted for this purpose

8 Work plan for all ET members devised by the Chairman - Process started in Aug Survey initiated Uploaded in WMO web site : July responses received by Sep First meeting of ET members Kenyan Meteorological Services, Nairobi September 2013

9 IOMseries.html 17_mercury_final2.pdf

10 WMO member states and territories RA I to VI 191 Members of WMO ( In response to the request of WMO, 54 filled-in questionnaires were received from 52 countries of the six RAs.

11 RESPONSES RECEIVED (54 OUT OF 191 : 28 % ) 43% (20/46) 34% (12 /35) 34% (8/23) 15% (8 /53) 25% (3 /12) 14% (3/22)

12 Response was highest from RA-VI. RA-I and RA-V are the least. None of the RAs is adequately represented Significant differences are highly probable depending on the RA. Based on just three responses each received from RA-III and RA-V countries, no definite conclusions could be arrived.

13 Structure of the Questionnaire The questionnaire consists of four parts, Part A Generalities addresses, contact number etc. 1 Part B Phasing out dangerous mercury based instruments 13 Part C Use of Hydrogen and Other Chemicals and 9 Part D Status on usage of obsolete instruments 13

14 Summary Use of Mercury 86 % of the members are aware of the hazardous effects of mercury. But less cost, less complications, long term accuracy and minimum drift makes them use mercury instruments. Financial constraints, governmental policies and lack of expertise delay the process of switch-over. More than three years required for the transition to digital equipments.

15 Summary Use of hydrogen Hydrogen is cheaper than helium. Hazardous chemicals are used on-site in preparation in some countries (20%). Safety procedures are followed. Electrolysis method seems to be widely used in the NMHS. Cost is the major deterrent which prevents switch-over from hydrogen to helium

16 Summary Use of Autographic Instruments In use for more than 30 years (65% of the countries). NMS use them because they are cheap, easy to maintain. China : largest user. India : workshop in its NMHS for production, Germany and New Zealand still use autographic instruments in VOS. Minimum 5 years required for modernisation. Robust equipments needed to suit region specific extreme weather conditions.

17 Mercury-based sensors and autographic instruments are still widely in use. 50 % of the Members have not started withdrawal process. Replacement : a slow and planned process, need to ensure sufficient duration of parallel measurements Role of CIMO : create awareness about the dangers of mercury for health and environment. Imports - Assistance of WMO and international collaboration by familiarization and training workshops are necessary. Calibration procedures Advice by CIMO necessary. Development of technical expertise in Member countries - WMO

18 Recommendations A more effective communication and feedback mechanism to involve maximum WMO member countries. Toxicity of mercury and the need for safety. Promote awareness of the Minamata Convention on mercury. Prepare a progressive framework of guidelines for transition to electronic devices before the year Methods for disposal of mercury in a safe manner.

19 Recommendations (contd..) Retention of Mercury barometers and thermometers only in calibration labs. Investigation of cost vs benefit of phasing out. Policy for periodic calibration of the digital equipments with international/national level digital standards. Technical notes on calibration and field verification kits.

20 Recommendations (contd..) Analyse the complexities of automation - various factors involved. CIMO visionary planning Role of RICs calibration procedures traceability of digital standards International exchange of successful experiences of other Member countries who have already switched-over to modern alternatives. Collaboration with manufacturers for stable, cost-effective, accurate alternatives for mercury based instruments

21 STEERING TOWARDS NEW TECHNOLOGIES Automatic Weather Station is one of the alternatives. Co-locating digital and conventional systems for validation Automation is a challenging concept and pitfalls are likely. More expensive compared to the traditional instruments. Requires more competence, expertise, budget, manpower, training and adequate calibration facilities. Hesitant to initiate transition due to the long term stability in mercurybased instruments. Restoration time will be more in automated station.

22 Survey : Questions before us!! WMO member countries : 191; Responses received : 54 What is the status of usage of mercury based instruments in countries which have not responded? How to know? Role of WMO CIMO in this process How to dispose off mercury instruments? Guidelines monitoring mechanism for each country Whether year 2020 is too near a target for phasing out mercury based instruments? Governmental policies financial aspects accuracy maintaining homogenity capacity building adaptation : Major bottlenecks How climatological normals will be handled? Global instructions to be circulated wide reach

23 Moroccan approach providing modern alternatives to replace dangerous and obsolete meteorological instruments Rabia Merrouchi TECO 2014, St Petersburg, 7 9 July 2014

24 The process of automation started in 1992 and In 2010 allsynopticstations(40)are equipped by AWOS. A new network of additional 156 AWOS was also implemented National Meteorological Service Morocco

25 The National Context (Morocco)

26 The Problem The National Context (Morocco) Employee of synoptic stations needs back up to withdraw dangerous and obsolete instruments Lack of confidence in AWOS and in the performance and efficiency of the maintenance process The Approach To design and to acquire independent modern alternatives that could be used as back up in case of failure of the AWOS

27 The National Context (Morocco) the use of an automatic self recording TBRG with dedicated data logger Rainfall Many manufacturers provide such equipment and the price of this automatic SRRG is at least 50% cheaper than the traditional autographic tipping bucket rain recorder.

28 Atmospheric pressure The National Context (Morocco) Easily calibrated and adjusted using the automatic pressure generators of the RIC of Casablanca.. the cost is three times cheaper than the cost of the mercury barometer. mercury barometer, barograph

29 The National Context (Morocco) Air temperature and Humidity + Soil T the cost of this alternative is cheaper than the combined total cost of a thermograph, hair hygrograph, psychrometer and soil mercury thermometers.

30 Solution 2: Météo France New electronic thermometers for the Cooperative observation network, Météo France, TECO 2010

31 The National Context (Morocco) Wind measurements A new automatic solution for wind measurements as backup of the measurements made by the AWOS in airports including: Solar panel, mast, ultrasonic wind sensor and datalogger, deported display screens for both: the air traffic control tower (ATC TWR) and the meteorological station, wireless connection (radio, wifi ) between the sensor (near of the runway) and the TWR and the dedicated software (2 minutes wind average, gust, archiving etc). The total price of the project was cheaper than the cost of renewing the existing autographic equipment.

32 India 7 th largest country in the world based on area Diverse terrain features tropical country Extreme Maximum temperatures reaching > 50 C Minimum temperatures : -4 C Meteorological observations as early as 1793 in Chennai. Systematic data available since A member of the WMO since 27 April 1949

33 Context of India IMD surface meteorological observatories AWS ARGs

34 Context of India IMD Kew Pattern barometers : More than 600 : No mercury barometer has been removed from the observational network. Already 184 DSB installed for parallel observations. Comparison in progress. Mercury in the barometers cleaning schedule purification process India : More than 4000 mercury thermometers : No such modern equipment like digital thermometers has been planned as on date in place of MT and autographic instruments like barographs and thermographs

35 Context of India IMD Digital Automatic Recording System (DARS) Alternative for autographic instruments Display options in TFT Datalogger : Indian manufacturer Sensors : Imported An indigenous state of the art Digital Automatic Recording System(DARS) for surface meteorological observatories, Biju et al, Mausam, 2012.

36 Context of India IMD Further reading Automation of surface meteorological observatory network challenges in India TECO 2008 non wooden radiation shield air temperature and humidity in AWS, Amudha B et al TECO 2010 Network of 550 AWS and 1350 ARGs across India: Manish Ranalkar, et al Agro Automatic Weather Stations performance : Anjit Anjan et al ARGs Anjit Anjan et al Objective analysis of wind measurements with AWS and indigenous high wind speed recorders B. AMUDHA and Y.E.A. Raj TECO 2012 Challenges posed by the automated Indian surface observational network and responsibilities of regional instruments maintenance centres in effective quality assurance, B. Amudha