Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics

The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics ( ZAMG ) is the national meteorological and geophysical service of Austria.

It is a subordinate agency of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Science and Research. The headquarters is located in Vienna ZAMG - Dobling Hohewarte 38 in Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz and Klagenfurt ZAMG is represented by customer service locations. The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics has to perform extensive legal tasks and can also act as private law in the context of partial legal capacity.

The ZAMG was founded in 1851 and is the oldest national weather service in the world. Your task is to operate not only in the various fields measuring networks and conduct research, but to also make their results available to the public.

• 2.1 Synoptic Meteorology and Environment
• 2.2 Climate Observation / Research
• 2.3 Geophysical Services
• 2.4 International cooperation

Organizational structure

Headquarters and facilities

The High Waiting in Vienna Dobling is the headquarters of the Central Institute for Meteorology and also the customer service center for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. In addition to the historical Hann - building, which was built in 1872, and the main building has the headquarters in Vienna on a Ballonfüllhaus, a radar tower and a wind tunnel.

Other facilities ZAMG are:

• Customer Service Office for Salzburg and Upper Austria ( Salzburg )
• Customer service center for Vorarlberg and Tyrol ( Innsbruck)
• Customer Service Office for Carinthia (Klagenfurt)
• Customer service center for Styria (Graz)
• Observatory Sonnblick
• Conrad Observatory

Departments

Today, the Central Institute, as part of legal capacity of the covenant, a modern service provider. The tasks of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics divided among others in the following departments:

• The synoptic department is using modern technology, responsible for the daily forecast service. Even official weather warnings as well as numerous other synoptic services are included in their areas of responsibility.
• The geophysical department performs the earthquake and geomagnetic service.
• The climate created department. Means of the data, climate statistics and maps obtained from the Austrian Monitoring Network Furthermore, they Forscht in areas of domestic climate and its changes, including in the fields of glaciology. ZAMG headquarters and radar tower at night
• The Department of Environmental Meteorology studied the spread of pollutants and their behavior in the atmosphere. Among others in crisis situations are (eg radioactivity into the atmosphere) from direct information to the Federal Alarm Centre.
• The technical department oversees the state meteorological measurement network consisting of some automatic weather detection systems ( TAWES stations) and semi-automatic climate stations ( TAKLIS stations) is. Also taking care of the daily radiosonde ascents one of its tasks.
• The Department of Electronic Data Processing is respectively equipped with the latest equipment to deal with the extensive computer-controlled processes take care of, inter alia, the in-house weather models.

In 2009, the ZAMG was issued the renewal audit for their quality management system. Since 10 October 2003, the ZAMG is certified according to "ISO 9001 ".

Research and public services

The research areas cover the fields of meteorology, climatology and geophysics. Accordingly, services in these sectors are provided.

Synoptic Meteorology and Environment

The ZAMG Department Synoptik deals with areas of remote sensing with manual and automatic evaluation of satellite and radar data in regard to an application in the prediction. In the field of numerical models the research focuses in the development of co-developed in Austria Weather models LAM Aladin / ALARO / AROME and the Nowcastingmodells INCA. Furthermore, the Central Institute is committed as a minor office of the federal to every day for the Austrian territory to create weather forecasts, but also weather warnings and to provide them to the public free access to a copy. Since 2012, the ZAMG offers a set of data (temperature, precipitation, wind, gusts, cloud, thunderstorm) in resolution of one hour and up at the community level to freely accessible. In addition, it is closely linked than weather warning service with the federal and state warning centers, and engaged in Europe network Meteo Alarm ..

The ZAMG Department of Environmental meteorology is concerned among other things with the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere and those meteorological processes that affect the transport of contaminants. Accordingly, research in this direction in order to predict the spread and effects of pollutants better. Also, ozone forecasting, and crisis model systems for nuclear incidents and their spread include in their research or area of ​​responsibility.

Climate monitoring / research

One of the central tasks of ZAMG it is among others to observe the climate in Austria and explore. To this end was sought numerous research projects over the years. Also, a network of over two hundred semi-automatic weather stations ( TAWES ) was placed over Austria. Meteorological parameters such as pressure, temperature, wind, precipitation, etc. are taken from Lake Constance to Lake Neusiedl, but also from the lowlands up into the mountains ( Sonnblick Observatory ) and controlled. This wealth of data is the basis for numerous climate research ( such as the project HISTALP ) and is specifically for the understanding of the current climate change is of great importance. Also, the climate experts ZAMG participate in international research projects to study the climate changes and their consequences ( eg on tourism). But the research and studies in the field of domestic Glaciology lies partly in the task pane of the Central Institute. Ice cores as well as surveys of local glaciers are essential components of the research.

Geophysical services

The first geomagnetic country receiving the Austria -Hungarian crown lands was conducted by Karl Kreil in the years 1846-1851. On the occasion of the earthquake in Ljubljana (English ) in Slovenia (1895 ) was then the Austrian Seismological Service, which is now operated by the Public Health Service, was founded. the processing of historical earthquakes up to the current measurement ranges, the range of tasks. Today, the activities include in geodynamics and environmental geophysical issues and archaeological measurements and geomagnetic acquisition of the entire federal territory, and their change.

International cooperation

The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics is to participate as a government weather service seeks international cooperation and joint research projects in their area of ​​responsibility. Among other things, the Central Institute Member of the WMO, the ECOMET, and the European Meteorological Society. Since 1993, the ZAMG fully fledged member of EUMETSAT.

In the specialist fields are also made numerous collaborations where the ZAMG is involved, such as CERAD, MAP, GEO, COST or the ECMWF just to name a few.

Furthermore, the ZAMG operates the pan-European platform platform Meteo warning alarm, at the meantime, all meteorological services of the EU and some Associate involved.

History

With the All-Highest resolution of July 23, 1851 Emperor Franz Joseph authorized the establishment of " ... a Central Institute for meteorological and magnetic observations ", the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geomagnetism, which goes back to an initiative of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. This is already addressed in 1848 the request to Karl Kreil, director of the observatory at Prague and a full member of the Academy to design a meteorological observation system for the Austrian monarchy.

Karl Kreil (1798-1862) was the first director of the newly founded Central Institute in Wieden, and at the same time professor of physics at the University of Vienna. This personal union between director on the one hand and university teachers on the other hand, remained until today and lasting influence on the scientific research at the Central Institute. Kreil established a meteorological observation system for the entire territory of the Austrian monarchy and led to this by the first geomagnetic land survey. 1865 began at the Central Institute with the publication of a daily weather map.

1872 moved the Central Institute in it, by Heinrich Ferstel built, new and final quarters at the Hohenwarte in Vienna Dobling. A year later, in 1873, the Central Institute organized the first international meteorologists Congress in Vienna, where the International Meteorological Organization ( IMO) as a precursor to the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO) was established. From 1877 to the issuance of daily telegraphic weather report, with a synoptic map and the forecast for the following day. The new weather report contained the morning of 60 observation stations from all over Europe, including 24 domestic.

With the adoption of February 23, 1904, the Central Institute of the entire seismic service for Austria was transferred, which also attracted the name change to Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics by itself. In his position as Director Kreil was followed by outstanding scientists, including Julius Hann (1839-1921) and Felix Maria von Exner - Ewarten (1876 -1930 ). Was Hanns importance in climatology worldwide and began in his era by an Austrian meteorologists school ' - Hann also wrote the comprehensive textbook of Meteorology ( 1901) - to speak, as one remembers Exner as a great theorist and his work Dynamic Meteorology ( 1925).

At the Central Institute worked under many other researchers such as Max Margules (1856-1920), co-founder of theoretical meteorology and Victor Conrad (1876-1962), discoverer of the eponymous discontinuity in the central region of the earth's crust.

Only once the tradition of the Central Institute was interrupted: after the annexation of Austria to the German Reich had to be moved to the climate and weather service to Berlin, where they were placed under the German Empire Weather Service; the Central Institute in Vienna is transformed into a research institute.

After the Second World War, the original state is restored and there was a considerable human and spatial expansion of the Central Institute, which is also reflected in the numerous scientific research results. 1957, a house could be purchased on the neighboring property and adapted subsequently for office use; 1967-1973, a radar tower, a Ballonfüllhaus and a new office building with specialized libraries in two stages was built on the site of the Central Institute.

Position of the ZAMG in Austria

In addition to the ZAMG there in Austria still more than weather services Austro Control and the Meteorological Service of the Armed Forces. But there is no official weather warnings, as recommended by the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations. Intended to account for these circumstance, the ZAMG be converted from the partial legal capacity Federal institution into a public corporation.