Cooperation on GPS Meteorology between the United States and Cuba

In May 2014 a team of atmospheric and geodetic scientists from UNAVCO and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) sent and helped set up a global positioning system (GPS) receiver to measure atmospheric water vapor at the Grupo de Óptica Atmosférica de Camagüey (GOAC) at the Camagüey Meteorological Center in Camagüey, Cuba. The GPS receiver immediately began to produce observations of precipitable water, which are being shared with the international meteorological community. Obtaining permission from both sides to send a highly sensitive instrument from the United States to Cuba was not easy. This paper describes the series of events that led to this achievement, beginning with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) workshop in Rome, Italy, in 1994 in which Alan Robock met a young Cuban scientist named Juan Carlos Antuña and accepted him as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. The GPS meteorology connection began with a March 2007 visit of a delegation from the United States headed by then American Meteorological Society (AMS) President Richard Anthes to Havana, Cuba, at the invitation of the Cuban Meteorological Society president, Andrés Planas. These two threads led to this remarkable cooperation between Cuban and U.S. scientists. Several visits to Cuba beginning in 2010 by Robock, who met former President of Cuba Fidel Castro and the science advisor to the president of Cuba, played a significant role. This is another instance (the visit of the AMS delegation to China in 1974 was a prime example) of how communication and visits between meteorologists in countries that are at odds on many other issues can lead to lasting collaborations that benefit both countries as well as the international community.

TREND IN GROUND-BASED GPS SENSING OF ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOUR: THE MALAYSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Atmospheric water vapour is the most variable component of the atmosphere. It plays a crucial role in Earth‘s energy balance and hydrological cycles. Because of its temporal and spatial variability, accurate measurement of atmospheric water vapour has been very challenging in meteorology. However, the Global Positioning System (GPS) offers detailed coverage, all weather and continuous observations. Therefore, exploring this potential to deliver atmospheric information is now termed ‗GPS meteorology‘. This paper presents a brief overview of global trend in GPS meteorology while discussing GPS meteorology research efforts in Malaysia. A summary of the current research activity towards realisation of operational use of GPS meteorology in Malaysia is also highlighted.