Joint Centre for Mesoscale Meteorology (JCMM)

.... is involved with research on regional scale weather systems - a subject sometimes known as mesoscale meteorology. It is jointly funded by the Met Office and NERC. JCMM comprises research and support staff from both the Met. Office and the University of Reading.

Met Office research groups

There are two groups from the Met Office's NWP division directly involved here at JCMM

• Data Assimilation Group, led by Sue Ballard, are interested in Data Assimilation, particularly techniques and new data, such as radar doppler wind and reflectivity data for use with convective scale models and the development of 3D and 4D variational assimilation of cloud and precipitation data.
• Mesoscale Modelling Group, led by Peter Clark, is involved with improvement of the Met. Office Unified Model, its application and interpretation.

and a third NWP group that closely collaborates with JCMM, the

• Satellite Applications Group, led by John Eyre, is working on improving the assimilation of satellite data, and some other remotely-sensed observations, into NWP models.

University research groups

• Mesoscale Weather Processes group is led by Dr. Suzanne Gray, and is interested in the dynamical processes and transport mechansisms which occur in weather systems, such as explosively deepening extratropical cyclones, tropical cyclones and polar lows; this group also studies the climatologies of such systems.
• Boundary Layer group is led by Dr. Stephen Belcher. Their interests are dynamical processes in boundary layers over land and sea, and measurement and instrumentation of boundary layer observations. The Boundary Layer group actively promotes the UWERN Urban Meteorology Programme, a coordinative effort aimed at bringing together the UK research community in the field of urban meteorology, and Radar group is led by Professor Anthony Illingworth and uses the Chilbolton radar to investigate the microphysics and dynamics of clouds and precipitation.
• Emeritus Professor Keith Browning carries out research on conceptual models of extra-tropical cyclones, especially looking at tropopause folds and dry intrusions.

Affiliations

• The JCMM is heavily involved with UWERN (Universities' Weather Research Network). UWERN aims to bring together groups from different universities who are working in the general area of weather systems. Data are available to members of the UWERN community through the JCMM.

FASTEX is the Fronts and Atlantic Storm Track Experiment which was set up to look in detail at extratropical cyclones travelling across the Atlantic. Here are a few of the FASTEX sites that are around the world. University of Reading Météo France in Toulouse in France UCAR in Boulder, USA.

People

• Contact details for people at JCMM

Internal reports and publications

• Much of the work done by members of the JCMM is published in the form of internal reports. If you would like more information on these reports, or if you would like a copy, please send an email to Khalid Mahmood