World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day takes place every year on 23 March and commemorates the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world.
The WMO's World Meteorological Day theme for 2019 is 'The Sun, the Earth and the Weather'. As the UK’s national meteorological service, we’re at the forefront of weather and climate science, with wide-ranging capabilities and areas of cutting edge expertise used to support the WMO and meteorological services around the globe.
View our infographic below to learn about the breadth of our work. Download the interactive PDF version to click on each tile and find out more.
Read on for more about how the Met Office supports this years World Met Day theme The Sun, the Earth and the Weather
The Sun delivers the energy that powers all life on Earth. It drives the weather, ocean currents and the hydrological cycle. Space weather describes conditions in space that can have an effect on Earth.
These effects can include interruptions to radio communications and GPS, disruption of power grids, and damage to spacecraft. The impacts are caused by magnetic fields, radiation, particles and matter which have left the surface of the sun and interacted with the Earth's upper atmosphere and magnetic field.
The Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) was set up in 2014 to provide a UK operational space weather prediction centre to help protect the country from the serious threats posed by space weather events. It is one of only three 24/7 operational centres around the globe.
Listen to Jane Wardle's (International Relations Manager (WMO and NMHSs)) Weather Snap podcast with more on the WMO and it's relationship with the Met Office.
For more space weather news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @MetOfficeSpace
The Climate of the Earth depends on how much of the Sun's energy is retained in the land, sea and air - and how the climate system responds to changes. Most of the Sun’s energy that reaches the Earth is reflected back into space, but some is trapped by gases in the atmosphere as it radiates back from the Earth's surface. This is the "Greenhouse Effect", and it warms the Earth like a blanket.
Earth's climate is moderated by a set of interacting cycles: the atmosphere, hydrosphere (liquid and vaporised water), cryosphere (frozen water), land surface and biosphere (living organisms). These interact with each other and external forces including the Sun and human activity.
For climate news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @MetOffice_Sci