On Thu, 20 May 2004 08:11:18 +0100, Pete B wrote in

snip
Mike

Do you have a URL for the original charts please since AFAIR, they cover a
much larger region than these charst put out from FU Berlin.

The main URL is:

http://visibility.dkrz.de/wettere.html

but the particular maps are in a password protected part.


--
Mike 55.13°N 6.69°W Coleraine posted to uk.sci.weather 20/05/2004 07:40:27 UTC

Do you have a URL for the original charts please since AFAIR, they cover
a
much larger region than these charst put out from FU Berlin.

The main URL is:

http://visibility.dkrz.de/wettere.html

but the particular maps are in a password protected part.

Hi Pete and Mike,

you can also get the charts via Wetter.com on

http://www.wetter.com/home/structure...s=1&ss=4&sss=6

and choose "vergrobern" for the larger chart,

best regards,
Alan

--
Wirral,Merseyside. 53.1 N 3.0 W 40m amsl
http://www.wirralcam.com/frame.htm

On Thu, 20 May 2004 09:41:12 +0100, Alan Duckers wrote in


http://visibility.dkrz.de/wettere.html

but the particular maps are in a password protected part.

Hi Pete and Mike,

you can also get the charts via Wetter.com on

http://www.wetter.com/home/structure...s=1&ss=4&sss=6

and choose "vergrobern" for the larger chart,

Thanks Alan - that is a useful backup site for me. I must admit I'm
suprised to see that chart there as I know DWD are very restrictive about
their "products".

--
Mike 55.13°N 6.69°W Coleraine posted to uk.sci.weather 20/05/2004 08:54:54 UTC

Martin Rowley wrote in message ...

:"Pete B" wrote in message
: I thought that the forecasters themselves gave highs and lows names on
:the
: professional forecast charts. See:
: http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/de/wetter/maps/anabwkna.gif

:... the UK service stopped labelling such a few years ago - a backward
:step in my view, at least for the immediate NE Atlantic. The labelling
n the charts you note come from Germany - but whether this is DWD
ractice, or additional labelling by FU Berlin on top of the DWD
:analysis I'm not sure.

The names are given by the Free University of Berlin - the practice started
there in 1954. Since 1990 they have become more widely known and are now
routinely used in the German media. The history of the naming of lows and
highs is explained in German here
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/historie/ . Unfortunately I cannot
find any English version of this.

For a long time, depressions were always given female names and anticyclones
male ones. In 1998 it was suggested that this amounted to discrimination
against women. Since then, in agreement with the DWD and private weather
companies, the use of male and female names for lows and highs alternates
from year to year. In 2004 anticyclones are male and depressions female.
In 2005 depressions will be given male names.

In 2002 it seemed that - because of lack of funds - the Berlin-Dahlem
station 10381 of the FU Berlin would have to stop 24-hour manual recording
of the weather and rely largely on more limited automatic observations.

So that Dahlem's long and full record would not be interrupted, meteorology
students at the FU Berlin agreed to take on the task of making the
observations themselves.

To raise funds they hit on the idea of asking people to "sponsor" a
depression or anticyclone. For a payment of 299 euros (anticyclone) or 199
euros (depression) the FU Berlin will use your name - or any other name you
choose - for a pressure system http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/ .

This year's lists of names and their sponsors are here
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/tief/#aktuell (lows)
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/hoch/#aktuell (highs). The
anticyclone responsible for the current spell of fine weather in Britain and
Western Europe is "Stephan" - given that name on 12th May and sponsored by
one Stephan Vogler.

Colin Youngs
Brussels

"Alan Duckers" wrote in message
...
Do you have a URL for the original charts please since AFAIR, they
cover
a
much larger region than these charst put out from FU Berlin.

The main URL is:

http://visibility.dkrz.de/wettere.html

but the particular maps are in a password protected part.

Hi Pete and Mike,

you can also get the charts via Wetter.com on


http://www.wetter.com/home/structure...s=1&ss=4&sss=6

and choose "vergrobern" for the larger chart,

best regards,
Alan

--
Wirral,Merseyside. 53.1 N 3.0 W 40m amsl
http://www.wirralcam.com/frame.htm


Thanks for that Alan, now bookmarked

--
Pete

Please take my dog out twice to e-mail

---------------------------------------------------------------
The views expressed above are entirely those of the writer and
do not represent the views, policy or understanding of any
other person or official body.
---------------------------------------------------------------

"Colin Youngs" wrote in message
...
snip
The names are given by the Free University of Berlin - the practice
started
there in 1954. Since 1990 they have become more widely known and are
now
routinely used in the German media. The history of the naming of
lows and
highs is explained in German here
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/historie/ .
snip
In 2002 it seemed that - because of lack of funds - the Berlin-Dahlem
station 10381 of the FU Berlin would have to stop 24-hour manual
recording
of the weather and rely largely on more limited automatic
observations.
snip
To raise funds they hit on the idea of asking people to "sponsor" a
depression or anticyclone. For a payment of 299 euros (anticyclone)
or 199
euros (depression) the FU Berlin will use your name - or any other
name you
choose - for a pressure system
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/ .

.... many thanks for giving us that fascinating insight! It strikes me
that the accountants down on FitzRoy Road might like to take the matter
further: we could have lows and highs sponsored by commercial
organisations! A useful addition to the money made out of the Met Office
web site .... the Synoptic Review's would make interesting reading:-

" Low 'Sainsburys' is currently languishing as an illdefined
structure over southern Britain as High 'Tesco' continues to dominate
further north. Meanwhile, wave depression 'Morrisons' is poised to sweep
northeastwards transforming the situation across the entire country ".

[PS - if this actually happens ... I thought of it first ;-)]

Martin.

Martin Rowley wrote in message ...

:"Colin Youngs" wrote in message

: In 2002 it seemed that - because of lack of funds - the Berlin-Dahlem
: station 10381 of the FU Berlin would have to stop 24-hour manual
:recording
: of the weather ...
: To raise funds they hit on the idea of asking people to "sponsor" a
: depression or anticyclone

:It strikes me
:that the accountants down on FitzRoy Road might like to take the matter
:further: we could have lows and highs sponsored by commercial
rganisations!

I see from the list at
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/tief/#aktuell that the weather
company MeteoSolutions has sponsored the forthcoming Low Rhea and the next
names starting X, Y and Z have been paid for by Twentieth Century Fox -
makers of the film The Day after Tomorrow
http://www.thedayaftertomorrowmovie.com/ .

In the anticyclones list
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/hoch/#aktuell we see that
MeteoSolutions also paid for High Baldur in January, and a Swiss
manufacturer of caterpillar tracks for High Quintus in April.

Highs Daniel, Fabian, Lasse and Nathan - due later in the year - will appear
courtesy of Food Court Biergarten, a beer garden in the town of Heilbronn
http://www.food-court.de/ .

The rules for choosing names on the FU Berlin's website say that company
names will not be accepted unless they are also forenames !

Colin Youngs
Brussels

"Colin Youngs" wrote in message
...
I see from the list at
http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/wetterpate/tief/#aktuell that the
weather
company MeteoSolutions has sponsored the forthcoming Low Rhea and the
next
names starting X, Y and Z have been paid for by Twentieth Century
Fox -
makers of the film The Day after Tomorrow
http://www.thedayaftertomorrowmovie.com/ .
snip
The rules for choosing names on the FU Berlin's website say that
company
names will not be accepted unless they are also forenames !


.... How do these organisations get a return on the sponsorship?

All credit to Free University of Berlin: the continuance of naming is
well-done and as with other things 'Europe' I fear we have lost out
here. I have noted that the named pressure features have turned up in
scientific journals from time to time, so are increasingly accepted
outside Germany.

Martin.

Martin Rowley wrote in message ...
:... How do these organisations get a return on the sponsorship?

I suppose there is no financial return - it is more of a charitable
donation.

On its website MeteoSolutions http://www.meteosolutions.de/ says that it
has sponsored an anticyclone and a depression "to support the continuing
existence of the climate station at Berlin-Dahlem".

The owner of the Heilbronn Food Court-Biergarten says on its website
http://www.foodcourt.de/Service/Soziales that he believes companies have a
duty nowadays to give financial support to local social institutions - the
firm supports a kindergarten and the town library among other things. It
makes no mention of support for the weather station though.

An open air catering establishment obviously has an interest in fine
weather. The FU Berlin website does point out however - in case anyone
believes otherwise - that sponsoring a pressure system does not mean you can
influence the weather itself !

:I have noted that the named pressure features have turned up in
:scientific journals from time to time, so are increasingly accepted
utside Germany.

The names became more widely known outside Berlin and meteorological circles
as a result of the severe gales in February 1990. The damaging storms
"Vivian" and "Wiebke" became general news items and the use of the names has
become routine when the weather is "news" - just as the names of severe
hurricanes become known.

Colin Youngs
Brussels