Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, March 23: World Meteorological Day (WMD) commemorates the date of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on March 23 1950. It originated from the International Meteorological Organisation, which was founded in 1873 to facilitate the exchange of weather information across borders.
The organisation became a specialised agency of the United Nations in 1951.This organisation announces a slogan for WMD every year and the day is observed in all member countries every year on the 23 of March to commemorate the entry in 1950 of the convention that created the WMO.
According to an article from Skymet Weather, the WMO used to earlier provide information related to shipping and travel. With time, it covered aspects related to climate, weather and water. The due importance of the WMO has increased manifold.
It shows the vital contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and well-being of society. The themes which are chosen for World Meteorological Day reflects climate, weather and water related issues.
It is WMO’s top priorities to protect lives, livelihoods, and property from the risks related to weather, climate and water events. The theme for World Meteorological Day 2019 is “The Sun, the Earth, and the Weather.”
The Sun is the primary source of energy for the Earth’s climate system. It delivers the energy that powers all life on the planet. It drives the weather, ocean currents and hydrological cycle.
The Sun also helps in shaping moods and daily activities. The magnitude of sunlight that is received on the earth’s surface is affected by the reflectivity of the surface, the angle of the Sun, the output of the Sun, and the cyclic variations of the earth’s orbit around the Sun.
The Sun has an impact on Earth. The air surrounding us consists of different gases and some particles. The layer of air, known as the Earth’s atmosphere, is retained by the gravity. Nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) are the main components. Besides containing the oxygen, human beings and other organisms also need to live. The atmosphere has several other features as well, such as absorption of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun by the ozone layer, and heat retention known as the greenhouse effect.
