A Review of Federal Meteorological Programs for Fiscal Years –

Abstract

The trend in the funding of Federal meteorological services and research over the past decade has been assessed. The major thrusts of this analysis have been directed toward determining the service improvements that have occurred, the impact of inflation over the years, and the directions for future programs. The increases in radar surveillance of severe storms, the improved capability of remote sensing from satellites, the steady rise in computer power, and the expansion of warning dissemination systems are examples of program highlights discussed. While the annual Federal expenditures for meteorology have more than doubled over the past decade and have kept somewhat ahead of inflation, Federal manpower in operational meteorology peaked in the middle of the decade and is now at a level below that of ten years ago. The major meteorological functions of monitoring, forecast and warning preparation and dissemination, as well as the research that supports these functions, are all characterized by a high degree of interagency and international cooperation. Most of the information presented has been assembled from the records of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research and the Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences.