WMO Adds 20 New Stations to Its Centennial Recognition List to Strengthen Long-Term Climate Data Preservation.
International
On 17 June 2025, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Executive Council officially recognized 20 additional Centennial Observing Stations, boosting the total to 475 to preserve over a century of critical climate data globally.
The new recognitions include five stations in Namibia, two in Vietnam, five in Portugal, four in the United States, three in Norway, and one in France—bringing the global total to 475 stations (377 meteorological, 63 hydrological, and 15 marine).
- The Susquehanna River hydrological station in the USA, established in 1786, is the oldest among these new entries, highlighting its centuries-long contribution to climate records.
- Centennial stations have uninterrupted, high-quality data for 100+ years, making them invaluable for monitoring climate trends, extreme weather events, and validating satellite and model outputs.
Main Point :- (i) Data from these stations feed into the WMO World Weather Watch and support annual State of the Global Climate reports, also underpinning global climate assessments under the UNFCCC.
(ii) The WMO Executive Council (EC) resolution mandates member governments to preserve these stations and their archives to ensure future generations can access authentic, long-term climate data.
(iii) While honoring historical stations, the WMO stresses integrating them with satellites, buoys, ships, aircraft, and other platforms for a comprehensive climate monitoring system, ensuring data continuity and interoperability.
About World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
Secretary General : Professor Celeste Saulo
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
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