GCW Focal Points

WMO Member Focal Points Artificial

The focal points are formally nominated by the WMO Members’ Permanent Representatives with WMO. There may be more than one per country. Focal points may be from outside the Member’s National Meteorological and Hydrological service (NMHS), recognizing that other bodies may have operational and/or research responsibilities for the cryosphere. They serve as the national contact(s) for, and contribute to, the development and implementation of GCW and its activities locally, nationally, regionally and globally. They liaise with national bodies that have responsibilities for information, products and services related to the cryosphere, engage national representatives of international organizations partnering with GCW, identify national and regional cryosphere-related issues, needs and gaps, engage their WMO Regional Association, identify needs and opportunities for capacity building and resource mobilization. The focal point Terms of Reference provide more details. Focal points are listed in the table below. (Updated 23 May 2018)

Member Country RA Focal Point Name Position and Institute
Ethiopia I Mr. Melesse Lemma Head, Meteorological Research and Studies Dept
Kenya I Peter Omeny Senior Meteorologist, Kenya Meteorological Department
Morocco I M. Filali Boubrahmi Noureddine Chief, National Centre of Meteorological Research
Niger I Katiellou Lawan Gaptia Meteorological Engineers, National Meteorological Directorate, Niamey
Assane Yacouba Meteorological Engineers, National Meteorological Directorate, Niamey
South Africa I Mr. Johan Stander South African Weather Service
United Republic of Tanzania I Dr Hamza Kabelwa Head, Numerical Weather Prediction, Tanzania Meteorological Agency
Dr ladislaus Chang'a Tanzania Meteorological Agency
Zambia I Mr. Peter Chola Assistant Director of Water Affairs
China II Dr Xiao Cunde Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CMA)
Dr Jiankai Wang Deputy Director, Division of Surface Observations (CMA)
Indonesia II Mr Wido Hanggoro Researcher of Division for Meteorology of Research and Development Center, BMKG
Iran, Islamic Republic of II Ms.Leili Khazanedari Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO)
Japan II Mr. Yoshiaki Hirano Deputy Head, Office Int'l Affairs, JMA
Dr Satoru Yamaguchi Researcher, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Snow and Ice Research Center
Kazakhstan II Ms Assel Kishkimbayeva Senior Scientific Associate, department of Climate and Hydrology Research, Kazhydromet
Kyrgyzstan II Mr Asanchodzhaev Riskeldi Galievich Deputy Director, Hydrometeorological Institute (Kyrgyzgydromet)
Maldives II Mr. Ali Shareef Deputy Director-General, Maldives Meteorological Service
Mongolia II Dr. Davaa Gombo Director, Hydrology Section, Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Environment, NAMEM
Pakistan II Mr. Kamal ud Din Meteorologist, Regional Meteorological Centre
Thailand II Ms. Chalalai Jamphon Meteorologist, Meteorological Development Bureau
Tajikistan II Prof. Kayumov Abdulhamid Academic Secretary, Committee for IPY 2007-8, Dushanbe
Uzbekistan II Dr Lidia Karandaeva Head, Glaciology Dept., Uzhydromet Hydrometeorological Inst.
Argentina III Dr Dario Trombotto Liaudat Argentine Institute of Snow Research, Glaciology (CONICET) and Environmental Sciences
Dr Sandra Barreira Servicio Meteorológico de la Armada Argentina
Colombia III Mrs. Maria Saralux Valbuena Deputy Director, Ecosystems and Environmental Information Department at Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM)
Ecuador III Ing. Bolívar Cáceres Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMHI)
Peru III Dr Julio Ordonez Galvez Director General Hydrology
Dr Wilson Suarez Alayza (unknown)
Chile III Dr Jorge Carrasco Dirección Meteorológica de Chile
Uruguay III Cap. Navio Albert Lluberas Consejo Directivo del Instituto Antartico Uruguayo
Canada IV Ms Geneviève Béchard Director General, Weather and Environmental Monitoring, MSC
Ms Anne Walker Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada
United States of America IV Dr Jeff Key (primary contact) NOAA/NESDIS
Christopher Hiemstra ERDC Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab
CDR Blake McBride Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy
Walt Meier NASA/GSFC
Australia V Dr Petra Heil Australia Antarctic Division, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC), Hobart
Malaysia V Mr. Ling Leong Kwok Head, Weather & Climate Model Development Section
New Zealand V Christian Zammit Hydrologist - National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Austria VI Dr Wolfgang Schoener University of Graz
Dr Annett Bartsch Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik
Belgium VI Dr Hugo De Backer Institut Royal Meteorologique
Finland VI Prof. Jouni Pullianen Head of Arctic Research, FMI
France VI Ms. Marie Dumont Centre d'étude de la neige, Meteo-France, Toulouse
M. Christophe Genthon LGGE Saint Martin D'Heres
Germany VI Prof Dr Hugues Lantuit AWI, Potsdam
Dr Andreas Becker Head, GPCC, DWD, Offenbach
Greece VI Dr Pavlos D. Kalabokas Director of International Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology
Hungary VI Mr. Róbert Tóth OMSZ Hungarian Meteorological Service
Italy VI Dr Carlo Baroni Pisa University
Dr Giovanni Macelloni IFAC-CNR, Firenze
Iceland VI Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík
Tómas Johannesson Icelandic Meteorological Office, Reykjavík
Netherlands (the) VI Dr Ad Stoffelen Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Norway VI Mr. Ketil Isaksen Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Russian Federation VI Ivan Yevgenyevich Frolov Director, Roshydromet Arctic and Antarctic Institute
Vladimir Mikhailovich Kotlyakov Geographical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Spain VI Sr. Fernando Pastor Argüello Dirección General del Agua, Madrid, España
Sr. Samuel Buisán Sanz Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, Zaragoza, España
Sweden VI Mr. Amund Lindberg SMHI
Switzerland VI Dr Fabio Fontana Deputy Head of International Affairs Division, MeteoSwiss
Dr Charles Fierz WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland VI Dr Steve Colwell British Antarctic Survey
Mike Molyneux UK Met Office

Focal Points for Partner Organizations

Current focal points for partner organizations are listed in the table below. (Updated 3 May 2016)

Partner Organization Point of Contact Position
ICIMOD Arun Bhakta Shrestha Regional Programme Manager, River Basin Management
IASC Volker Rachold IASC Executive Secretary, Potsdam, Germany
WGMS Michael Zemp WGMS, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland
IPA
Generic PoC		 Hugues Lantuit Alfred Wegener Institute, Potsdam, Germany
SCAR TBD  
IACS Charles Fierz WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
WIGOS Lars Peter Riishojgaard WIGOS Project Manager
WMO Secretariat

See Also