Emeritus Fellow Professor Tim Palmer has been honoured for his pioneering role in weather forecasts and climate predictions at a ceremony celebrating the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) top prize.
The IMO Prize (named after WMO’s predecessor, the International Meteorological Organization) is the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for meteorologists. It was established in 1955, and symbolises the advancements that have been made in meteorology over the years.
IMO Award Ceremony (from left to right): Ambassador Simon Manley, Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, Professor Tim Palmer, Professor Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, and Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, WMO President. Image credit: WMO WMO
Professor Palmer, former Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics, and Co-Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Modelling and Predicting Climate, was nominated for the prestigious award in 2023, and collected it at a ceremony during WMO’s Executive Council meeting this week.
“This is the highest scientific award of WMO, to reward outstanding work in meteorology and hydrology, and contributions to international collaboration in these fields,” said WMO President Abdullah Al Mandous.
“Timothy Palmer has demonstrated remarkable qualities over the years. His scientific ideas, skills, and abilities have had, and continue to have, a huge impact on the weather and climate fields,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
In his acceptance speech, Professor Palmer traced his role in the development of probabilistic ensemble prediction methods for forecasting on all timescales. He also highlighted how AI is a potential game-changer for weather forecasts, and long-term climate predictions.
Read the full article on the WMO website here.