Image Credit: Neda Astani/Unsplash

Life on Earth is thought to have begun in the oceans – a vital resource to sustaining life on Earth. They also help regulate the climate, what with its role in driving over 90 percent of the global trade. The growing impacts of climate change today are making ocean observations, research and services critical than ever before. On the occasion of World Meteorological Day, commemorated on 23 March each year, let’s try to understand and uphold how the oceans are connected to us within a system. The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘The Ocean, Our Climate and Weather’.

The occasion showcases the endowment of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the wellbeing and safety of society at large. The focus of World Meteorological Day, which isn’t a public holiday but instead, a global acknowledgment, is to raise awareness around the world about the multiple threats the planet is faced with.

World Meteorological Day: History

Almost 70 years ago, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was established in Geneva, Switzerland, on this day. Consisting of 193 member countries, the organization has its roots in the Vienna International Meteorological Congress 1873. The WMO was established by the ratification of the WMO convention, aimed at facilitating the exchange of weather information across national borders, in 1950.

The following year, in 1951, the organisation became a specialised agency of the United Nations for climate, weather and water, and striving to support understanding the inextricable link between ocean, climate and weather.