Second JCOMM Workshop on Advances in Marine Climatology (CLIMAR-II)

A celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Brussels Maritime Conference of 1853
Résidence Palace, Brussels, Belgium, 17-18 November 2003
In association with CLIMAR-II

In August-September 1853, a Maritime Conference was convened in Brussels by Lt. Matthew Fontaine Maury (US Navy) for the purpose of "establishing a uniform system of meteorological observations at sea, and of concurring in a general plan of observation on the winds and currents of the ocean." This was the first international meteorological conference and led to the establishment, 20 years later, of the International Meteorological Organization, the predecessor of WMO. As such, it was a key milestone in the development of present-day operational meteorology and oceanography.

The year 2003 marks the 150th anniversary of this landmark conference. A special session devoted to a celebration of this anniversary will take place in association with CLIMAR-II. This session will include historical reviews of the 1853 Conference, and of the development of operational marine meteorology and oceanography, leading to JCOMM and the Global Ocean and Climate Observing Systems (GOOS and GCOS). It will conclude with a future vision of operational oceanography and marine meteorology.