The National Weather Service () is an Argentine

government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

under the Ministry of Defense that is tasked with observing, understanding, and predicting the weather and climate in Argentina and its surrounding waters. It provides weather forecasts, radar images, ozone, temperature and rainfall graphs, and satellite images. The purpose of these tasks is to contribute to protection of its inhabitants, sustainable economic development and to provide representation of Argentina to international meteorological organizations. Founded on 4 October 1872 by Federal law Nº559 during the presidency of

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the '' Generation of 1837'', who had a great influence on 19th-century Argent ...

, the organisation was the first meteorological organisation in South America and the third one in the world, after Hungary and the United States which were created in 1870 and 1871 respectively. It became a member of the

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology an ...

on 2 January 1951. Throughout its history, the organisation was dependent under different government ministries until in 2007 when it is currently under the Ministry of Defense.

History

The organisation was founded on 4 October 1872 by Federal law Nº559 during the presidency of

under the name () or OMA for short with Dr. Benjamin Apthorp Gould as its first director. This made it the first meteorological organisation in South America and the third one in the world, after Hungary and the United States which were created in 1870 and 1871 respectively. The OMA was under the Ministry of Justice, Cult and Public Instruction (). The first national network of meteorological stations and geomagnetic observations was established in 1873. Later on that year from 2 September to 16 September, the OMA attended the International Meteorological Congress in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. The International Meteorological Congress in 1873 agreed for the establishment of the

International Meteorological Organization The International Meteorological Organization (IMO; 1873–1951) was the first organization formed with the purpose of exchanging weather information among the countries of the world. It came into existence from the realization that weather systems ...

. The first solar radiation observations were made in 1874 in Córdoba. In 1875, Argentina made the first international exchange of meteorological data with neighbouring Chile. In 1898, Federal law Nº3727 was passed by the

Argentine National Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...

which transferred the OMA to Ministry of Agriculture (). In June 1924, the OMA was renamed to () until September 1927 when it was changed to (). Law Nº12252 was passed on 28 September 1935 kept the organisation still under the agriculture ministry but it was renamed to (). The current name of the organization, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) was created on 5 May 1945 when Decree Nº10131 was passed, placing SMN under the Secretary of Aeronautics (). This was later reinforced by law when the Argentine Congress passed Law Nº12945 on 29 January 1947 that officially established the name and creation of it. On 9 March 1950, SMN was transferred to the Ministerio de Asuntos Técnicos de la Nación according to Decree Nº5197 until in 22 June 1954 when Decree Nº12248 reverted SMN to being back under the Ministry of Agriculture, under the new name (). SMN became a member of the

on 2 January 1951. From 7 May 1957 until October 1966, SMN was under the Ministry of Aeronuatics (). Later on, during the coup by Juan Carlos Onganía, SMN was directly under the

Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...

for 40 years until 1 January 2007 when Decree Nº1689 finally transferred it back into civilian hands. Finally, Decree Nº1432 in 2007 made the organisation a decentralised one that was under the Ministry of Defense, giving it the ability to have its own control over its finances, its own legal status, and ability to act in both the private and public fields.

List of directors

Weather stations

Currently, SMN has 125 weather stations that extended across both Argentina and Antarctica. They also include a network of observatories that measure atmospheric parameters in addition to the meteorological parameters such as ultraviolet radiation, solar radiation, and ozone levels. The first weather station in Antarctica was in 1904 when an observatory that both measured meteorological and geomagnetic parameters was open on

Orcadas Base Base Orcadas is an Argentina, Argentine scientific station in Antarctica, and the oldest of the stations in Antarctica still in operation. It is located on Laurie Island, one of the South Orkney Islands (), at above sea level and from the coastl ...

Laurie Island Laurie Island is the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and by the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory. Under the Antarctic Treaty System a ...

in the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic PeninsulaCarlini Base,

San Martín Base San Martín Base () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General José de San Martín, the Libertador of Argentina, Chile and Peru. It is located on Barry Island, Marguerite Bay, Anta ...

, Belgrano II Base,

Esperanza Base Esperanza Base (, 'Hope Base') is a permanent, all-year-round Argentine research station in Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula (in Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula). It is the only civilian settlement on the Antarctic mainland (the Chilean Vil ...

Marambio Base Marambio Station () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctica station named after Vice-Commodore , an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some from the coastal civilian vil ...

, and

Prevenir project and how AI is part of it

The Prevenir project in Argentina, a collaborative effort between Argentine and Japanese entities, utilizes AI and other methodologies to develop an early warning system for urban floods. Focused initially on vulnerable areas in Buenos Aires and Córdoba, it pioneers advanced forecasting techniques in the region. Led by researchers like Juan Jose Ruiz, Prevenir's approach resembles Google's tool on a smaller scale, with a focus on precipitation dynamics. Despite less extensive data availability compared to international counterparts, Argentine models leverage radar-provided information for future precipitation system predictions. Apart from enhancing flood forecasts and alerts, Prevenir aims to expand observation networks and raise public awareness about risk prevention. Leveraging high-performance supercomputers like Clementina XXI and Fugaku, the project marks a significant step towards more effective disaster management in Argentina and potentially worldwide.

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre

There are 9 Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC for short) around the world that are responsible for monitoring

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, produced during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to r ...

to provide critical information and maintain aviation safety. SMN is responsible for the Buenos Aires VAAC, which covers all areas from longitudes 90oW to 10^oW and latitudes 10^oS to 90^oS. VAACs are designated regional meteorological centres that are tasked with observing the movement of volcanic ash into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions. The functions and responsibilities of the Buenos Aires VAAC are listed below: * Examine data from

geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...

and

polar orbit A polar orbit is one in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the body being orbited (usually a planet such as the Earth, but possibly another body such as the Moon or Sun) on each revolution. It has an inclination of abo ...

satellites to detect the existence and extent of any volcanic ash in the atmosphere. * Create computer simulations to model the trajectory of volcanic ash to predict the movement of ash clouds when the volcanic ash has been detected. * Issue advisory information with respect to the extent and forecasted movement of volcanic ash clouds to Meteorological Watch Offices (MWO), Area control centres, and

Flight information service A flight information service (FIS) is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region (FIR), as agreed internationally by ICAO. It is defined as information pertinent to the safe and efficient c ...

centres that are service

Flight information region In aviation, a flight information region (FIR) is a specified region of airspace in which a flight information service, an alerting service (ALRS), and an area control centre are provided. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) dele ...

s affected by the volcanic ash. * Issue advisory information with respect to the extent and forecasted movement of volcanic ash clouds to other VAACs under their areas that they cover. * Issue advisory information with respect to the extent and forecasted movement of volcanic ash clouds to World Area Forecast Centres (WAFC), the relevant regional forecast centres, and international data banks OPMET. * Issue advisory information to meteorological offices, area control centres, flight information regions, and other VAACs when necessary every 6 hours at a minimum until no more volcanic ash clouds can be detected based on satellite data or when no more new notices about volcanic eruptions or when the VAAC does not receive any more new information regarding volcanic ash clouds in the area.

References

External links

*
Repositorio Institucional

World Meteorological Organization
{{authority control Government agencies of Argentina Climate of Argentina Governmental meteorological agencies in South America Government agencies established in 1872