A History of the Meteorology of Iran

In 1919, Iran's first agricultural training establishment, the Barzegaran School, was established in the building that had previously been Fath Ali Shah's summer palace. There, a group of French academics taught specialised meteorology classes.

Alongside the school, a meteorology station was set up to research into temperature, humidity and rainfall. This station did not remain in operation for very long, and gradually fell out of existence altogether. However, the Barzegaran School, which in 1929 changed its name to the 'Ali Falahat School, over time became a better-equipped establishment. Also in 1929, the National Economics and Transport Ministry was established, but this establishment also underwent changes. In later years, it was divided up into the Ministries for Agriculture, Commerce, Employment and Art.

One of the Ministry for Agriculture's sub-groups later separated itself and became known as the Independent Irrigation Organisation.

This newly established organisation in actuality was the founder of all meteorological activities in the country. In the Second World War, due to assistance provided by the Allies, several Meteorological Centres were set up in order to assure the safety of Allied flights during that period. From 1941 onwards, the Ministry for Agriculture and the Independent Irrigation Organisation worked towards establishment of a small meteorological unit as well as a network of meteorological stations. In 1947, in the National Aviation Office, another small meteorological unit was established and undertook the responsibility of administering airport station activities.

Gradually it began to carry out meteorological activities in addition to these principal duties. The first group of meteorologists graduated from the 'Ali Falahat School in 1948, and it was they who managed these early airport activities.

In 1950-1951, the Air Force, Office of National Aviation Affairs, and the Independent Irrigation Organisation combined forces to establish the Head Office for Independent Meteorology. On 17 February 1955, these three organisations presented a proposal to the government that this Head Office became associated to the Ministry of Transport. They also proposed that Professor Aqili, of the Technical College of the University of Tehran, be its director.

However, in 1957, before the form al passing of this proposal by the government in 1958, the directorship of the Head Office for Meteorology was in fact given to Professor Ganji, of the University of Tehran.

In 1956, with the financial help of the Ministry for Planning and Budget, a centre responsible for all meteorological activities came into existence. In the same year, one radio-sound station, five pilot balloon stations, 29 synoptic stations, 7 agricultural stations

  were set up. I n total, there were 1 05 stations, seventy-four of which were established by the Office of National Aviation Affairs and the Independent Office for Meteorology. The rest of the stations were established by the Head Office for Meteorology. Due to the establishment of these stations, seven forecasters and forty-two observers were able to start carrying out the independent meteorological activities of two technical studies, with help of the15,000,000 Rials financial credit that they were given.

In the second year after establishment, the number of these meteorological stations had increased, so that there were 8 pilot balloon stations, 31 synoptic stations, 4 pluviometry stations, and 70 climatology stations. At the end of 1958, at the t im e of official sanctioning of the Head Office for Meteorology, the total number of stations had risen to 1 radio-sound, 8 pilot balloon, 33 synoptic, 81 pluviometry and 140 climatology stations. In 1959, Iran's Head Office for Meteorology became the one hundred and thirtieth member of the World Meteorological Organisation, and by 1960, the number of synoptic stations had once again risen to a number of 35. Also in 1960, stations studying the atmosphere around Tehran and Kerman were equipped with radar and other advanced technologies. In 1961, the Forecasting Centre was equipped with facsimile facilities. In 1962, the second radar was set into act ion in Shiraz, followed by the third radar being installed in Mashhad two years later. In 1965, there were 38 synoptic stations, 172 climatology stations, and 147 pluviometry stations.

On 14 October 1965, the head director of all meteorological affairs:

1.     in Iran, Dr Ganji, was given a three-year appointment as director of the Asia sector of the World Meteorological Organisation. In 1968, Dr Ganji resigned from his post as director, and was replaced by Mr Navaiee. In 1975, the Head Office for Meteorology was promoted

2.     to the National Meteorological Organisation, and became part of the Ministry for War. In 1976, Mr Navaiee was app ointed as undersecretary to the first director of the World Meteorological 0rganisation.

3.     In 1980, the National Meteorological Organisation once again.

4.     detached itself from the Ministry for War, and became associated to the Ministry of Roads and Transportation. From that year until 1981, the director of the organisation was changed every few months. However, from 1981 until 1992, directorship was stabilised, and remained in the hands of Dr Ali Mohammad Noorian. From 1992 onwards, he has also been a member of the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organisation.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATUR

The Islamic Republic of Iran lies in the western part of the Iranian plateau about the north of eastern hemisphere and the south-west of Asia. Its neighbours, consist of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the north, which are around the Caspian Sea Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the east, Turkey and Iraq, in the west. The sea frontiers of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea in the south relate this country to the high seas, and southern neighbouring countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E. and Oman.

Iran has an area of about 1,648,195 sq. km. and over half of that is mountainous. She has a population of about 60 million. The country enjoys a variety of climates which are apparently different from each other. The northern part of Iran has a moderate weather with considerable rainfall, especially in the western part of Gilan Province.

The climate of the western parts is cold and humid in cold season, and in summertime dry with moderate temperature. In southern areas, the humidity and temperature are so high. Hot summer and moderate winter are the characteristics of these areas and daily variation of temperature is not significant.

The eastern and south-eastern have desert climate in which there are extreme differences in daily temperature ranges. Such wide climatic variations are the results of the combination of various climatological elements with climatological factors such as latitude, mountain belts and distribution of the land and sea.  

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

New Meteorological activities within three branches of Meteorology, Agrometeorology and Aviation Meteorology emerged since 1919. However, General Office for Meteorology was established in 1958 and began its operation under authority of the Ministry of Roads and Transportation.

 MAIN OBLIGATIONS OF IRIMO

 * Providing Civil Aviation and Air Force with weather information, secure safety in their
    flights and issuing continued forecasts according to the International Civil Aviation
    Organization (ICAO) standards. 

* Furnishing governmental and private enterprises with meteorological data, to be used in

    infrastructural programmes of agricu1lure economy construction and industry.

 * Providing meteorological data and weather forecasts to domestic and International

    shipping as well as transportation services.

* Providing ozone data and chemical components of the atmosphere in response to global
    need.  

* Studying the atmospheric condition and physical status of the sea for oil exploration,
    fishing, port operations and sea currents

 PRINC1PAL OBJECTIVES OF IRIMO

 * Finding the procedures to use meteorological data in structural planning and
     programming of the country.

 

*  Contributing to the WMO and other United Nations specialized agencies research

     Projects.  

* Contributing to the monitoring of greenhouse gases and related problems. 

 * Promoting the professional knowledge of personnel to in crease their scientific and

    technical efficiency  

* Training the personnel on the latest scientific theories and familiarizing them with the
     update products of technology

Modernization and Automation System in IRIMO

1- Message Switching System.

  - Highly available fault resistant system

  - Meteorological data messaging system

2- Integrated Forecast System

  - High Speed Risc Workstation

  - Integrated Meteorological system (SAT, GTS, Radar, AFTV data)

  - Product dissemination

  - End user remote access

3- Numerical modelling and forecasting system

4- Meteorological satellite receivers

  - NOAA

  - METEOSAT

  - GOMS

  - FY2

  - MDD/SADIS

5- Office Automation and workstation networks

  - Object Oriented works flow and MIS

  - Main frame based Data Bank

  - PC  LANs

  - Web Server, e-mail

6- National Communication Wide Area Network

  - VSAT WAN

  - X.25 Gateways

  - Dialap, Leased Line. Telex, Facsimile

  - Tehran RTH

 RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Meteorological and Atmospheric Sciences Center is conducting researches in nine major approaches as follows:

1- National Center for Climatology (Mashhad )

2- Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution Research ( Isfahan)

3- Atmospheric and Oceanographic Center ( Tehran- Bandar Anzali- Bushehr- Chabahar)

4– Agrometeorology Research Center ( Tehran- Shiraz - Hamedan and 16 other cities)

5- Synoptic and Dynamic Meteorology Center ( Tehran)

6- Physical Meteorology and Cloud Seeding Center (Yazd)

7- Hydrometeorological Research Center (Tabriz)

8- Aeronautical Meteorology Research Center (Tehran)

9- Atmospheric Sonding Research Center ( Tehran)

Researchers at the Scientific Centers of IRIMO                                             240

Researchers and University Professors Cooperating with IRIMO                 115

Current Projects in Progress                                                                            231

  

Training Activities 

The training activities in the IRIMO formed since 1948. However, ten years later in 1958 IRIMO established the Higher Meteorological and Atmospheric Sciences Center to fulfil the growing needs to meteorological sciences and operations in the country.

The Center has successfully held many courses in different levels of WMO standards and established joint cooperation with universities.   

During the Tenth Session of regional Association II(Asia) in 1992, in Tehran it was decided to establish Regional Meteorological Training Center (RMTC) in I.R. of Iran and develop meteorological training activities within west of the Asia.

The RMTC  Tehran is the sole international training body on meteorology and atmospheric sciences in Iran which is collaborating with WMO. The Center has conducted some courses in national levels for M.Sc. and short term courses for different participants from all over the world, most especially Asian, South Pacific and African Countries.