Commemmoration of Dr.Joe Sela

Dr.Joe Sela is remembered with gratitude and warm regards for his substantial assistance to India , particularly to the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), in its efforts to establish it's first practically useful medium range weather forecast system.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and NMC started collaboration in 1984-85 under the Science and Technology Initiative. A number of scientists visited NCEP during that period. Among them was Dr.B.K.Basu who visited NCEP in 1985 for familiarizing with the R40L18 spectral model and was associated with Dr.Sela. This was the first exposure of IMD scientists to Global Spectral Modelling. Dr.Sela took every efforts to train Dr.Basu.

This training that Dr.Basu received was one of the critical resources for the establishment of NCMRWF in 1988 and NCMRWF's successful implementation of an end to end forecast assimilation system based on the T80L18 model. This forecast system yielded forecasts of a usable quality and a location specific forecast system for the agriculture in India was developed based on these medium range weather forecasts, for the first time in India.

In 1992 some of the scientists from NCMRWF visited NCEP and Dr.Sela again imparted valuable training to them.

We at NCMRWF remember Dr.Sela with the warmest regards for his contributions to the field of numerical weather forecasting and particularly for his substantial contribution to the establishment of the first operational medium range weather forecast system in India.

We also wish to convey our condolences and also our warm feelings towards Dr.Sela, to his near and dear.