Malin Head station to become automated this year

Su Campu

More sad new today on the Six One News as the Malin Head station will becom fully automated later this year, with the 6 full time employees being relocated elsewhere. Sad news, with yet another important station being demoted into automation and the problems that brings - lack of proper weather observations for one. We've already seen Kilkenny, Rosslare, Birr, Mullingar, Claremorris all go the same way, where will be next - Valentia? You just can't beat human observations.....was that recent precipitation rain or sleet or snow or hail? We see many reports of UP (Unidentified Precipitation) from some of the current stations as it is, now another. What about cloud identification for synoptic reports?

Things are going the wrong way... :mad:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0217/6news_av.html

Danno

Wholeheartedly agree with everything you said Su Campu. It is a crying shame.

Danno

Danno wrote: »

Wholeheartedly agree with everything you said Su Campu. It is a crying shame.

+1

Too many things are going automated these days.

octo

Su Campu wrote: »

More sad new today on the Six One News as the Malin Head station will becom fully automated later this year, with the 6 full time employees being relocated elsewhere. Sad news, with yet another important station being demoted into automation and the problems that brings - lack of proper weather observations for one. We've already seen Kilkenny, Rosslare, Birr, Mullingar, Claremorris all go the same way, where will be next - Valentia? You just can't beat human observations.....was that recent precipitation rain or sleet or snow or hail? We see many reports of UP (Unidentified Precipitation) from some of the current stations as it is, now another. What about cloud identification for synoptic reports?

Things are going the wrong way... :mad:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0217/6news_av.html

I agree, but still. It takes 6 people to run a 24/7/365 station. That's 6 wages. Hard to justify in the current political/economic, anti-publicservice "climate". Apart from the airports now there's just Valentia and Belmullet, and I'll bet they're not too far from being automated either.

Deep Easterly

octo wrote: »

I agree, but still. It takes 6 people to run a 24/7/365 station. That's 6 wages. Hard to justify in the current political/economic, anti-publicservice "climate". Apart from the airports now there's just Valentia and Belmullet, and I'll bet they're not too far from being automated either.

If they are being relocated, won't that still be 6 wages? and 6 wages without the human observations at Malin Head?

I agree with comments above, sad news, but sign of the times we are in.

octo

Deep Easterly wrote: »

If they are being relocated, won't that still be 6 wages? and 6 wages without the human observations at Malin Head?

Big staff reductions recently in ME, there's a recruitment embargo so retirements aren't being replaced. They're mainly being relocated into HQ to fill these gaps.

John mac

Do they use a Video feed?