In this issue of Weather

Abstract

The effects of volcanoes and anthropogenic pollution are features of this month's issue, which begins with Maria Athanassiadou's fascinating report on a developing ability to use satellite data to track sulphur dioxide plumes emitted from volcanoes in ‘The Mt Etna SO2 eruption in December 2015 – the view from space’ on p. 273. Last year, the gas from one eruption in a relatively active period for Europe's most active volcano was followed around the world.A seasonal look at fog formation appears on p. 279 in ‘Fog analysis at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport’ by E. Tuncay Özdemir, Ali Deniz, İsmail Sezen, Ş. Sibel Menteş and Veli Yavuz. This paper is a useful reminder of the factors that affect the development of fog, as well as its effects on transport.The 5th of November is a significant festival in the UK – not least in terms of its meteorological effects, which are examined on p. 288 by R J Pope, A M Marshall and B O'Kane in ‘Observing UK Bonfire Night pollution from space: analysis of atmospheric aerosol’. Sometimes, the pollution exceeds safe limits in the major population centres of Britain.On p. 291, there's a particular highlight for all interested in the relationship between science and the arts, as well as the history of art in the way it has responded to environmental change. Hisami Nakamura and Julyan Cartwright begin a short series of papers explaining the difference in perception of snowflakes in the East and the West; our development of knowledge about their form; as well as the effect snow and ice have had on literature in ‘De nive sexangula – A history of ice and snow – part 1’.One probable effect of a changing climate is examined using historical records in ‘Heavy snowfall in southern Finland in May is extraordinary nowadays – but was it more common a hundred years ago?’ by Ilkka Juga on p. 294.Finally, on p. 299 we have a short piece by Bob Riddaway outlining the establishment of competency frameworks, reminding all meteorologists – world‐wide – of the need to be fully trained, qualified and assessed for the tasks they undertake, in particular for aviation, shipping and the public weather service, soon also to be extended to climate services and observing.