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2ND DRAFT
In addition to the initial and subsequent reinforcement of the
Sovereign Base Areas, some 22,000 civilians, including 11,700
dependants and 2,750 foreign nationals, were evacuated from the
Island. This is described in detail in Chapter III. The loss
of the major civil ports in Cyprus and the lack of alternative port
facilities has made it necessary to ship all Service sea freight in
Service Landing Ships Logistics (LSL8) discharging directly into the
Sovereign Base Areas.
54.
METEOROLOGY
Meteorological teams took part in a major international experiment (GATE) to study weather systems in the tropical Atlantic.
The hydrographic survey ship, HMS Hecla, and the Hercules aircraft of
the Meteorological Research Flight, with its wide range of
instruments, played an outstanding role in collecting observations.
A small team of meteorologists at Bracknell is collecting,
co-ordinating and analysing the data relevant to the larger-scale
weather systems, and is carrying out numerical calculations to study
the predictability of tropical weather patterns.
55.
Preparations for establishing a European Centre for medium-
range weather forecasts at Bracknell have begun. The Centre, which
is a joint venture with a number of European countries, will
undertake intensive research into the dynamics of the atmosphere
and into techniques of preparing weather forecasts for four to ten
days ahead by numerical methods, and will ultimately issue these
forecasts for use by meteorological services throughout Europe. The
Centre is expected to acquire its own computing facilities in due
course.
56.
Studies are being carried out, on behalf of the Department of
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