Met Office

FitzRoy Road
Exeter
Devon EX1 3PB
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1392 885319
Email: sam.hyde@metoffice.gov.uk
Web: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/industry/mining

Primary Contact

Secondary Contact

Company Profile

Met Office expert weather and climate advice makes a difference to mining environmental impacts and contributes to improving social responsibility and investments in the sector. We offer immediate and long term support to your planning, operational and mine closure activities.

Weather affects mining operations, health & safety and the profitability of this sector. The Met Office offers solutions with a global coverage – recognised by industry leaders. Major mining companies are showing the way by commissioning substantial feasibility environmental studies. Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability programmes and policies are beginning to address the increasingly complex issues that mining presents in remote and environmentally sensitive areas. As weather and climate experts, we are in the perfect position to help the mining industry address these environmental concerns and obligations.

Exploration Studies

We have developed a capability to produce or validate past climate data for anywhere in the world. This data is scientifically proven and robust. It fills the huge knowledge gaps due to insufficient weather data in remote areas. Such data sets can also be modified with modelled climate change statistics, to produce future time series. This data is essential to understanding the existing environmental picture, and for running hydrological and ecological models.

Environment and Feasibility Studies

Weather data used in hydrology and ecology modelling provides an increased level of knowledge of the environment before extraction commences. Our experts understand and interpret mine-induced topographical variances caused by changes in weather. This work enables mine engineers and operators to demonstrate ’best environmental practice’, satisfying international regulators and demonstrating corporate and social responsible practices.

Operational services

The Met Office provides weather forecasts worldwide, round the clock. In many sectors, including mining, we provide bespoke traffic light warning services to alert you of severe weather events. Weather can stop opencast mining operations. In extreme cases, accidents and loss of life occurs due to excessive rainfall causing landslides and floods, but also as a result of environmental pollution.

Post-mining and Restoration Services

Following mine closure we can use our unique understanding of climate change and its impacts to identify frequency and severity of weather events which would influence the development of your environmental restoration programmes.

What about Climate Change?

Our climate models simulate weather systems on a global scale. We can supply this information to produce vegetation impact maps which are then used to assess the effect of future mining on flora and fauna. Mining designs can also be climate ‘proofed’ over 20–50 years so that ponds, tailings and support infrastructure are specified to account for these changes and meet budgets.