This review paper summarizes current knowledge available for aviation operations related to meteorology and provides suggestions for necessary improvements in the measurement and prediction of weather-related parameters, new physical methods for numerical weather predictions (NWP), and next-generation integrated systems. Severe weather can disrupt aviation operations on the ground or in-flight. The most important parameters related to aviation meteorology are wind and turbulence, fog visibility (Vis) and ceiling, rain and snow amount and rates, icing, ice microphysical parameters, convection and precipitation intensity, microbursts, hail, and lightning. Measurements of these parameters are also functions of sensor response times and measurement thresholds in extreme weather conditions. In addition to these, airport environments can play an important role leading to intensification of extreme weather conditions or high impact weather events, e.g., anthropogenic ice fog. To observe meteorological parameters, new remote sensing platforms, namely wind LIDAR, sodars, radars, and geostationary satellites, and in-situ observations at the surface and in the cloud, as well as aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) mounted sensors, are becoming more common. Because of prediction issues at smaller time and space scales (e.g., <1 km), meteorological forecasts from NWP models need to be continuously improved. Aviation weather forecasts also need to be developed to provide information that represents both deterministic and statistical approaches. In this review, we present available resources and issues for aviation meteorology and evaluate them for required improvements related to measurements, nowcasting, forecasting, and climate change, and emphasize future challenges.

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Clinical and pathologic findings are described in 14 patients whose main abnormality was an excessively thin glomerular basement membrane (GBM). The subjects were aged 11–51 years, the majority males: most were referred because of hematuria, but proteinuria was the main problem in 2, while hypertension or renal functional impairment was found in several, and 1 was in end-stage renal failure. A history of apparently similar renal symptoms was obtained in another 3 family members. In addition to GBM abnormalities, renal biopsy features included a slight mesangial matrix increase, occasional mesangial cell excess and often appreciable pedicel effacement. There were scanty electron-dense deposits. The mean thickness of the GBM varied from 206 to 301 nm, whereas in IgA nephropathy patients used as controls it was 356-464 nm. It is concluded that some of the lesions in adults are ‘benign’, and some progressive. ‘Thin membrane nephropathy’ is comparatively common among patients seen by the authors, and it is suggested that awareness of this condition will result more often in its recognition.