David Ian Francis Grimes
(1951-2011)
IPWG Mourns the Passing of David Grimes
Last 22 December our friend and IPWG member Dr. David Grimes left us after a sudden and fatal illness at the age of 60. David was Reader in African Meteorology at the Dept. of Meteorology of the University of Reading, UK. He joined the University in 1990 where he taught and did scientific research ever since.

David was a skilled teacher and he left a considerable footprint both on UK students and on African students who came to train in tropical and satellite meteorology. However, he was internationally known for leading the TAMSAT (Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite data and ground-based observations) group since mid 1990s. TAMSAT is by all means expression of David's attitude towards science. In fact, he was always bound to look for scientific research that showed benefits to people. TAMSAT, with its more than 20 years of data, is one of the most used methods to estimate rainfall over Africa and is an integral part of the daily forecasting activities of the African met services. In this sense, David was indeed a precursor of the applications that nowadays are becoming very much popular for example in hydrology, agriculture and civil protection.

David participated very frequently in training events in Africa where he was well known not only by authorities, but also by students, met service members, and by all those who need meteorology for their daily work. From Ghana to Kenya and on to a number of other places, David ensured his presence with his willingness to discuss and share scientific results and applications. The photo below demonstrates more than words the enthusiasm with which David approached field experiments. Arlene Laing remembers that "such activities were typical of his commitment to sharing his expertise and advancing science in Africa. For the summer school, he brought instruments all the way from Reading and set up a field site to expand the learning experience beyond lectures."


David Grimes at a summer school at KNUST in Ghana, July 2010 (Photo courtesy of Arlene Laing, NCAR).


Those of us who had the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with David can tell stories of a very smart scientist, but also of a passionate human being who cared for others and was very respectful of everybody else's opinions. He will be very much missed by all of us.

Farewell, David!

You can learn more about Dr. Grimes and his activity at the following Web sites:
University of Reading obituary
TAMSAT web site
A recent report on the Horn of Africa drought