Early Career Scientists’ (ECS) Contributions to Meteorology (2026)

Dear Colleagues,

In 2022, we launched a Special Issue (SI) to provide an opportunity for early career scientists in Meteorology to share their valuable results with the scientific community. Following the success of this initiative, we launched annual editions from 2023 to 2025. These Special Issues have consistently attracted young scientists and yielded numerous high-quality publications. Building on this success, we are now excited to announce the 2026 edition of this Special Issue.

As with the previous editions, manuscripts on all meteorological topics can be submitted. Examples of exciting subjects that could be addressed in this SI include the following:

• Key challenges in weather modeling, including data assimilation, parameterization optimization, model calibration, and ensemble forecasting across scales.
• Artificial intelligence in Meteorology, including machine learning and deep learning approaches, hybrid physical–data-driven models, and applications to extreme event prediction and uncertainty quantification.
• Numerical weather prediction in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere, with emphasis on predictability and high-resolution modeling.
• Emerging observing technologies, including weather drones (UAVs) and distributed atmospheric sensing systems.
• Remote sensing innovations, covering cloud microphysics, satellite wind observations, multi-sensor fusion, and AI-assisted retrievals.
• Urban weather and local forecasting, including urban heat islands, urban digital twins, and nowcasting tools for low-altitude airspace operations.
• Next-generation computing for Meteorology, including scalable HPC workflows and data-intensive forecasting systems.

This Special Issue will publish original research articles and reviews where the first author is an early career scientist (a student, a PhD candidate, or a practicing scientist who received their highest certificate within the past 5 years). We will provide additional discounts on the APC (article processing charges) upon request, as well as additional guidance on how to address reviewers’ comments. The publication process will be as transparent and efficient as possible, and submissions will be assessed by at least two referees, as rigorously as any other paper submitted to Meteorology.

Dr. Edoardo Bucchignani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Meteorology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.