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Millions of sub-daily sea-level pressure observations taken between 1919-1960 over the\ud British and Irish Isles were transcribed from paper records in the early 2000s but were not\ud published and subsequently forgotten. A chance discussion led to the rediscovery of the\ud transcribed data and 5.47 million observations from 160 locations are now made available,\ud although the data have not been fully quality-controlled. Much of the data are 3-hourly,\ud allowing for detailed examinations of synoptic weather variations for this region and time\ud period, and will be invaluable for constraining future reanalyses. We illustrate the value of\ud the data using a stormy period during October and November 1928 and discuss the remaining\ud quality-control issues.

Observations are the foundation for understanding the climate system. Yet, currently available land meteorological data are highly fractured into various global, regional and national holdings for different variables and timescales, from a variety of sources, and in a mixture of formats. Added to this, many data are still inaccessible for analysis and usage. To meet modern scientific and societal demands as well as emerging needs such as the provision of climate services, it is essential that we improve the management and curation of available land-based meteorological holdings. We need a comprehensive global set of data holdings, of known provenance, that is truly integrated both across Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) and across timescales to meet the broad range of stakeholder needs. These holdings must be easily discoverable, made available in accessible formats, and backed up by multi-tiered user support. The present paper provides a high level overview, based upon broad community input, of the steps that are required to bring about this integration. The significant challenge is to find a sustained means to realize this vision. This requires a long-term international program. The database that results will transform our collective ability to provide societally relevant research, analysis and predictions in many weather and climate related application areas across much of the globe.