Disclaimer

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Please review the following terms before using climatecontour (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Site”).

By using the Site, users acknowledge that they have reviewed this Disclaimer, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

1. Purpose of the Site

The Site provides visualizations, data, analyses, graphics, images, and other information relating to climate, the atmosphere, oceans, and other areas of Earth science.

The Site is intended for:

research;
education; and
general informational purposes.

The Site is not an official service of a government agency, national meteorological service, disaster management authority, or other public authority unless explicitly stated otherwise.

2. Accuracy of Information

We make reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information.

However, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, continuity, reliability, availability, or fitness for a particular purpose of any:

data;
analysis;
chart;
image;
visualization;
explanation; or
other information provided through the Site.

Errors, missing values, delays, inconsistencies, or display problems may arise from:

data acquisition;
data transmission;
format conversion;
analysis;
interpolation;
reprojection;
rendering;
caching; or
other processing procedures.

3. Weather and Emergency Information

Weather, climate, oceanographic, and related information provided through the Site is not a substitute for official information issued by:

the Japan Meteorological Agency;
national meteorological and hydrological services;
government agencies;
local authorities;
disaster management authorities; or
other competent public bodies.

For decisions concerning disasters, evacuation, personal safety, property protection, or emergency response, users must consult the latest official information issued by the relevant authorities in their jurisdiction.

Do not rely exclusively on the Site during emergencies.

4. Professional and Safety-Critical Use

Information on the Site does not constitute professional advice for purposes including:

aviation;
marine navigation;
shipping operations;
road or railway transportation;
agriculture;
construction;
energy operations;
disaster management;
finance;
insurance;
healthcare; or
other safety-critical or economically significant activities.

Users who use information from the Site for such purposes are responsible for independently verifying the information through appropriate official sources, original datasets, and qualified professionals.

5. Forecasts, Climate Projections, and Scientific Analyses

Numerical weather prediction products, reanalysis datasets, climate models, statistical analyses, and other scientific datasets are subject to limitations and uncertainty.

Such limitations may include:

observational uncertainty;
model error;
sampling error;
numerical approximations; and
uncertainty inherent in future projections.

Forecasts, analyses, and projections displayed on the Site do not guarantee that a particular weather event, climate condition, or other outcome will occur.

6. Third-Party Data

The Site may use data provided by:

government agencies;
meteorological organizations;
research institutions;
universities;
international organizations;
private organizations; and
other third parties.

Third-party data remain subject to the terms, licenses, copyright notices, attribution requirements, disclaimers, and other conditions established by the original data provider.

Processing, analysis, visualization, or explanation of third-party data by climatecontour does not imply that the original data provider:

prepared the resulting visualization;
endorses the Site;
approves the analysis;
guarantees the interpretation; or
expresses the same views.

7. Processed and Visualized Data

The Site may perform processing operations on source datasets, including:

unit conversion;
temporal conversion;
spatial transformation;
statistical analysis;
interpolation;
regridding;
averaging;
differencing;
filtering;
image generation; and
other transformations.

As a result, values or visualizations displayed on the Site may not exactly match the values or presentation available directly from the original data provider.

For scientific, academic, operational, or other important uses, users should consult:

the original dataset;
associated metadata;
official documentation; and
relevant peer-reviewed literature.

8. Update Times and Real-Time Information

Even where the Site describes information as “current,” “latest,” “real-time,” “near real-time,” or similar terminology, delays may occur due to:

delays at the original data provider;
network conditions;
processing time;
scheduled updates;
caching; or
technical failures.

Users should verify timestamps, including where relevant:

observation time;
analysis time;
model initialization time;
forecast valid time; and
data publication time.

9. Service Changes and Availability

We may change, suspend, or discontinue all or part of the Site without prior notice due to reasons including:

maintenance;
system failures;
network failures;
server failures;
external API failures;
discontinuation of external data services;
natural disasters; or
other operational reasons.

We may also change the following without prior notice:

datasets;
visualizations;
specifications;
page structure;
URLs; and
other content.

10. External Links

The Site may contain links to websites and services operated by third parties.

We do not control or guarantee the:

content;
availability;
accuracy;
security;
legality; or
privacy practices

of third-party websites or services.

Users should review the applicable terms and privacy policies of external services before using them.

11. Copyright and Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, copyright and other intellectual property rights in content independently created by climatecontour, including original:

text;
design elements;
charts;
graphics;
images;
software; and
other materials

belong to the Site operator or the relevant lawful rights holder.

Data, maps, images, text, trademarks, logos, and other materials provided by third parties remain the property of their respective rights holders.

Before using, reproducing, redistributing, or modifying third-party data, users must review and comply with the terms and licenses of the original data provider.

12. Research and Educational Use

When information from the Site is used in:

academic research;
education;
journal articles;
theses;
reports;
conference presentations; or
other scholarly work,

users should, wherever practicable, consult and cite the original data provider and relevant primary literature rather than citing only climatecontour.

Where the Site publishes citation instructions or licenses for original analyses, figures, or visualizations, users should follow those instructions.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Site operator shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or similar losses arising from or relating to the use of, or inability to use, the Site or information provided through the Site.

This may include, where permitted by law:

loss of data;
loss of profits;
business interruption;
operational loss; and
other consequential damages.

Nothing in this Disclaimer excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability arising from intentional misconduct or gross negligence where applicable.

Where mandatory consumer protection laws or other mandatory laws of a user’s jurisdiction prohibit any exclusion or limitation contained in this Disclaimer, the relevant mandatory law shall prevail to the extent of the conflict.

14. User Responsibility

Users are responsible for determining whether information provided through the Site is appropriate for their intended purpose.

Where the information may affect an important decision, users should verify the information independently using:

original datasets;
official information;
authoritative sources; and
other appropriate independent sources.

15. Changes to This Disclaimer

We may revise this Disclaimer in response to changes in:

applicable law;
Site functionality;
services;
datasets; or
operational practices.

Unless otherwise required by law, the revised Disclaimer will take effect when published on the Site.

16. Governing Law

Except where mandatory laws or consumer protection rules in a user’s jurisdiction provide otherwise, this Disclaimer and matters relating to the use of the Site shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan.

Any dispute shall be resolved before a court having jurisdiction under applicable law.

Nothing in this section deprives users of protections that cannot lawfully be waived under the laws applicable to them.

17. Language

This Disclaimer may be made available in Japanese, English, and other languages.

Each language version is intended to reflect substantially the same content.

Unless mandatory law requires otherwise, if there is any inconsistency between language versions, the Japanese version shall prevail.

Effective date: October 6, 2026
Last updated: October 6, 2026