Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

2008 AMS Summer Community Meeting2008 AMS Summer Community MeetingThe Intersection of Weather and Climate The Intersection of Weather and Climate

August 11-13, 2008August 11-13, 2008

Rit Carbone, ChairRit Carbone, Chair

Sponsors: NOAA, NASA, EPA, DOT (FHWA), DHS

Process: Five Committee Meetings from January 2007 – February 2008 Broad Information Gathering, including invited presentations

from 40+ invitees Draft Report authored and submitted for external review June,

2008 Committee is responding to reviews and revising the report Public release of report (including prepublication version of

document) late summer/ early fall 2008 Final publication (“glossy”) released by late fall/early winter

2008 Dissemination activities will include an AMS/AM Town Hall

RICHARD E. (RIT) CARBONE (Chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado JAMES BLOCK, DTN/Meteorlogix, Minneapolis, MinnesotaS. EDWARD BOSELLY, Weather Solutions Group, Olympia, WashingtonGREGORY R. CARMICHAEL, University of Iowa, Iowa CityFREDERICK H. CARR, University of Oklahoma, NormanV. (CHANDRA) CHANDRASEKAR, Colorado State University, Fort CollinsEVE GRUNTFEST, University of Colorado, BoulderRAYMOND M. HOFF, University of Maryland Baltimore County, BaltimoreWITOLD F. KRAJEWSKI, University of Iowa, Iowa CityMARGARET A. LEMONE, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, ColoradoJAMES F. W. PURDOM, Colorado State University, Fort CollinsTHOMAS W. SCHLATTER, University of Colorado, BoulderEUGENE S. TAKLE, Iowa State University, AmesJAY TITLOW, Weatherflow, Inc., Poquoson, Virginia

NRC Staff:NRC Staff:CURTIS MARSHALL, Study Director

Develop an overarching vision for an integrated, flexible, adaptive, and multi-purpose mesoscale meteorological observation network

Seek to identify specific steps to help develop a network that meets multiple national needs in a cost-effective manner.

Focus primarily on mesoscale observational requirements over the United States and adjacent coastal zones

Emphasis on characterizing the planetary boundary layer (defined as extending from approximately 2 meters below the surface to 2-3 kilometers above)

Forecasting on time scales up to 48 hours

The study will provide a practical approach, stressing applications and how to design and implement an enhanced atmospheric observation system in a manner that the resulting information significantly improves users' decision-making.

Address the roles to be played by federal, state, and local government and by commercial entities.

In essence, the study will provide a framework and recommendations to engage the full range of weather-sensitive information providers and users in the development of an integrated, multi-purpose mesoscale observation network.

This aspect of the study was the committee’s greatest challenge.This aspect of the study was the committee’s greatest challenge.

Characterize the current stacurrent state of mesoscale atmospheric observations and purposes;

CompareCompare the U.S. mesoscale atmospheric observing system to observing system benchmarksbenchmarks;

Describe desirable attributes desirable attributes of an integrated national mesoscale observing system;

The focus is at a high level, well removed from network design. The focus is at a high level, well removed from network design.

Identify steps to enhance and extend mesoscale meteorological observing capabilities so they meet multiple national needs; and

Recommend practical steps to transform and modernize current, limited mesoscale meteorological observing capabilities to better meet the needs of a broad range of users and improve cost effectiveness.

Weather Prediction and Climate Monitoring

Energy Security

Public Health and Safety

Transportation

Water and Food

Research and Development

A similar approach to the decadal satellite survey.

Literally thousands of organizations including small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, state agencies, local water management and flood districts, urban air quality authorities, agricultural producers and service providers, and recreation providers, have entered the field of mesoscale observation to further particular interests associated with their mission.

These observational assets are clearly market driven and span a wide dynamic range of investment.

Soil-moisture The black dots represent the Oklahoma Mesonet, the green dots, the Illinois State Water Survey network; Yellow is ARM/CART; white dots: AmeriFlux sites; red dots: USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN). Courtesy of Scot Loehrer.

ResolvingResolving Observations that resolve small temporal and

spatial scales of motion and scalar variability.

EnablingEnabling Observations that do not resolve mesoscale

structure but serve to enable mesoscale numerical weather prediction

(e.g. lower troposphere profiles with high vertical resolution)

The report is fairly imaginative, aggressive and a bit lengthy.

For this reason the NRC went to 14 external reviewers

Controversial points helped to stimulate 108 pages of reviewer comments and suggestions.

Most technical aspects are straightforward.

Observing Weather and ClimateFROM THE GROUND UP

A Nationwide Network of Networks

Coming soon !