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90th Annual Meeting Town Hall Meetings
Town Hall Meeting: Data Stewardship
Monday, 18 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
This Town Hall Meeting will discuss the prospectus that has been developed by the AMS Ad Hoc Committee on Data Stewardship. The Data Stewardship Prospectus discusses AMS’s possible role in data stewardship and it includes statements of need and an overarching recommendation to form a standing Data Stewardship Committee under the Scientific and Technological Activities Commission. This meeting will provide a forum for gathering additional feedback from the AMS membership on the prospectus, the scope of activities to be undertaken by the standing committee, and the views of the members with regard to AMS’s role in data stewardship.
For additional information, please contact Mohan Ramamurthy (e-mail: mohan@ucar.edu).
Town Hall Meeting: Refreshing Our Ocean Research Priorities
Monday, 18 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
The U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) advises the administration on national issues of ocean science and technology. In 2007, JSOST wrote “Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy (Charting the Course).” JSOST developed the unique document in conjunction with its federal partners and the broad ocean science community including academia, industry, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
JSOST and its member agencies have spent the intervening years working on the implementation of the four near-term priorities (NTPs) presented in Charting the Course: 1) forecasting the response of coastal ecosystems to persistent forcing and extreme events, 2) comparative analysis of marine ecosystem organization, 3) sensors for marine ecosystems, and 4) assessing meridional overturning circulation variability—implications for rapid climate change. Implementation activities have included using Charting the Course as a point of departure for commissioning a study by the National Research Council on the types of U.S. ocean infrastructure that will facilitate research in 2030.
In the years since Charting the Course was released, much has changed in our understanding of the ocean, its processes and its role in the Earth system as a whole. Much has also changed in our ability to access, explore, observe, and model the ocean and its communities. In light of these changes, JSOST has begun the process of refreshing the priorities in Charting the Course. During the summer of 2009, public comments were solicited through a “dear colleague letter” and a Federal Register notice. This Town Hall Meeting will give members of the ocean science and technology community an opportunity to provide input into the refresh process and to discuss progress made to date with the chairs of JSOST.
For additional information, please contact Lara Hutto (e-mail: lhutto@nsf.gov) or Polly Holmberg (e-mail: polly.e.holmberg@noaa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: Weather and Climate Priorities of the New Administration, the 111th Congress, and the Atmospheric Sciences Community: Convergence?
Monday, 18 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
In a speech to members of the National Academy of Sciences last April, President Obama announced new initiatives and investments in scientific research, innovation, and education, and declared that the new administration would restore science to its “rightful place.” Since then, the president has made key leadership appointments; a climate change bill has passed the House and is now being debated in the Senate; the fiscal year 2010 budget requests for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science are on a doubling track; and both the House and Senate have provided the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with substantial increases.
This Town Hall Meeting, sponsored by the Weather Coalition, will focus on issues of importance to our community that have received attention this year from the Executive Branch and the Congress. Have our priorities indeed converged in some areas with those of the country’s leaders? Are we making progress? How effectively have we seized any momentum and advocated for our priorities? How may we advance our cause during the latter half of the 111th Congress? Issues and legislation to be discussed will include the establishment of a national hurricane research initiative, enhancement of observing systems (a “network of networks”), and the community’s involvement with the creation and implementation of a National Climate Service. Please join us to lend your voice to this informative community discussion.
The Weather Coalition is an advocacy group of members from industry, academia, and scientific and professional associations (information online at www.weathercoalition.org).
For more information, please contact Laura Curtis (e-mail: lcurtis@ucar.edu).
Town Hall Meeting: Harnessing the Expertise of All Sectors to Overcome the Atmospheric and Oceanographic Challenges of Renewable Energy
Monday, 18 January, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Much of the world's current renewable energy comes from wind and solar sources, with rapid expansion of both expected in the next few years. Hydrokinetic technologies (which aim to use the energy of wave, tides, and currents) are in early stages of development; a small number of prototypes and demonstrations units have been tested. In order for energy companies to make full use of these renewable, carbon-free sources of energy, they need to know when this energy will be available. Immediate unmet needs of the renewable energy community include improved forecasts on the 0–6-hour time scale, improved parameterizations of the boundary layer, better measurements such as winds at turbine heights and direct solar beam, and tailored forecasts from the private sector. The integration of wind and solar energy into the electric grid, and demands for transmission and storage, will require very accurate wind and cloud forecasts. On longer time scales, interannual and decadal climate variability and change—both natural and anthropogenic—will affect each of these renewable resources. Research is needed to determine the inadvertent effects of removing large amounts of energy from the atmosphere and oceans on the environment, weather, and climate of varying temporal and spatial scales. The successful transition toward more renewable energy usage lies in the fields of atmospheric and oceanographic science. Fortunately, the community is well poised to address these important issues and the benefits of these efforts will have strong positive impacts on many other weather- and climate-dependent communities including aviation, transportation, and human health.
This Town Hall Meeting will build from the AMS Summer Meeting and the efforts of the Commission on the Weather and Climate Enterprise to help identify appropriate roles for private industry, academia, and government. We will discuss the meteorological challenges that must be surmounted before large quantities of renewable energy can be integrated into the nation’s electric grid. Effective collaboration among federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector is essential for harnessing the range of expertise needed to overcome these obstacles. The Commission is forming a committee to continue to address this growing area, and solicits broad community input.
For additional information, please contact Joe Friday (e-mail: jfriday99@yahoo.com).
Town Hall Meeting: Ad Hoc Committee on Uncertainty in Forecasts (ACUF) Update
Tuesday, 19 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
Uncertainty is a fundamental characteristic of fluid system prediction including weather, climate, and hydrological forecasts. According to the National Research Council (NRC) report Completing the Forecast: Characterizing and Communicating Uncertainty for Better Decisions Using Weather and Climate Forecasts, “effective communication of uncertainty information in hydrometeorological forecasts benefits users' decisions.” Although there are notable exceptions, many current forecast products are based on a single deterministic prediction with no accompanying forecast uncertainty information. Consequently, decisions by users at all levels are generated largely without the benefit of knowing and accounting for the inherent uncertainties of the forecast upon which they rely.
The purpose of this Town Hall Meeting is to present the draft implementation plan of the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Commission on the Weather and Climate Enterprise (CWCE) Ad Hoc Committee on Uncertainty in Forecasts (ACUF) and stimulate thought and discussion as it moves into the final months of completing its deliverables. This committee has a great opportunity to propose a Weather and Climate Enterprise–wide foundation for developing, producing, and providing new forecast uncertainty products and services that will benefit the nation. The committee’s work also has the ability to create a way forward for forecast uncertainty, as an opportunity to establish a paradigm of mutually beneficial roles and responsibilities for enterprise partners to plan and execute other initiatives and endeavors as recommended in the National Research Council’s 2003 report Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Forecasts.
For additional information, please contact: Paul Hirschberg (tel: 301-713-1400 x 187; e-mail: paul.hirschberg@noaa.gov), Elliot Abrams (tel: 814-237-5803; e-mail: elliotabrams@gmail.com), or Andrea Bleistein (tel: 301-713-0612 x 163; e-mail: andrea.bleistein@noaa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: The Congressional Science Fellowship: Bringing
Science to Congress
Tuesday, 19 January, 12:15–1:15 P.M.
This Town Hall will describe the AMS-UCAR-AAAS Congressional
Science Fellowship. Participants will learn about engaging with
Congress and hear about the experiences of current and former fellows.
Fellows spend one year shaping policy in the office of a United States
senator, representative, or congressional committee. Fellows will also
describe the application process and answer your questions about
working in the Federal policy process.
For additional information, please contact Paul Higgins (e-mail:phiggins@ametsoc.org).
Town Hall Meeting: A Discussion of the AMS Policy Statement on the B.S. Degree
Tuesday, 19 January, 12:15–1:15 P.M.
This Town Hall Meeting solicits input to inform the upcoming revision to the AMS Policy Statement on the Bachelor’s Degree in the Atmospheric Science. The primary purpose of this Policy Statement is to provide guidance to university faculty and administrators who are seeking to establish and maintain undergraduate programs in atmospheric science. It describes the minimum curricular composition, faculty size, and facility requirements recommended by the AMS for an undergraduate degree program in atmospheric science.
Representatives of the committee charged by the AMS Council with revising the policy statement will be present to describe their process and invite audience input. This Town Hall Meeting will follow a panel discussion, hosted by the Education and Policy Symposia, entitled “Preparing the Next Generation to Meet New Demands on Science and Services,” which will discuss many of the issues that influence the policy statement.
For additional information, please contact David Smith (e-mail: drsmith@usna.edu), Sheldon Drobot (e-mail: drobot@uca.edu), or Raj Pandya (e-mail: pandya@ucar.edu).
Town Hall Meeting: NOAA Research to Operations—A Status Report
Tuesday, 19 January, 12:15–1:15 P.M.
During 2009, NOAA was very active in preparing to continue
important Earth observations first pioneered by NASA. NASA provides
many satellite observations being used routinely by NOAA. These NASA
observations will eventually end. Without a reliable replacement,
NOAA’s operational services will suffer. This Town Hall will provide a
status report on NOAA’s overall planning activity and specific updates
on NOAA’s planning for a variety of NASA missions. A forum will be
provided for interested parties to share their views on NOAA’s planning
process.
For additional information, please contact David Hermreck (e-mail:David.Hermreck@noaa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: NASA Earth Science Division
Tuesday, 19 January, 6:00–7:00 P.M.
This Town Hall session will provide an opportunity for the earth
science community to interact with members of the leadership team and
staff of the Earth Science Division (ESD) of NASA’s Science Mission
Directorate. Brief presentations by the ESD leadership will precede a
longer opportunity for audience questions. Topics to be addressed in
the Town Hall session include scientific accomplishments and
programmatic milestones from the past year, current programmatic
directions, and NASA’s progress towards implementing foundational
missions and those identified by the National Research Council’s 2007
Decadal Survey for Earth Science, “Earth Science and Applications from
Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond.”
For additional information, please contact Jack A. Kaye (e-mail:
Jack.A.Kaye@nasa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: Opportunities for Improved Gridded Precipitation Analyses for Hydrologic Applications
Tuesday, 19 January, 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Construction of precipitation analyses of refined quality is a crucial and indispensable component of improving hydrological and hydrometeorological monitoring, analysis, and forecasting. A successful effort to improve the land precipitation analyses requires effective collaborations between the analysis developers and potential users in hydrology and other fields and needs to be organized in concert with associated hydrological–hydrometeorological projects.
Accordingly, this Town Hall Meeting is a first step toward reaching out to the hydrology communities to discuss issues and seek feedback on the potential problems and future requirements for hydrological applications.
Topics to be discussed at the meeting include the requirements for gridded precipitation analyses; existing gridded analyses; ensemble versus single-value precipitation analyses; organizational plans/possibilities for future gridded analyses; science, data, and applications issues; and the potential for future collaboration.
For additional information, please contact John Schaake (tel: 410-320-4838; e-mail: jcschaake@comcast.net).
Town Hall Meeting: NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan
Wednesday, 20 January, 7:00–8:15 a.m.
NOAA is reassessing its mission, vision and goals through the
development of a Next Generation Strategic Plan which will be published
in the Spring of 2010. At this town hall NOAA representatives will
present the initial draft of a long-term strategy. Participants will
have the opportunity to respond to the draft strategic goals prior to a
more formal public commenting period. They will also have the
opportunity to provide comment on how NOAA should execute the plan over
the next 5 years. This initiative supports NOAA’s role in helping to
understand and predict changes in Earth's environment and conserve and
manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic,
social, and environmental needs.
For additional information, please contact Laura Furgione (e-mail:
laura.furgione@noaa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: Severe Weather Impacts on Clinics, Hospitals, and Other Medical Facilities
Wednesday, 20 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
Much attention has been given to the capacity of medical facilities to handle major bio- or radiological terror attacks or pandemic viral outbreaks. It is certainly important to be prepared for these rare, but potentially very major, events. However, almost no attention has been given to the preparedness of medical facilities for severe weather events that are usually not major (unless you are the affected facility), nor as widespread, but which are much more frequent. It is difficult to find a day in the United States during which at least one medical facility has not been affected by a weather event, even if it is only the loss of power in a severe thunderstorm.
At this Town Hall Meeting, hospital and clinical staff leaders will discuss their harrowing experiences prior to, during, and after their facilities were struck by a natural disaster such as a tornado, a hurricane, major flooding, or a wildfire. This meeting will include a discussion of how these staff members used, when they used, or why they did not use weather information to prepare for the event. In most cases, these staff personel made very little or no use of available weather, hydrological, or smoke plume forecasts. The role of private weather companies in assisting hospitals in their interpretation and use of weather information and the inclusion of such information in their hospitals’ emergency plans will be addressed. Finally, a summary of the results of an AMS Policy Forum on Rising above the Weather, which was held in April 2009 and which included discussion of many of these issues as well as an outline of a way forward to address them, will be presented. We hope that the audience will bring forward additional ideas on ways to assist medical facilities with the use and interpretation of weather information and, hence, improve their preparedness and decrease their risk during severe weather events.
For additional information, please contact John Gaynor (e-mail: John.Gaynor@noaa.gov) or Margaret Fowke (e-mail: Margaret.Fowke@noaa.gov).
Town Hall Meeting: A Nationwide Network of Networks—An Update and Challenges for the Future
Wednesday, 20 January, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
Members of the AMS Ad Hoc Committee on a Nationwide Network of Networks will discuss progress toward implementing the recommendations of the NRC’s report on Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up: A Nationwide Network of Networks, in advance of the forthcoming Summit of Stakeholders. Audience members will be asked to join in the discussion and to make recommendations for future progress.
For additional information, please contact George Frederick (e-mail: george.frederick@vaisala.com).
Presidential Town Hall Meeting: Dr. Jane Lubchenco’s Plenary Luncheon
Thursday, 21 January, 12:15–1:30 p.m.
Dr. Lubchenco's luncheon address will be the culminating event of a weeklong Presidential Forum. Consistent with the theme of the 90th AMS Annual Meeting—“Weather, Climate and Society: New Demands for Science and Services”—the Presidential Forum is designed to provide an opportunity for AMS members and meeting participants to explore future science and service drivers through the eyes of some of our community’s core customers including emerging climate science and service needs from relatively new user communities such as coastal and marine resource managers. The Presidential Forum will also help focus attention on the education and environmental literacy objectives that both you and the Society recognize as vital to the success of an environmental science and service endeavor.
As a distinguished member of the Obama Administration's science team and the NOAA Administrator, Dr. Lubchenco brings a unique perspective to the Meeting's theme. During her confirmation hearing, Dr. Lubchenco highlighted the importance of meeting the Nation's growing demands for climate information services and she continues to be a leader in discussions of the emergence of a National Climate Service. In addition, Dr. Lubchenco's substantial experience in
environmental science, communications, and outreach is sure to provide important insights as we move forward to forge the partnerships necessary to respond to the Nation's need for climate information services.
A cash and carry lunch will be available in the lobby of room B206, the location this town hall meeting.
For additional information, please contact Eileen Shea (e-mail: Eileen.Shea@noaa.gov) or Tim Brown (e-mail: tim.brown@dri.edu).
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