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APRIL 2010

838 |

Publisher Keith L. Seitter editor-in-chief Jeffrey Rosenfeld senior editor Christopher Cappella bAMs editoriAl boArd chair

Jeff Waldstreicher Aerosol and cloud Physics Cynthia Twohy

Atmospheric chemistry/Air Quality

William R. Stockwell

Atmospheric dynamics/

tropical Meteorology Chris Landsea Brian Mapes Ed Zipser biometeorology Peter Blanken

climate/climate Variability Sandrine Bony Clara Deser Chester F. Ropelewski education Paul Croft history James R. Fleming hydrology Qingyun Duan

numerical Analysis/

Mesoscale Modeling Gary Lackmann observing systems Tammy Weckwerth oceanography Mike McPhaden operational forecasting/

services Tom Fahey Policy Genene Fisher satellite Meteorology Jeff Hawkins Timothy J. Schmit society/economic impacts Rebecca Morss

Production stAff Managing editor Bryan Hanssen Manager of Art and design David Gershman news editors

Rachel S. Thomas-Medwid Matthew Gillespie Production editor Denise M. Moy Advertising Kelly Garvey Savoie Meetings editor Claudia J. Gorski editorial Assistant Melissa Fernau

director of PublicAtions Kenneth F. Heideman JournAls stAff Journals Production Manager Michael Friedman Managing technical editor Mark E. Fernau Managing copy editor Jessica A. LaPointe copy editors Kristin E. Gilbert Emily E. Kilcer Lesley A. Williams Roger Wood Production Associate Lauren Foster Publications coordinator Gwendolyn Whittaker

in box

855 Satellite Finds Highest Land Skin Temperatures on Earth

D. J. MILDRexLeR, M. ZhAo, AnD S. W. RunnIng

Map RooM

861 An Overview of Synoptic and

Mesoscale Factors Contributing to the Disastrous Atlanta Flood of 2009

M. ShePheRD et AL.

aRticles

871 Observations of the 10 May 2010 Tornado Outbreak Using OU-PRIME

Potential for new science with high-resolution Polarimetric radar

R. D. PALMeR et AL.

893 Globally Gridded Satellite Observations for Climate Studies

K. R. KnAPP et AL.

909 CHANGE

A Place-based curriculum for understanding climate change at storm Peak laboratory, colorado

A. g. hALLAR, I. B. McCuBBIn, AnD J. M. WRIght

Meeting suMMaRy

online

International Drought Workshop Series

M. J. BReWeR AnD R. R. heIM JR.

Volume 92, Number 7, july 2011

Readings 919 book reViews

Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-Defying Adventures in Exteme Weather…

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation Phenomenon…

Conditions May Vary: A Guide to Maine Weather

920 New PublicatioNs 922 reaNalysis

online only meeting summary is available from http://journals.ametsoc.org/toc/bams/92/7.

on the coveR

Two fifth grade students from South Routt Elementary School in Yampa, Colorado, ascend a mountain with Storm Peak Labo- ratory scientists and measure and record changes in wind speed using a handheld anemometer. For details, see the article by Hallar et al., beginning on page 909.

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APRIL 2010

AMeRICAn MeteoRoLogICAL SoCIetY | 839

The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (ISSN 0003-0007) is published monthly by the American Me- teorological Society, 45 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108-3693.

Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices. Subscription price to members is included in annual dues. Subscription price to nonmembers is available on request; single issues are $12.50 each for members,

$20 for nonmembers (prices incl. shipping and handling).

Address all business communications to the Executive Director, AMS, 45 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108-3693 (617-227-2425). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 45 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108-3693.

Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this journal in scientific and educational work is hereby granted, provided source is acknowledged. Any use of the material in this journal that is considered to be “fair use” under Section 107 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 USC, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the Society’s permission. Items that do not bear their own separate copyright notices either are in the public

domain or are U.S. Government works for which copyright protection is not available. Authorization to photocopy items bearing individual AMS copyright notices at the bottom of their first page is granted by the AMS for libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) Transactional Reporting Service, provided the copies are for internal or personal use, or for the internal or personal use of specific clients, and further provided the base of $4.25 per copy + $0.29 per page is paid directly to the CCC, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, and that the following fee code for this journal is reported with the payment to CCC: 0003-0007/91 $4.25 + $0.29. Republication, systematic reproduction, and any other use of any material in this journal, unless exempted by the above statements, requires written permission or license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policies, available from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or [email protected]. “American Meteorological Society,” the Seal of the American Meteoro- logical Society, and the AMS Seal of Approval are registered trademarks of the American Meteorological Society.

BAMS is printed on 85%–100% post-consumer recycled paper.

The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society is the official organ of the Society, devoted to editorials, articles of interest to a large segment of the membership, professional and membership news, announcements, and Society activities. Editing and publishing are under the direction of Keith L. Seitter, executive director. Contribu- tors are encouraged to send proposals to be considered for publication. For guidance on preparation and style, see the Authors’ Resource Center online at www.ametsoc.org/

pubs/arcindex.html.

AMS officers, councilors, and commissioners: president, Jonathan T. Malay; president-elect, Louis W. Uccellini;

executive director, Keith L. Seitter; secretary–treasurer, Richard D. Rosen; past presidents, Thomas R. Karl and Margaret A. LeMone; councilors, Thomas J. Bogdan, Lee E. Branscome, Kenneth F. Carey, Anne Douglass, R. Michael Hardesty, Jill F. Hasling, Peter J. Lamb, Rebecca E. Morss, Patricia A. Phoebus, William L.

Read, John C. Schaake, Richard W. Spinrad, Ahsha N.

Tribble, H. Joe Witte, and Xubin Zeng; commissioners, Mary M. Cairns, David P. Jorgensen, Leonard J. Pietrafesa, Eugene S. Takle, Jay J. Trobec, and Julie A. Winkler.

nowcast

843 News aNd Notes

A better understanding of ocean rings…explaining cross- ocean winter temperature contrasts…tornadoes, floods, fires mark extreme spring in the united States…two hurricane names retired

848 techNology

new wind tunnel to aid urban climate

849 chaPter chaNNel

A look at extreme weather in eastern Australia

45 beacon

923 letter from headquarters

effective Communication on Climate Change Issues

924 PartNershiP

Franco einaudi: 2011–12 Sigma xi Lecturer

924 real-world meteorology 925 about our members 925 aNNual meetiNg

Forecast: Communicating Weather and Climate—A Series of Artwork from the Annual Meeting

926 certified broadcast meteorologists

depaRtMents

927 caleNdar of meetiNgs 930 call for PaPers 932 NomiNatioN submissioNs 934 corPoratioN aNd

iNstitutioNal members 937 ProfessioNal directory 943 iNdex to adVertisers 944 PublicatioN order form Recent headlines on the aMs blog

noAA: ‘unmistakable’ global Warming Continues Inside the AMS Annual Report

emergency Response technology goes on Demand

FOLLOW US

The AMS Blog: http://blog.ametsoc.org Facebook: http://facebook.com/ametsoc

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ametsoc

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JuLY 2011

840 |

t

here is a time and place for everything—except maybe climate change. it defies the four dimensions of ordinary life.

climate change is too slow for us to notice it happening.

similarly, there is no place where you can experience global climate change. A few locations—where the permafrost melts or glaciers re- treat, for example—offer a glimpse, but no single location sums up the varieties of worldwide change.

severe weather is the opposite; in many places, it is difficult to ig- nore. the researchers who set up the ou-PriMe polarimetric doppler radar (Palmer et al., page 871) in norman, oklahoma, capitalized on this fact. oklahoma is often the right time and place to experience severe weather. of course it’s not quite that simple. the fact that the ou-PriMe radar was situated there, scanning the skies in May 2010, is an accomplishment of a succession of far-sighted people who developed a valuable center of science from scratch. location and timing are just part of the story.

nonetheless, it is clear that all kinds of weather are within our grasp. Good for meteorology, but what can be done for climatology?

climate change eludes most people’s sense of time or place. direct understanding is stymied, and the public knows that. they are frequently admonished not to expect to find climate change yet—not at home, and not even in a lifetime’s experience. they are reminded that they can’t discern larger trends in a single powerful hurricane or a snowy winter.

storm Peak laboratory in colorado offers a way around this per- ceptual dilemma (hallar et al., p. 909). scientists there show fifth and sixth graders that climate change may not be a direct experience but the core principles are within our grasp. cleverly taking advantage of their alpine setting, the storm Peak program lets students climb their way through atmospheric change and observe the factors that drive a global phenomenon.

this place-based educational philosophy reaches young people just as they have entered a cognitive stage when they can “deal effectively with the magnitudes of space and time encompassed by the concept of climate as opposed to daily weather.” clearly middle school is the right time to introduce the idea that the climate is a slowly evolving global process based on abstract principles. but putting a specific time and place to the concept is what makes the storm Peak program a valuable template for others who want to consider ways to improve climate literacy.

storm Peak shows there is a way to think about climate, here and now.

—Jeff Rosenfeld, Editor-in-ChiEf

letteR fRoM the editoR:

cliMate—heRe and now

obserVAtions of the 10 MAY 2010 tornAdo outbreAK usinG ou- PriMe: PotentiAl for new science with hiGh- resolution PolAriMetric rAdAr

A tornado outbreak occurred in central Oklahoma on 10 May 2010, including two tornadoes with enhanced Fujita scale ratings of 4 (EF-4). Tragically, three deaths were reported along with signifi- cant property damage. Several strong and violent tornadoes occurred near Norman, Oklahoma, which is a major hub for severe storms research and is arguably one of the best observed regions of the country with multiple Doppler radars operated by both the federal government and the University of Oklahoma (OU). One of the most recent additions to the radars in Norman is the high-resolution OU Polarimetric Radar for Innovations in Meteorology and Engineering (OU-PRIME). As the name implies, the radar is used as a platform for research and education in both science and engineering studies using polarimetric radar. To facilitate usage of the system by students and faculty, OU-PRIME was constructed adjacent to the National Weather Center building on the OU research campus. On 10 May 2010, several tornadoes formed near the campus while OU researchers were operating OU-PRIME in a sector scanning mode, providing polarimetric radar data with un- precedented resolution and quality.

In this article, the environmental conditions leading to the 10 May 2010 outbreak will be described, an overview of OU-PRIME will be provided, and several examples of the data and possible applica- tions will be summarized. These examples will highlight supercell

abstRacts

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JuLY 2011

polarimetric signatures during and after tornadogenesis, and they will describe how the polarimetric signatures are related to observations of reflectivity and velocity.

(Page 871)

GlobAllY Gridded sAtellite obserVAtions for cliMAte studies Geostationary satellites have provided routine, high temporal resolution Earth observations since the 1970s. Despite the long period of record, use of these data in climate studies has been limited for numerous reasons, among them that no central archive of geostationary data for all international satellites exists, full temporal and spatial resolution data are volu- minous, and diverse calibration and navigation formats encumber the uniform processing needed for multisatellite climate studies.

The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) set the stage for overcoming these issues by archiving a subset of the full-resolution geostationary data at ~10-km resolution at 3-hourly intervals since 1983. Recent ef- forts at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center to provide conve- nient access to these data include remapping the data to a standard

map projection, recalibrating the data to optimize temporal ho- mogeneity, extending the record of observations back to 1980, and reformatting the data for broad public distribution. The Gridded Satellite (GridSat) dataset includes observations from the visible, infrared window, and infrared water vapor channels. Data are stored in Network Common Data Format (netCDF) using standards that permit a wide variety of tools and libraries to process the data quickly and easily. A novel data layering approach, together with appropriate satellite and file metadata, allows users to access GridSat data at varying levels of complexity based on their needs.

The result is a climate data record already in use by the meteorological community. Examples include reanalysis of tropical cyclones, studies of global precipitation, and detection and tracking of the intertropical convergence zone.

(Page 893)

chAnGe: A PlAce- bAsed curriculuM for understAndinG cliMAte chAnGe At storM PeAK lAborAtorY, colorAdo Curriculum in High Altitude En- vironments for Teaching Glob-

abstRacts

al Climate Change Education (CHANGE) uses place-based education to teach middle school students about meteorology and climate as a basis to improve climate science literacy. The curriculum provides in-school and out-of-school instruction and connects students with scientists at Storm Peak Laboratory, a high-elevation atmospheric research facility above Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Following an initial 2-h classroom lesson, students record their own mea- surements of temperature, pres- sure, wind speed, and particle concentrations while traveling up the mountain to Storm Peak Laboratory. After returning to the classroom, students graph these data and analyze their re- sults. Evaluation of this program showed that students improved their knowledge of key concepts pertaining to climate literacy.

The hands-on, place-based format of CHANGE can be used as a model for middle school students in alpine communities to teach lessons in weather and climate and can be further re- fined by improved lesson plans, increased feedback to students, and an independent evaluation.

(Page 909)

letteR to the editoR

A P^roPosAl^for

CommuniCAting sCiEnCE

“Communicating Weather and Climate” was the theme of this year’s AMS meeting in Seattle, and the AMS is working on a draft statement on “Communicating Science.” But are we really serious about this? Take my own experience as example. In the past 40

years I have published almost 150 papers. Although they were all funded by the public, they are all unintelligible to the public, because they are written in scientific Eng- lish, and specifically the language of one small branch of science.

Something is clearly wrong here! This past year I have started writing articles using language that is intelligible to both scientists

and the public. I can publish these in newspapers and on my Web site, but what happens if I try to get a journal to publish one? One recent review, rejecting a paper, clearly and quite correctly said, “In my opinion, this manuscript was written for a different audience than the typical reader of this journal.

Instead of directed at a scientific audience, the content and writing

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JuLY 2011

842 |

letteR to the editoR

style of the article are more that of a popular piece for something like an extension magazine or public Web site.” I don’t think our editors and reviewers are going to change their attitudes anytime soon. Their closed scientific club is too comfortable.

We don’t expect the public to read and understand our journals.

Our concept of communication is that we are the experts; the public should listen to our pronounce- ments and make wise decisions based on our sound scientific advice. But if we look outside the self-constructed walls surround- ing our club, we might notice that the public and the political arena aren’t greatly interested. Given that the future of the Earth de- pends on the public have a clearer understanding of Earth science, it seems to me there is something unethical in our insular behavior as scientists.

Here is my proposal. I sug- gest authors must submit for review, and scientific societies be obliged to publish two versions of every journal. One would be the standard journal in scientific English for their scientific club.

The second would be a parallel open-access summary translation into plain English of the relevance and significance of each paper for everyone else. A translation that educated citizens, businesses, and lawmakers can understand.

Remember that they are funding this research, and some really want to understand what is happening to the Earth; especially in states like Vermont where I work.

We should train ourselves and our students to do this; not introduce another layer of translators.

The AMS should perhaps start with the Journal of Climate and Weather, Climate and Society. I expect that within a few years,

even the scientific articles would become clearer as the concept of broader communication sinks in.

We should also move away from the historical but shock- ing practice of hiding publically funded research from the public to protect journal copyright. This really impedes communication, not only with the public, but within the science itself. Typically anyone outside an educational system that pays the journal library fees has no ready access to the current literature—this includes me and a large number of the environmental professionals here in Vermont. I urge all my colleagues to find ways around this system, and make all their work publically accessible in equivalent form on the Web.

Alan Betts

Pittsford, Vermont http://alanbetts.com [email protected]

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we encourage readers to write to us with comments on what they read (or would like to read) in bams, as well as comments on ams events and initiatives, or simply thoughts about what’s happening in the world of atmospheric, oceanographic, hydrologic, and related sciences. when writing via e-mail, please send your messages to [email protected], or write to letters to the editor/

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