Following are story ideas and tips about upcoming AMS meetings, papers in our peer-reviewed journals, and other happenings in the atmospheric and related sciences community.
Tornado Warnings with Zero or Negative Lead Times.
Although statistics indicate that the National Weather Service (NWS) was able to provide warnings to the general public on about 75% of all tornadoes identified during 2006, some twisters still touch down with little or no warnings. During a five year period of study from 2000 to 2004, slightly more than 10% of all NWS tornado warnings were issued either simultaneously as the tornado formed (i.e., with zero lead time) or minutes after initial tornado formation but prior to tornado dissipation (i.e., with "negative" lead time). The study, featured in the February issue of the AMS Weather and Forecasting, examines why these tornadoes were not warned in advance, and what climate, storm morphology, and sociological factors may have played a role in delaying the issuance of the warning. Two key results from this study are that providing advance warning on the first tornado of the day remains a difficult challenge, and that the more isolated the tornado event, the less likelihood that an advance warning is provided. For a copy of the paper contact Stephanie Kenitzer at Kenitzer@ametsoc.org
It Takes a Village to Measure Sea Ice.
The accelerating retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent years has highlighted the need for improved monitoring efforts. Satellite data and global circulation models often lack details relevant to residents of Arctic communities, whose livelihoods can be profoundly affected by small changes in sea ice. As part of the Siku-Inuit-Hila (Sea Ice–People–Weather) project, researchers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, in Boulder, Colorado, have joined forces with local communities to establish sea ice observation programs in three Arctic areas: Barrow, Alaska; Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada; and Qaanaaq, Greenland. The scientists provided equipment and training, and created a framework for a two-way knowledge exchange between scientists and local sea ice experts. Results from the first season allow them to calculate rates of ice growth and ice melt at the upper and lower surfaces of the sea ice, information that is vital for understanding how sea ice might respond on a local scale to global change. Read about their work in the March issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society online at http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0477/90/3/pdf/i1520-0477-90-3-370.pdf
Trends in the Twin Cities.
A paper in the March issue of the AMS Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology examines the long-term trends in extreme summer season temperatures across the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) associated with urbanization. To assess trends in extreme temperature data, maximum and minimum temperatures from 1975 to 2002 were assembled for seven stations located in both rural and urban areas. In this study, the researchers analyzed the changes in impervious surfaces around the selected network of stations and their association with trends in extreme temperatures and diurnal temperature range for the same time period. They found that the steady expansion of urban land uses has impacted long-term trends in microclimatic conditions across TCMA. The spatial patterns in the trends of extreme temperatures were more prominent over the suburban stations located near the metropolitan core that have undergone greater rates of land use change through the recent past. Trends were less clear for the core cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. For a copy of the paper contact Stephanie Kenitzer at Kenitzer@ametsoc.org
Society Happenings.
The AMS 2008 Annual Report is now online. The document is a summary of accomplishments and activities in the previous year. See http://www.ametsoc.org/aboutams/annualreports/2008annualreport.pdf
AMS Journalism Award Deadline.
The deadline for the AMS Award for Distinguished Science Journalism in the Atmospheric and Related Sciences is 1 May 2009. The award recognizes outstanding science reporting and writing of scientific discoveries, principles, advances, and impacts in all media outlets including radio, television, newspaper, magazine and Internet. The award is given for a single article or radio/television report or a series that makes atmospheric and related sciences material accessible and interesting to the general public. Short pieces or in depth articles are eligible. The award recognizes outstanding reporting for a general audience, and honor individuals rather than institutions and consists of a certificate from the Society presented at the AMS Annual Meeting. Self nominations are accepted. To complete a nomination go to http://www.ametsoc.org/awards/awarddescriptions.html#DistinguishedScience If you are not an AMS member you will need to request a password.
With more than 12,000 members, the AMS (http://www.ametsoc.org ) is the nation's leading professional organization for those involved in the atmospheric and related sciences.