Climate Change and Severe Weather Research Conference Call Thursday, Oct. 29

UPDATE: See links and materials from the conference call below. You can listen to the recording of the call here in your browser.

To listen to this recording by telephone dial 1-862-902-0129 and enter Access code: 45606755. Some recording features when listening on your phone:

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We invite you to listen in on conference call with scientists from federally-funded research labs and staff from Representative Joe Neguse's office, the theme is climate change and severe weather research;  hearing about a few key research initiatives of their organizations and how their data informs the assessment of severe weather threats to the country is the goal. 

Thursday, October 29, 2020

10:30 - 11:15 am

Speakers include: 

Christine Wiedinmyer Ph.D. is the Associate Director for Science at CIRES and a Research Professor

in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. Wiedinmyer developed the Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN), a high resolution global fire emissions model now used by local, regional, and global chemical modelers to better quantify the impacts of fire emissions on atmospheric composition, both in hindsight and forecast model applications.

Additional information from Christine:

1. NAS Wildland Fires: Towards Improved Understanding and Forecasting of Air Quality Impacts -- A Workshop

1. https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/09-23-2020/wildland-fires-towards-improved-understanding-and-forecasting-of-air-quality-impacts-a-workshop

2. Multi-disciplinary workshop on wildfires, smoke, health outcomes, and communication. (Excellent!)

3. All talks are posted online

2. Smoke Forecasting         

1. The HRRR-Smoke model went operational this year and shows smoke forecasts

2. Visualization of outputs: https://hwp-viz.gsd.esrl.noaa.gov/smoke/

i. On left, Under HRRR, users can click on one of the options to see the forecast (I recommend near surface smoke).

3. Recent field campaigns to provide more information about wildfire smoke and impacts

1. FIREX-AQ: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csl/projects/firex-aq/resources/

2. WE-CAN: https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/we-can

4. Satellite data     

1. NASA and NOAA satellites provide information about when and where fires burn, what is burning, and where the smoke is

2. Here are a few examples:

i. https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/land/hms.html

ii. http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/ (the slider experimental product can enable great views of smoke plumes)

5. Fire Emissions models

1. FINN: https://www2.acom.ucar.edu/modeling/finn-fire-inventory-ncar

2. EPA/USFS: https://www.airfire.org/home

3. NASA: https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/science_snapshots/global_fire_emissions.php

4. NOAA: https://www.arl.noaa.gov/hysplit/smoke-forecasting/

Cindy Bruyère is Director of the Capacity Center For Climate & Weather Extremes; C3WE aims to enhance societal resilience and response to weather and climate extremes through research, education, workforce development, and creation of actionable tools in collaboration with academic, private, public, and community organizations.

Additional information from Cindy:

Article: Attributing Extreme Events to Climate Change: A New Frontier in a Warming World

(6-page PDF - download below.)

Swain et al

. 2020 (EEA Primer, One Earth

Download 2020 (EEA PRIMER, ONE EARTH • 1.09MB

Colm Sweeney is the lead scientist for the NOAA Earth System Research Lab Aircraft Program, he oversees the existing network of aircraft sites; develops new ways to ensure data quality, as well as easy access to the data; and develops new tools and platforms for collecting vertical profiles of CO2 and other trace gases throughout North America. 

Matthew Rogers is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, he has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from CSU will discuss the resources available and needed to understand precipitation processes - both from a research standpoint for climate modelling, and for understanding drought (leading to fires and other deleterious situations.) Also, he will discuss using the GOES-R series of satellites to research regional climate issues. 

Additional information from Matt:

1.) Link to the upcoming NOAA/DOE Precipitation Processes and Predictability workshop - staffers may be interested in seeing the mechanics of what’s being discussed, and critically, what resources are needed.

2.) A blended GeoColor/Fire Temperature RGB product looking at the East Troublesome, Williams Fork, and other Front Range fires from October 22nd of this year.  Not only are these products useful for direct study of fires and firefighting operations, but they speak to the need to understand regional climate from a preparedness standpoint: these won’t be the last fires of this kind in Colorado, and we can do more to prepare for them.