October 2, 2013
The Department of
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Recognizes Matthew Janiga, Jaymes Kenyon
and Ernesto Findlay with Prestigious Awards
Narayan R. Gokhale
Distinguished Research Scholarship Award
Established in 1980 by the family of Narayan R. Gokhale to
recognize and to reward promising students pursuing a graduate education in
Atmospheric Science. Students who receive this Award have been
recommended by a faculty committee in the department for their demonstrated
excellence, achievement, and originality in research.
Matthew
Janiga
Recipient of the Narayan R. Gokhale
Distinguished Research Scholarship Award
In recognition of demonstrated
excellence, achievement, and originality in atmospheric science research by a
graduate student. Students who receive this award have been
recommended by the faculty in the department for their demonstrated excellence,
achievement, and
originality in research consistent with the legacy of Professor Narayan
R. Gokhale.
Previous
Recipients: Heather Archambault (‘12), Thomas Galarneau (‘11), Gareth Berry (‘09),
Kristen Corbosiero (‘05), Anantha Aiyyer (‘04), Rolf Staebler (‘03), Gary
Wojcik (‘02), Christian Hofgrefe (‘01), Jeffrey M. Freedman (‘00), Philip
Cunningham (‘99), Matthew E. Pyle (‘98), Richard K. Sakai and Stephen J. Cox
(‘97)
Back Row: Chris Thorncroft, Mrs. Narayan Gokhale,
Matthew Janiga, Nita Chicatelli & Lou Chicatelli
Front Row: Nina Chicatelli and Lou Chicatelli
Bernard
Vonnegut Teaching Award
In
recognition of an extraordinary dedication to teaching by an atmospheric
science graduate student, consistent with the gentle but probing instructional
legacy of Distinguished Professor Bernard Vonnegut.
Jaymes Kenyon
Recipient of
the Bernard Vonnegut Teaching Award
In recognition of extraordinary dedication to teaching by an atmospheric
science graduate student, consistent with the gentle but probing instructional
legacy of Distinguished Professor Bernard Vonnegut.
Previous
recipients: Kyle MacRitchie & Daniel
Thompson (‘12), Jason Cordeira (‘11),
Jonas Asuma & Nicholas Metz (’10),
Patrick H. Wilson (‘09), Thomas Galarneau (’08), Keith Wagner (‘06),
Alan Srock (‘05), Alicia Wasula (‘04), David Thomas (‘03), Matthew Novak (‘02),
Joshua Darr (‘01),
Eyad Atallah (‘00), Olga Sharoichenko (‘99) and Teresa Bals-Elscholz (‘98).
Chris Thorncroft, Jaymes Kenyon, Alex Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut and Michi
Vonnegut
Arthur Loesch Scholarship
Award
In support of an
undergraduate student that is of junior or senior status, who is in good
academic standing, and who intends to pursue a career in the Atmospheric
Sciences and/or related field.
Ernesto
Findlay
Recipient of the Arthur Loesch Scholarship Award
In support of an
undergraduate student that is of junior or senior status, who is in good
academic standing, and who intends to pursue a career in the Atmospheric
Sciences and/or related field
Chris
Thorncroft, Ernesto Findlay, and Ms. Carolyn Loesch
September 26, 2013
Contact: Media Relations Office (518) 956-8150
UAlbany Scientist is Reconstructing Thousand-Year History
of the South American Summer Monsoon
Associate
Professor Mathias Vuille, internationally renowned
for his study of retreating glaciers in the Andes. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)
ALBANY,
N.Y. (August 8, 2013) – University at Albany atmospheric scientist Mathias Vuille is leading a team of
scientists in producing the first comprehensive 1,000-year climatological
history of the South American summer monsoon (SASM). The study will help the
continent forecast and prevent massive destructiveness from droughts and
floods.
Vuille,
an associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental
Sciences, is internationally renowned for his study of retreating glaciers in
the Andes. He and his research team will reconstruct the SASM history using ice
core data from the Quelccaya Ice Cap in the Peruvian
Andes to learn more about the envelope of natural monsoon variability. The work
is supported through a $512,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
(NSF).
The
SASM is of great socioeconomic relevance to sub-tropical South America,
delivering water for ecosystem integrity and human activities including
agriculture, sanitation, hydropower production and many other socioeconomic
purposes. Year-to-year variations in monsoon strength, and onset and demise
dates have been linked to drought and floods and can cause widespread economic
damage.
There
is little known about how the SASM has varied in the past and how it responds
to natural (volcanic or solar) and man-made (aerosols and greenhouse gases)
disturbances. Using onsite data sets combined with isotope-enabled model
simulations for the past millennium, the scientists will develop a “forward
model” that allows reconstructing monsoon variations upstream over the Amazon
basin since the year 850 AD.
The Quelccaya site was chosen because approximately 85 percent
of all snowfall is associated with the SASM. Quelccaya
also contains a long, high-resolution and precisely-dated ice-core record and
has been the focus of long-term onsite climatologic and glaciologic
monitoring and calibration programs.
“Given
the growing concerns over future changes in monsoon characteristics due to
enhanced greenhouse gas concentrations, a better understanding of natural
monsoon variability and its sensitivity to external forcing is absolutely essential,”
said Vuille. He noted that the project’s progress will be documented on the Quelccaya blog website.
The
project also includes additional educational aspects, such as the training at
UAlbany of a graduate student and a postdoctoral research associate, and the
integration of methods and results developed in the project into University
undergraduate and graduate classrooms.
Using ice core data from the Quelccaya Ice Cap, shown here,
Mathias Vuille's team will learn more about the envelope of
natural monsoon variability that greatly impacts South America
Info: http://www.albany.edu/news/41700.php
August 22, 2013
Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
2013-14 Incoming Graduate
Students
Back (L-R): Chao-Yuan Yang, Hannah
Huelsing, Casey Peirano, Chu-Chun Huang, Yang-Yang Song, Adrian Santiago and
Ben Moore
Front
(L-R): Geng Xia, Joshua Alland, Matt
Vaughan, Eric Adamchick, Jeremy Berman, Ted Letcher and Michael Fischer
Missing from photo: Chris Selca & Paul Slaski
July
29, 2013
National Geographic Daily News
Why Predicting Sea Ice Cover Is So Difficult
It's hard to
pinpoint when the Arctic will be sea ice free in the summer.
Meltwater
streams from ice near Svalbard, Norway. - Photograph by
Ralph Lee Hopkins, National Geographic
Jane J. Lee
Published July 16, 2013
Predicting Mother Nature is never an
exact science. Weather forecasters can get it wrong, leaving people dressed for
a rainy day high and dry. And the further out researchers try to predict things
like air temperature or sea ice cover, the more uncertainty there is.
But knowing how Earth's climate will
react to natural and human-induced changes is important for governments and
industry. (Related: "As Arctic Ice Melts, Rush Is on
for Shipping Lanes, More.")
Perhaps nowhere are the stakes as high
as in the Arctic. The mineral, gas, and biological bounties are powerful
economic attractions, drawing countries into a modern-age gold rush fueled by
disappearing sea ice. (Related: "Russia Plants Underwater Flag,
Claims Arctic Seafloor.")
Predicting when the Arctic will be sea ice free in the summer months has occupied researchers for years.
Estimates under high greenhouse gas emissions range from the year 2011 to 2098.
The complexity of Earth's atmosphere
and oceans, and our limited understanding of those processes, are the main
drivers of that uncertainty, said Jiping Liu, a sea ice
researcher at the University of Albany in New York.
Liu recently published a study that narrowed down the range, predicting an ice-free
Arctic summer by 2054 to 2058, based on current climate models.
"We know the climate models are
not perfect," he said. "[But] we have to rely on them to make
predictions."
Unknowns
There are several unknowns in sea ice
modeling, Liu explained. First, researchers don't know how the ice reacts to
inputs of warm water from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. There is an
increased flow of warmer water into the Arctic, but we don't know how much of
it is transferred to sea ice, he said.
"The bottom of sea ice is very
sensitive to temperature changes," even to changes as little as 0.1
to 0.2 degrees, Liu noted.
Current models may therefore be
underestimating the decline of Arctic sea ice during the summers, Liu said.
"[And in] this sense, maybe the Arctic will be ice-free earlier."
We also don't know how sunlight
penetrates sea ice to reach the water below, he explained. Thicker ice prevents
sunlight from reaching seawater, stopping it from warming. But thinner ice lets
the light through. Current climate models do not describe this process
accurately, said Liu.
Finally, it's hard to determine how
much of the change in sea ice cover is due to natural variability and how much
is due to external forcing such as global warming.
"From my stance, 50 to 70 percent
of sea ice decline is probably due to the increase of greenhouse gases [in the
atmosphere]," said Liu. But that's a large range of uncertainty that needs
to be narrowed down further, he added.
Still Robust
Julienne Stroeve, a sea ice scientist at the National
Snow and Ice Data Center, agrees that not all the models are perfect. But they
still give us a good idea of how areas will change under various emissions
scenarios, she said.
"They all say the Arctic will warm
more than any other place," Stroeve added. But
their estimates of ice loss are lower than what scientists have observed.
The models that Liu used in his study
were global climate models, which operate at very coarse scales, she said.
Finer details like the ocean circulation in the Beaufort Sea—which controls the
motion of sea ice in the Beaufort region—aren't incorporated.
Neither are smaller scale processes
such as the prevalence of openings in the sea ice, or the presence of melt
ponds, Stroeve added. Both can accelerate the melting
of sea ice. (Related: "Study Links Arctic Sea Ice Loss
With Changes in Atmospheric Circulation.")
Weather also plays an important role in
the presence of Arctic sea ice, "[and] we can't predict the weather,"
she said.
It could be quite possible to get an
ice-free summer in the Arctic, Stroeve said. But if
we swing into a period of colder weather, "these models do show that the
ice can recover."
"I think these models are useful
at looking at what's happening in the future," she said. "But they're
not really useful for [figuring out] an exact date" for an ice-free summer
in the Arctic.
July 2,
2013
Is global warming behind flooding?
Updated: Tuesday, July 2 2013, 07:21 AM
EDT
So what's the deal with all this wet weather? The Governor says he knows,
and he's blaming global climate change!
Often it's an answer given to the claim that we're experiencing more floods
than we used to. We asked if that theory holds any water.
"Asking the question 'if climate change has anything to do with this' is a
good question to ask but right now the jury's still out," said Andrea Lang, UAlbany Assistant Professor of
Atmospheric and Environmental Science.
Still, if you think the phrase for the 'hundred year flood' is out of style,
you may be on to something. "There's definitely
been shifts in regions, that may last on the order of decades,"
Lang said.
Lang watches the map for trends and pushes through the clouds for answers, but
there are years of cloudy days to examine.
"This was only the third wettest June that we've ever had and records have
been kept for the last 190 years in Albany," Lang said.
No single event can point to global warming, Lang believes. But with every inch of precipitation in the historical rain gauge,
a better explanation.
"We're just now getting to the point where we have enough data to actually
say something significant about the events that we're seeing," Lang said.
Families in the Mohawk Valley are still fearful that mother
nature's anger will be unfairly lost on them again, and the maps are
drawn towards a rainy trend over the short-term.
"It's the type of pattern you would associate with flooding in our
region," Lang said. "There's a lot of natural variability that is
present in our atmosphere."
But the most accurate forecast goes for seven days. "We might see an
increase in flooding associated with climate change but actually saying this
specific flooding event is the result of climate change is something that we
can't do," Lang said.
May 18,
2013
Class of 2013
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science
Michael R. Antidormi
Brian Bond
John J. Brock
Sam J. Corey
Arnold Cruz
Daniel D’Arcy
Cathy L. Del Gaudio
Adam J. Donaghy
Stephen R. Ellis
Stephen N. Fuller
Jalisa E. Gilmore (Magna Cum Laude)
Jenna M. Larkin (Magna Cum Laude)
Nicole Litras
Isaiah I. Machiz
Danielle Mallon (Cum Laude)
Danielle N. Marconi (Cum Laude)
Melissa I. McCulley (Magna Cum Laude)
Elizabeth A. Moran
Osaretin P. Omorodion
Nicholas J. Osenni (Magna Cum Laude)
Nicolas J. Santos
Michelle Tran (Magna Cum Laude)
Samantha M. Young (Cum Laude)
Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science
Eric M. Adamchick (Magna Cum Laude)
Samantha Basile (Cum Laude)
Brittany Bennett
Greg A. Diamond
Rebecca M. Eidelman
Jared S. Scharmett
STUDENT AWARDS
Atmospheric Science Program
Outstanding Student: Eric
M. Adamchick
Atmospheric Science Program
Best Forecaster: Eric
M. Adamchick
Environmental Science Program
Outstanding
Student: Nicholas J. Osenni
April
29, 2013
Associate Professor Liming Zhou Presents
Research About Potential Wind Farm Impacts on Climate Using Satellite Data at the
European Geosciences Union General Assembly
Associate
Professor Liming Zhou was invited to
present his recent research titled “Assessing Possible Climatic Impacts of Large
Wind Farms Using Satellite Data” at the
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2013, Vienna, Austria, April 7-12, 2013. After
his presentation, Prof. Zhou was interviewed by Holger Kroker,
science-writers for the German public radio station Deutschlandfunk and the
national newspaper Die Welt, and Liz Kalaugher, Editor of
Environmentalresearchweb, a site backed by the UK's Institute of Physics that
covers topics such as climate change, renewable energy, pollution and
sustainability for an audience of researchers.
Prof.
Zhou’s presentation was chosen as “Papers of Special Interest in ERE4.1: Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation to Energy
Technologies”
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2013/special_interests/ERE4/12915
Abstract of Prof. Zhou’s EGU presentation: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2013/EGU2013-2615.pdf
More information about Prof. Zhou’s wind
farms research: http://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/zhou/press_release_wind_farm.htm
April 26, 2013
Team DAES finishes
2nd overall out of 52 eligible teams in the 2013 National Collegiate Weather Forecasting Competition (WxChallange)
-Individually DAES had a number of top ten
finishes. Assistant Professor Brian Tang finished 1st, and
Instructional Support Specialist Ross Lazear finished 7th in the
faculty division. Leon Nguyen finished 4th and Corey Guastini
finished 9th in the graduate student division. Ernesto Findlay
finished 9th in the undergraduate student division.
-DAES had 11 individuals qualify for the
year-end tournament. Three forecasters have advanced to the sweet-16 round
(Leon Nguyen, Ernesto Findlay, and Ross Lazear).
-DAES also took home 9 individual city
forecast awards (Brian Tang - 4, Leon Nguyen - 2, Katie Towey
- 1, Patrick Duran - 1, Zach Szumloz - 1).
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Jiping Liu elected a member of the Scientific Steering
Committee of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)
Assistant Professor Jiping Liu has been
elected a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Southern Ocean
Observing System (SOOS), sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research (SCAR) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR). The
appointment is from 2012 to 2014. The SOOS is an international initiative with
the mission to coordinate and expand the efforts of all nations and programmes that gather data from the Southern Ocean, with
the specific aim of developing a coherent and efficient observing system that
will deliver the observations required to address key scientific and societal
challenges (http://www.soos.aq).
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
“Thaw
Followed By Cold”
Updated: Wednesday, January 9 2013, 06:12 PM
EST
ALBANY
-- "Traditionally this time of year it is generally when you have your
coldest temperatures. After the Winter Solstice and you have had time to cool
the air through January," said U-Albany
Assistant Professor, Andrea Lang.
Last
year we didn't really have a chance to have a thaw, but our first thaw of 2013
will be here by the weekend.
"The
atmospheric flow is sort of a wavy pattern and you can have the atmospheric
flow ridge up so the jet stream moves northward into Canada. You get this big
bubble of warm air moving along the east coast and that bubble of warm air can
bring our air into the 50's, 60's and 70's," said Lang.
If
the Capital Region were to see this weather pattern during the summer we would
see temperatures in to the 80's or 90's. This time of year that's not going to
happen, one of the key reasons why - is that this time of year we have a lot of
snow that is left on the ground.
"If
you have snow on the ground the suns energy will go into melting the snow rather
than warming the air itself," said Lang.
The
limited amount of daylight is also a key factor in why our temperatures won't
get much above 70 during the winter. After this weekend it will feel much more
like winter.
"The
jet stream is going to move even further to the south over the Rockies and
further north over the east coast and as that happens you are going to get
really, really strong cold air from northern Canada dipping down over the
Rockies. It is slowly going to progess from the west
to the east," said Lang.
So
what is going to help turn us cold?
"Sudden
stratospheric warming, it has been in the works since December," said
Lang.
That
warming means it could get really cold.
"The
Troposphere can actually communicate with what is going on in the Stratosphere
and this generally only happens during the winter time," said Lang.
This
is important because the Troposphere is where our weather happens.
"The
blob of warmer temperature that appears over Asia is working its way northward
toward the north pole and that is our sudden stratospheric warming," said
Lang.
When
this occurs the normally west to east flow is disrupted and there becomes a
more north to south flow, allowing this cold air to move into the lower 48.
Last year there was sudden stratospheric warming and there was record cold and
snow, but it wasn't in this part of the Northern Hemisphere it was in Europe.
This year this arctic high might set up in the right spot to turn us very cold
by the end of the month.
"This
year we have had one of the largest extents of snow cover over North America
than we have had over recent year. So the fact you have snow cover and long
night, you will be able to produce a lot of cold air," said Lang.
Currently
the frigid air is over Siberia where temperatures dropped to 50 degrees below
zero. It won't get that cold since the airmass will moderate, but it could last
awhile.
"That
warm air that builds itself over the Atlantic, it will trap the cold air over
the eastern half of the United States," said Lang
CBS
6 Video: http://cbs6albany.com/news/top-stories/stories/thaw-followed-cold-5399.shtml
Friday, November 16, 2012
Climate Change Expert Mathias Vuille to Visit Ecuador
On Behalf of ECPA Senior Fellows
Mathias Vuille, a Senior Fellow in the Energy and Climate Partnership of the
Americas (ECPA), will be traveling November 11 through November 17, 2012 to
participate in meetings and events in Ecuador relating to climate change. ECPA Senior Fellow Mathias Vuille is an
Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). The Senior ECPA Fellows program is a network
of high-level technical experts in the fields of climate change and energy who
travel between countries in the Western Hemisphere to consult with governments
or other institutions. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of
State’s Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs and is administered by Partners
of the Americas. There are currently 20 Senior ECPA Fellows who participate in
these international exchanges. The main areas of focus for the program are:
energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure, energy poverty and
access, sustainable forestry and land use, and climate change adaptation.
One of Dr. Vuille’s areas of expertise is the impact of climate
change on glaciation and water resources in the tropical Andes. During
his exchange to Ecuador, Dr. Vuille will visit the University of San Francisco
in Quito to meet with the University rector, Dean of International Affairs,
professors, and students. At USFQ, Dr. Vuille will present on Climate
Variability and the Impacts of Global Warming on Ecuador. As part of his trip,
he will also meet with staff from the Fund for the Protection of Water (FONAG)
and CARE in Ecuador. Additionally, Dr. Vuille will visit the Gordillo Research Center as well as a glacial degradation
zone and Antisana de-icing zone at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional. Following his time in Quito, Dr.
Vuille will travel to Guayaquil where he will meet with PAO Mark Kendrick, CG
David Lindwall as well as conduct presentations at
Casa Grande University, Ecotec University, and Interagua. Lastly, Dr. Vuille will meet with staff from
Guayaquil’s Environment Municipality.
# #
Partners of the
Americas is an
international network that promotes social and economic development in the
Americas through leadership, voluntary service, and development programs. Its
mission is to connect individuals, volunteers, institutions, businesses, and
communities to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. Partners envisions an interconnected hemisphere that
maximizes the social and economic potential, and leverages the full diversity,
of the Americas.
Sunday, November 11th at 7:00pm
Life Science Research Building, D'Ambra Auditorium
DR. LOUIS W. UCCELLINI, Director, National Centers for
Environmental Prediction (NCEP), National Weather Service (NWS) and The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will give a special public
seminar “Taking Prediction to the Next
Level: Expanding Beyond Today’s Weather, Water and Climate Forecasts and
Projections”
“NCEP - From the Sun to the Sea:
Where America’s Climate, Weather, Ocean & Space Weather Services Begin”
Over the past 60+ years, the research and operational
weather enterprise has made revolutionary advances in the prediction of
weather. Remarkably, even greater
progress has been made in the prediction of extreme weather events including
hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, snowstorms, heat waves and heavy rainfall out to
7 days in advance (in some cases). In
this presentation, Dr. Louis W. Uccellini, Director of the National Weather
Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, will review the
advancements that have been made in weather prediction. He will then trace the revolutionary
transformation of forecasting from a subjective “art” in the 1940’s to the
applied physical science that it is today.
Today’s forecast process is based on 1) an integrated global observing
system, 2) numerical weather, climate and hydrologic prediction models and 3)
the world’s fastest computers. He will
also describe how climate, weather and water predictions are being linked to
decision makers, including the emergency management, water resource communities, health officials
and others, and discuss how these developing requirements are helping to shape
a forecast system that can be extended to such areas as water resources and
health vectors. The talk will conclude
with a summary of the various improvements required to meet the growing demands
and increasing expectations placed on the forecast community. Improving the
“Earth-System” components of the prediction systems is only one of the
challenges. The increasing need for an
ensemble model approach to define forecast uncertainty as we push the limits of
predictability is another. Finally, as those involved in making critical
life-saving decisions (based, in part, on these prediction capabilities) become
more dependent on weather forecasts for decision support services, the way
forecasts are disseminated in critical life-threatening situations and
uncertainty conveyed will also need to be addressed. As will be discussed, the links between science
and social sciences and related challenges associated with advancing the use of
improved weather forecasts will provide a fundamental basis for taking
predictions to the next level.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Contact: Media Relations Office (518) 956-8150
Climate Change
Research, Student
Sustainability Experiences Showcased at UAlbany
Students and scientists from the ACCION project, including UAlbany Associate Professor Mathias Vuille (front right, wearing
blue cap) conducted research this summer in South America on glacier melt.
ALBANY, N.Y. (October 29, 2012) – From tropical glacier
melt in the Andes to flood-ravaged New Orleans, changing climate patterns have
had a dramatic impact on communities all over the world. Recently, scientists
and students at the University at Albany presented "a virtual field
trip" to highlight their research and studies on climate change and
sustainability.
"Our goal is to heighten campus awareness about the
issue of climate change and its impact in other parts of the world through the
eyes of our own faculty and students,” said Mary Ellen Mallia, director of the
Office of Environmental Sustainability at UAlbany.
UAlbany students engaged in service learning experiences
all over the world have had a first-person perspective on the effects of
climate change. Mallia hopes their experiences inspire other students into
action, whether it be a high engagement activity, like joining a service
learning trip, or making changes in their daily routines that are more
environmentally friendly, and to have a thought provoking dialogue on the
importance of undertaking meaningful experiences while travelling.
Highlighting the virtual fieldtrip were slides
documenting glacier retreat in the Andes. UAlbany
Associate Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Mathias Vuille
shared the slides and described his current project, partnering with the Andean
Climate Change Interamerican Observatory Network (ACCION) to conduct capacity
building for climate change adaption in South America.
This past summer, Vuille worked in the field discussing
various measurement techniques with students and glaciologists from all Andean
countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
The goal is to study aspects of current and future climate change and glacier
retreat in the Andes, which has a direct impact on the water resources of
communities throughout the region.
Vuille was accompanied by UAlbany Ph.D. student Oscar Chimborazo at Tuesday’s
presentation. Chimborazo, who is originally from Ecuador, came to the U.S. to
work with Vuille on the project. Ph.D. student Juan Sulca from Peru, is also working with Vuille on the ACCION
Project. With Vuille’s guidance, the students will work on issues related to
climate change impacts in their home countries, related to glaciers or water
resources.
UAlbany students have also engaged in study abroad
opportunities where they have gained greater insight into the global impact of
climate change, including:
- Clare Gaffey, a junior at UAlbany
from Albany, N.Y., spent spring 2012 semester at the Danish Institute for
Study Abroad (DIS) in Copenhagen, Demark. Gaffey also spent time in
Greenland, home to 10 percent of the world's total reserves of fresh water
through its 1,500-mile long ice sheet. Scientists remained concerned about
impact of rising global temperatures on the massive ice sheet, second only
to the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
- Elizabeth Maxwell, a junior from
Buffalo, N.Y., studied at the Paris-Sorbonne University in France during
the spring 2012 semester. Maxwell spent her time learning about
environmental sustainability resources abroad.
- Christine Preble, a Ph.D.
candidate in cultural anthropology from Clifton Park, N.Y., is conducting
dissertation research about the social and economic sustainability of
cruise ship mass tourism in Cozumel, Mexico.
- Stephen Oby, Jr., from Niskayuna
N.Y., who received his MSW from UAlbany’s School of Social Welfare in May
2012, recently completed a service learning experience in New Orleans,
which is still dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Friday, October 19, 2012
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP on CLIMATE CHANGE
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
- 8pm — 9:30pm, LC6
Come hear about innovative
research in climate change and student experiences with sustainability
and service learning around the world!
Information on the latest research on climate change
will be presented by Department of
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Associate
Professor Mathias Vuille. Additionally, information about students
engaged in sustainability and service learning will be shown.
Co-sponsored
by the Office of Environmental Sustainability
Monday, October 15, 2012
Dr. Roberta
Johnson has been appointed to the American Meteorological Society Board on
Outreach and Pre-College Education. Dr.
Johnson’s appointment begins on 10 January 2013 and extends for 3 years.
Thursday,
October 11, 2012
DAES
Graduate Students Archambault, MacRitchie, Thompson and Itterly Receive Awards
Heather Archambault
Recipient of the Narayan R. Gokhale Distinguished Research Scholarship Award
In recognition of demonstrated excellence, achievement, and
originality in atmospheric science research by a graduate student. Students
who receive this award have been recommended by the faculty in the department
for their demonstrated excellence, achievement, and originality in research
consistent with the legacy of Professor Narayan R. Gokhale.
BR L-R: Dan Keyser, Lance Bosart, Heather
Archambault, Sunanda Gokhale, Nita Chicatelli & Chris Thorncroft
FR L-R: Lou Chicatelli and Nina
Chicatelli
Heather Archambault is the
recipient of the 2012 Narayan R. Gokhale Distinguished Research
Scholarship Award in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
based on her distinguished doctoral dissertation entitled "The Downstream
Flow Response to Recurving Tropical cyclones in the Western North Pacific."
Heather graduated from UAlbany in December 2011. Her graduate record
is distinguished by a broad background and extensive experience in
synoptic-dynamic meteorology, with emphasis on the dynamics and predictability
of atmospheric phenomena and processes that lead to extreme weather
events. Heather is a talented communicator of her research, equally
skilled as a technical writer and graphic artist. To place this comment
into perspective, her co-advisers (Lance and Dan) can only recall several
other graduate-student advisees during their faculty careers at UAlbany, which
collectively span almost 70 years, whose scientific communication skills were
as advanced as those of Heather. She presently holds a National Research
Council postdoctoral fellowship at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
Her postdoctoral research on tropical cyclone-induced downstream Rossby
wave trains over the North Pacific is important from two perspectives:
First, these wave trains can incite extreme weather events over North America
that also can coincide with episodes of reduced forecast skill in operational
global weather prediction models. Second, these extreme weather events
can contribute significantly to intraseasonal variations in temperature
and rainfall, which are a topic of interest to climate scientists.
Previous
Recipients: Thomas Galarneau (‘11), Gareth Berry (‘09), Kristen Corbosiero (‘05),
Anantha Aiyyer (‘04), Rolf Staebler (‘03), Gary Wojcik (‘02), Christian
Hofgrefe (‘01), Jeffrey M. Freedman (‘00), Philip Cunningham (‘99), Matthew E.
Pyle (‘98), Richard K. Sakai and Stephen J. Cox (‘97)
Kyle
MacRitchie
Recipient of the Bernard Vonnegut Teaching Award
In recognition of
extraordinary dedication to teaching by an atmospheric science graduate
student, consistent with the gentle but probing instructional legacy of
Distinguished Professor Bernard Vonnegut.
L-R: Dan Keyser, Kyle
MacRitchie, Alex Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut and Chris Thorncroft
Kyle MacRitchie is also a
recipient of the 2012 Bernard Vonnegut Teaching Award in recognition of
his outstanding contributions as a teaching assistant to instructional programs
in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences during the 2009-10,
2010-11, and 2011-12 academic years. Kyle's contributions as a TA include
the general education program, where he was a TA for Geo 110 (The Search for
Life Beyond Earth); the atmospheric science B.S. program, where he was a TA
for Atm 305 (Global Physical Climatology) and 320 (Atmospheric
Thermodynamics); and the atmospheric science graduate program, where he was a
TA for Atm 510 (Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology I). Kyle also was
the instructor of record for Atm 100 (The Atmosphere)
during the 2011 and 2012 summer sessions. Kyle's nominator for the
Vonnegut Award, Dan Keyser, and Dan's students in Atm 320 and Atm 510
benefited immensely from Kyle's gentle, patient, and effective style
in helping students understand the course material, complete problem sets, and
prepare for exams. Kyle's contributions to Atm 320 and Atm
510 were consistently recognized and appreciated by
students through often-repeated comments to Dan that Kyle helped
them develop the confidence and strategies not only to do dynamics but to do
well in it. Finally, Kyle has expressed interest in university teaching
as a postgraduate career objective, making this award all the more fitting and
appropriate.
Previous
recipients: Jason Cordeira (‘11), Jonas Asuma & Nicholas Metz (’10), Patrick H.
Wilson (‘09), Thomas Galarneau (’08), Keith Wagner (‘06), Alan Srock (‘05),
Alicia Wasula (‘04), David Thomas (‘03), Matthew Novak (‘02), Joshua Darr
(‘01), Eyad Atallah (‘00), Olga Sharoichenko (‘99) and Teresa Bals-Elscholz
(‘98).
Daniel
Thompson
Recipient of
the Bernard Vonnegut Teaching Award
In recognition of
extraordinary dedication to teaching by an atmospheric science graduate
student, consistent with the gentle but probing instructional legacy of
Distinguished Professor Bernard Vonnegut.
Dan
Thompson served as the teaching assistant for Ross Lazear’s courses in 'Weather
Analysis and Forecasting' and 'Severe and Hazardous Weather'. From the
start, Dan was extremely enthusiastic and able in his TA duties. He was
successfully able to give in-depth weather discussions in front of class, while
always making sure to tie in the latest lecture material into his discussions.
Many students in ATM 311 are nervous to lead their first weather and
forecasting discussions, and Dan served as an excellent mentor and tutor to
these students, always making them feel comfortable beforehand, and helping
them come to their own analysis of the data in front of them. Without
prompting, Dan came up with a detailed grading rubric for these discussions,
which Ross plans on using for future classes. Without question, Dan was
an excellent teaching assistant. As the instructor of the courses he
assisted, Ross was always fully confident that he would perform his duties up
to the highest level, while contributing to a relaxed, enjoyable learning
environment in class.
Previous
recipients: Jason Cordeira (‘11), Jonas Asuma & Nicholas Metz (’10), Patrick H.
Wilson (‘09), Thomas Galarneau (’08), Keith Wagner (‘06), Alan Srock (‘05),
Alicia Wasula (‘04), David Thomas (‘03), Matthew Novak (‘02), Joshua Darr
(‘01), Eyad Atallah (‘00), Olga Sharoichenko (‘99) and Teresa Bals-Elscholz
(‘98).
Kyle Itterly
Recipient of the Winthrop D. Means Award for Excellence
In recognition of
consistently demonstrating effectiveness and dedication in teaching, and in
promoting the essential qualities of critical thinking among students
representative of the distinguished academic career of Professor Winthrop D.
Means.
L-R: Kyle Itterly, Winthrop D. Means and Chris Thorncroft
Kyle Itterly is receiving this award for his initiative, reliability, and
readiness to help instructor and students alike, in his duties as a teaching
assistant for ENV105 Intro to Environmental Science and ENV250 Sustainable
Development. He additionally gave two lectures, standing in for Prof.
Delano, that were extremely well-received by the students. Kyle’s Master's
thesis research involves validating Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) measurements
for the ASRC solar radiation model produced and maintained by Dr. Perez and his
research team. An extremely challenging but important area of
research for many reasons including the solar energy industry. It
is worth mentioning that Kyle spent 10 weeks at NASA’s Langley Research Center
in Hampton, Va. This past summer, as an intern in the Langley Aerospace
Research Student Scholars
program. Kyle was working in the Science Directorate in the
Climate Science Branch gaining hands-on experience while working side by side
with NASA scientists, engineers and technicians who serve as mentors. Kyle
plans to graduate in December this year and hopes to go on to do a PhD after.
Previous
recipients: Jennifer Gillen (‘09),
Samantha Langton (‘06), Matthew Montario (‘05), Lucas Benedict (‘04’), Adam
Schoonmaker (‘03), James MacDonald (‘02), Barbara Fletcher (‘01) and Heather
Short (’00).
Monday,
September 24, 2012
Nick Schiraldi and
Eric Adamchick Participated in a Lightning Research Project at the
International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT)
DAES
Graduate Student Nick Schiraldi (’12) and DAES Undergraduate Student Eric
Adamchick, participated in a major lightning research project at the
International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) in Camp
Blanding, Florida for the past two summers. The ICLRT facility is run by Dr.
Martin Uman and associates of the University of Florida, and is the world’s
most advanced such facility for research on the essential physics of lightning.
The funding for this work derives from a major DARPA award to the UF
group, with a subcontract to DAES Associate Professor, Dr. Vincent Idone to perform advanced high-speed or “streak”
photography of “artificially initiated” or triggered lightning events generated
during thunderstorms at the site. (Small rockets trailing a thin, grounded wire
are launched during the electrified conditions during a thunderstorm; once
initiated, the lightning attaches to a predetermined terminus at ground,
allowing optimal study of the many fast and complex processes involved.) To do
this type of photography, a rather exotic camera system is used. Upon launch of
the trigger rocket, the camera is started manually; it then rapidly pulls 400
feet of film through in only about 3.5 seconds, yielding a time resolution of
better than a millionth of a second in the recording. However, changing the
film and reloading is no trivial task for such a camera. Nick and Eric did this
flawlessly, and were on site at ICLRT for two months each, operating the camera
during the recent summers of 2011 and 2012, respectively. Thanks to their
outstanding efforts, there is a solid dataset for subsequent analysis. In
addition, Nick and Eric used their atmospheric science backgrounds to provide
invaluable convective forecasting for the site. This was much appreciated, as
almost all the other participants were not meteorologists, but electrical
engineers! As noted by Dr. Uman, Nick and Eric made a serious impression in
this regard as well.
“Triggered” Flash Eric Adamchick Nick Schiraldi
Monday,
September 10, 2012
Dr. Elinor Martin, a postdoctoral fellow working with
Professor Chris Thorncroft in DAES, will
be attending the "International workshop on interdecadal variability of
the global monsoons" at the Nanjing University of Information Science and
Technology (NUIST), Nanjing, China on the September 10-12. Dr. Martin was awarded
funding from UCAR to attend the workshop, which is sponsored in part by the
World Climate Research Program.
The major objectives of this
workshop are to:
(a) Review evidence of monsoon
interdecadal variability collectively and regionally;
(b) Discuss how these variations are linked to each other and other major modes
of interdecadal variability in the global oceans such as the PDO, IPO, or AMO,
and to climate change;
(c) Examine possible mechanisms underlying these interdecadal variations,
including in simulations and numerical experiments that address driving
physical processes with the goal of assessing the predictability of monsoon
interdecadal variations.
Dr. Martin will be presenting a
poster at the workshop entitled "Multi-Decadal Variability of West African
Rainfall and Atlantic SSTs in CMIP5 Simulations".
Friday,
August 31, 2012
Susan D. Phillips, Ph.D., Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
Welcomes New Department of Atmospheric
and Environmental Sciences Faculty
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Monday,
June 18, 2012
University at Albany Appoints New Faculty in Atmospheric and Environmental
Science
ALBANY,
N.Y. (June 14, 2012) — Provost Susan Phillips announced today the appointment
of six new faculty members in atmospheric and environmental science, a center
of excellence for research and education in weather and climate, including data
analysis, modeling and prediction. The Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences and
the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
constitute the largest, single group of scientists in New York State with
expertise in meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, earth atmosphere interactions,
climate study, prediction and forecasting.
“These
new faculty members build on a recognized area of strength,” Provost Phillips
observed, “and position the University at Albany for even greater visibility
and impact in New York State, nationally, and internationally as we seek to
bring systematic knowledge about weather and climate into service on behalf of
societal needs and economic development.”
Among those joining the
faculty in the coming year are:
Dr.
Aiguo Dai – Dr. Dai will join the faculty in September as an
associate professor. He is currently a Scientist III with the Climate and
Global Dynamics Division of the National Center for Atmospheric
Research. Dr. Dai has developed a distinguished career improving
understanding of the global water cycle, atmospheric convection and
precipitation processes, atmospheric tides, climate model diagnostics and
evaluation, long-term climate change, climate data analysis, hydrometeorology,
and drought. He has also published papers on the variability and changes of the
thermohaline (or overturning) circulation in the oceans as well as the global
carbon cycle. His research areas cover much of the Earth’s climate system,
including interactions of different components of the system.
Dr.
Roberta Johnson – Dr. Johnson will join the faculty
in August as a clinical professor. She is the Executive Director for the National Earth Science Teachers
Association (NESTA), the nation’s largest association of Earth and
space science educators at the K-12 level. Dr. Johnson’s research program has
focused on the dynamics of the Earth’s upper atmosphere and solar-terrestrial
coupling. She has also been centrally involved in highly successful efforts to
develop education and outreach programs associated with multiple sponsors,
including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the Hewlett Foundation,
and other organizations. She is the director of the Windows to the Universe
project. Dr. Johnson will continue her educational efforts, including her role
at NESTA, as a component of her activities at UAlbany.
Dr.
Andrea Angela Lopez Lang – Dr. Lang will join
the faculty in September as an assistant professor. For this past year she was
a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Atmospheric and
Environmental Sciences. Dr. Lang’s research interests include synoptic
dynamics, dynamics of the jets, the tropopause, and the upper troposphere/lower
stratosphere (UTLS) region, stratosphere-troposphere coupling, and the impact
of convection on the UTLS. Her work is focused presently on the structure,
evolution, and dynamics of mid-latitude jet-front systems, with implications
for increasing understanding of the role of synoptic processes in
troposphere-stratosphere coupling. She is currently working on a project
focusing on the changes to midlatitude jet circulations during the extra-tropical
transition of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific.
Dr.
Jiping Liu – Dr. Liu will join the faculty in January as an
assistant professor. He is currently a Senior Research Scientist in the School
of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr.
Liu’s research is focused on climate dynamics, particularly on sea ice, polar
climates, and air/sea interactions. He has developed a particular expertise in
atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and ocean surface fluxes. His work involves
climate modeling, conducting climate model experiments, and integrating satellite
data sets in his research. He is principal investigator for an NSF grant
entitled “A High Resolution Analysis of Ocean Surface Turbulent Fluxes for the
Southern Ocean.”
Dr.
Justin Minder – Dr. Minder will join the faculty in September as an
assistant professor. He is currently a Richard Foster Flint Post-Doctoral
Fellow in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University. Dr.
Minder’s research has extended the relatively new field of mesoscale climate
dynamics. He has deployed observational networks and employed regional climate
models to enrich understanding of precipitation processes near mountain ranges.
His work also incorporates studies of hydrological cycles, climate dynamics,
rain-triggered landslides, and snowpacks. He received the ICAM Young Scientist
Presentation Award in 2009, and the AMS Mountain Meteorology Young Scientist
Presentation Award in 2010.
Dr.
Brian Tang – Dr. Tang will join the faculty in September as an
assistant professor. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Advanced
Study Program of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Dr. Tang’s
research program addresses topics related to the climatology of tropical
disturbances that might have potential to become tropical cyclones. He also
studies effects of moisture in the lower atmosphere on tropical cyclone
development. His work has improved understanding of the interactions between
extreme weather events and the broader climate system. He received the Max A.
Eaton Prize at the AMS Tropical Meteorology and Hurricane Conference in 2008.
Faculty
appointed to the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences and the
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center have attracted $60 million in competitive
research grants and sponsored funds over the past ten years. The Department
serves undergraduate majors as well as masters and doctoral students in
addition to offering highly popular courses on the oceans, the atmosphere, and
environmental science.
Monday,
May 21, 2012
The
Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Science is proud to announce that Heather M. Archambault (PhD ’11, MS
’05) has been selected to receive the
University at Albany’s 2012 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award. This prize is awarded to the best
dissertation in any field in the College.
Dr. Archambault’s dissertation, “The Downstream Flow Response to Recurving
Tropical Cyclones in the Western North Pacific” was advised by Professor Daniel Keyser, and
Distinguished Professor Lance Bosart.
Friday, March 30, 2012
UAlbany Undergraduate
Research Conference Accepts Attard and Keefer Proposals
The 2012 Undergraduate
Research Conference which celebrates the research, scholarly
work, and creative work of UAlbany undergraduates, has accepted proposals from Department
of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences students Hannah Attard and Jason
Keefer. The Undergraduate Research
Conference will be held Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 in the UAlbany
Lecture Center.
Hannah Attard:
“Large-Scale Precursors to Major Lake-Effect
Snowstorms Lee of Lake Erie”
Jason Keefer:
“The Rapid Intensification
of Hurricane Gustav (2008)”
Monday, March 26, 2012
UAlbany Climate Scientist Leads International Effort to Address Impact of
Shrinking Andes Glaciers on Water Supplies
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This photo indicates
severe glacial retreat on the Andes Mountains in Colombia. |
ALBANY,
N.Y. (March 23, 2012) – University at Albany climate scientist, Mathias Vuille,
will lead the development of a network of local scientists and stakeholders in
four South American countries to address the impact on water supplies of
shrinking glaciers in the Andes. A number of studies in recent years have
documented the general retreat of glaciers in the Andes. As a result, water
managers and decision makers are increasingly asking the scientific community
for quantitative projections regarding future water supply.
According
to Vuille, an assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at
UAlbany, the four countries – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile – all rely to
a great extent on water released by glaciers. Warming temperatures, however,
have resulted in significant glacial retreat, shrinkage and thinning, and the
situation suggests the potential for a severe future water crisis in the
region.
"We
plan to create the Andean Climate Change Interamerican Observatory Network
(ACCION) with the aim of increasing the capacity in the Andean region and to
deal with this crisis in an anticipatory manner. The goal is to build a
sustainable network of local scientists and stakeholders who can translate and
implement the latest scientific results into on-the-ground adaptation measures
in the four countries," said Vuille.
The
project team includes scientists from several European institutions and
universities, research centers and NGOs in South America. The team will
coordinate its activities with related efforts by international organizations,
such as UNESCO, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation. In each of the four countries, training workshops
for local scientists, water managers and related stakeholders, and outreach
activities are also planned to help close the gap between scientific research and
local planning and adaptation.
Vuille
said the plan is to “leverage the variety of already existing but seldom
coordinated and somewhat disconnected initiatives and efforts ongoing in the
Andes."
The
project is funded by a $990,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State's
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The
project will also bring several students from South American countries to
UAlbany to work toward doctoral degrees in the Department of Atmospheric and
Environmental Sciences. Their areas of study will be related to climate change,
glaciers and water resources as they pertain directly to their home countries.
"When
these students return to their home countries, they will be able to apply their
expertise to better understand and project climate-related changes in glacial
runoff and stream discharges. Their information and analyses will, in turn,
inform policy making," said Vuille.
The
Andes are relatively moist compared with extremely arid coastal deserts to the
west or the semi-arid pampas to the east. Much of the snow falling in the Andes
is stored as ice in mountain glaciers, before being gradually released over
time.
"Glaciers
therefore act as critical buffers against seasonal precipitation and provide
water for domestic, agricultural or industrial use during periods when rainfall
is absent," said Vuille. "By bringing together communities from
natural, engineering, social and economic sciences with affected populations
and decision makers we hope to establish a predictive understanding of future Andean
water supply and demand. It is in this context that adaptation and mitigation
strategies regarding a sustainable future water supply in the region need to be
discussed and evaluated."
Vuille
has more than 20 years of experience working in all Andean countries on climate
change, glacier retreat and water resources and has collaborated for several
years with the organizations participating in this project. He has published
more than 50 peer-reviewed articles on topics of climate change, glacier mass and
energy balance and serves as a contributing author to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. He is a senior fellow in the Energy and Climate
Partnership of the Americas.
Media Relations Office News Release: http://www.albany.edu/news/22600.php?WT.eml=nc
Friday, March 23, 2012
SUNY-Oswego Meteorology Students Visit the University at Albany Department of
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES)
Twenty-four students from
SUNY-Oswego’s Meteorology 302 class traveled to the University at Albany,
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAES) March 8th to tour the
facilities, and attend a presentation about the principles of surface
meteorological analysis.
SUNY-Oswego Professor Scott
Steiger, faculty colleague Professor Robert Ballentine and accompanying
undergraduate students visited the National Weather Service (NWS) in Albany,
attended an overview of the DAES maproom, including a weather briefing from Instructional Support Specialist Ross
Lazear, followed by a presentation by Distinguished
Professor Lance Bosart on the principles of surface meteorological
analysis. Professor Steiger’s Met 302 students joined Professor Bosart’s ATM
401/501 students in a collective assignment to analyze and discuss a surface
weather map (sea level pressure and surface potential temperature) followed by
small group forecast exercises and team presentations. University at Albany
Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences seniors Nick Schiraldi and Jason Keefer assisted. Pizza and sandwiches were generously
provided by the Albany American
Meteorological Society (AMS) student chapter for everyone before the
SUNY-Oswego students returned home.
Friday,
March 9, 2012
Knight
Receives 2012 DeSouza Unidata Community Service Award
David Knight Research Associate at the University at
Albany, Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences has been named
recipient of the 2012 Russell L. DeSouza Award.
“This award honors individuals whose energy, expertise, and active
involvement enable the Unidata Program to better serve geoscience. Honorees
personify Unidata's ideal of a community that shares data, software, and ideas
through computing and networking technologies.
Since its inception in June 1983, the Unidata Program has benefited from
the commitment of a number of individuals. This award is named after Russell L.
DeSouza, whose involvement with and contributions to Unidata were exemplary.”
David
is being honored for his many contributions over the years, explicitly for helping
education and research communities gain access to lightning data. David will give an invited presentation at
the Users Committee Meeting in Boulder, Colorado, April 2-3, 2012 on his work
with Unidata, as well as the data, software and tools involved.
Additional information about the DeSouza Award can be seen at: http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/community/desouza/
Friday, January 27, 2012
On January 24, the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
held its second annual alumni reception at the 92nd American Meteorological
Society annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nearly 100 guests made
up of alumni, current faculty, staff, students and friends of the department
conversed over hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Next January, the reception
will take place in Austin, Texas.
Photo link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.284109014982656.66387.108638635863029&type=3
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Distinguished Professor Lance Bosart has been appointed to the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS)/National Research Council (NRC), Board of Atmospheric
Sciences and Climate (BASC) for a three-year term through 31 July 2014. Lance
previously served a three-year term on BASC almost 20 years ago. The NAS was
established by President Abraham Lincoln on 3 March 1863 with the charge that
"…the Academy shall whenever called upon by any department of the
government, investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of
science or art…." Our scientific disciplines are much bigger and broader
than they were in 1863 in the middle of the Civil War. The NRC-BASC is charged
with the reporting responsibility for the atmospheric sciences and climate.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Climate Change Expert Mathias
Vuille to Visit Colombia on Behalf of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the
Americas
Washington, D.C., November
14, 2011 – Mathias Vuille, a Senior Fellow
in the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), will be traveling
to Colombia November 15, 2011 through November 18, 2011 to participate in
meetings and events regarding how climate change will affect glacier conditions
and water availability in the high Andes. Vuille is an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University at
Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) who specializes in climate change
and glacier mass and energy balance. The Senior ECPA Fellows program is a
network of high-level technical experts in the fields of climate change and
energy who travel to countries in the Western Hemisphere to consult with governments
and share best practices and is administered by Partners of the Americas.
Dr. Vuille has published over 50
peer-reviewed articles on topics of climate change and glacier mass and energy
balance and serves as a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC). During his stay in Colombia, Vuille will be
participating in discussions with the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and
Environmental Studies, the Ministry of the Environment, and the National
University. Vuille will also be a keynote speaker at the 7th Inter-American Dialogue on Water
Management.
Partners of the Americas is an international network that promotes social and economic
development in the Americas through leadership, voluntary service, and
development programs. Its mission is to connect individuals, volunteers,
institutions, businesses, and communities to serve and to change lives through
lasting partnerships. Partners envisions an
interconnected hemisphere that maximizes the social and economic potential, and
leverages the full diversity, of the Americas. For more information, visit www.partners.net.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Assistant Professor Paul Roundy was awarded a $504,951
grant from the National Science Foundation for support of the project “Analysis
of the Influence of Convectively Coupled Atmospheric Waves and Extratropical
Rossby Waves on the Structure and Evolution of the Observed Madden Julian
Oscillation (MJO).” November 15, 2011 - October 31, 2014.
Friday, November 11, 2011
JOINT COLLOQUIUM SERIES
DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES &
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER
Tropical Cyclogenesis in Wind Shear: Climatological Relationships and Physical
Processes
David S. Nolan
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science University of
Miami
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, 11:00 am
Earth Science, Room 232
The formation of tropical cyclones remains a topic of great
interest in the field of tropical meteorology. A number of influential studies
have considered the process of tropical cyclone formation (also known as TC
genesis) from a pre-existing, weak tropical disturbance in a quiescent
atmosphere from theoretical perspectives and using numerical simulations.
However, it is shown that the large majority of TC genesis events occur under
the influence of significant vertical wind shear. The effects of wind shear on
TC genesis is explored from both a climatological perspective and from the
statistics of wind shear in environments around individual TC genesis events.
While earlier studies suggested that moderate wind shear values, in the range
of 5 to 10 ms-1, were the most favorable states for genesis, it is shown that
small values of wind shear in the range of 1.25 to 5 ms-1 are the most
favorable, and very little shear (less than 1.25 ms-1) is not unfavorable.
Statistically, easterly shear appears to be more favorable than westerly shear.
The physical process of TC genesis in wind shear is explored with
high-resolution numerical simulations using a mesoscale model in an idealized
framework. The transformation of a weak, mid-level vortex into a warm-cored
tropical cyclone is simulated in environments with no flow, with mean flow and
no wind shear, and with mean flow and wind shear. The simulations show that in
terms of the formation of a closed, low-level circulation, moderate wind shear
is indeed more conducive to genesis, but is also prohibitive to further
development. However, in contrast to the statistical findings and some previous
results, westerly shear is found to be significantly more favorable for TC
genesis than easterly shear. The reasons for the greater favorableness of wind
shear versus no wind shear, and of westerly shear versus easterly shear, are
discussed within the context of the numerical simulations. Further statistical
analysis suggests that the greater favorableness for easterly shear in the real
atmosphere may be due to a correlation between easterly shear and more
favorable thermodynamic conditions.
Monday,
October 24, 2011
JOINT COLLOQUIUM SERIES
DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ATMOSPHERIC
SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER
Chris Walcek, Atmospheric Science Research Center
Monday, October 24, 2011, 4:15 pm
Earth Science, Room 232
"Cloud-Top Entrainment Instability and its Possible Role in the Famous
Langmuir/Schaefer Albany-Area Cloud Seeding Experiments"
Friday, September 23, 2011
Department
of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Incoming Graduate Students 2011-2012
L-R:
James Kenyon, Philippe Papin, Hanisha Hirani,
Alicia Bentley, Larry Gloeckler, Chris Colose and Victor Torres.
Absent: Sergey Kivalov
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tornado near Amsterdam, filmed by UAlbany ATM grad Lindsay Phillips:
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Was-that-a-tornado-Indeed-it-was-2156034.php
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Three graduate students
from the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences successfully defended
their Ph.D. dissertations this month:
Heather M. Archambault - Monday, July 25th, 2011
"The Downstream Extratropical Flow Response to Recurving Western North
Pacific Tropical Cyclones"
Nicholas Metz - Monday, July 25th, 2011
"Persistence
and Dissipation of Lake Michigan-Crossing Mesoscale Convective Systems"
Kay Shelton - Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
"EASTERLY
WAVES AND TROPICAL CYCLOGENESIS IN THE CARIBBEAN"
Tuesday, July 20, 2011
UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Program finds
Success on Many Fronts
http://www.albany.edu/news/15103.php?WT.eml=nc
For UAlbany graduates with a degree in Atmospheric Science,
not even the sky is the limit. A wealth of weather-related career opportunities
are within reach – including federal posts, top flight graduate programs, and
positions within major corporations.
Josh Darr, '02, is a meteorologist for Chesapeake Energy.
"We figure out, 'Are there weather-based opportunities from a pricing standpoint
of how we sell our gas into the national pipeline network,' " said Darr.
He adds that the world-class education he received at UAlbany was invaluable to
his success working in the commodities sector.
Kimberly McMahon, '05, a meteorologist with the National
Weather Service (NWS), highlighted the benefit of having the agency's Albany
office strategically located within walking distance of UAlbany's uptown
campus. "Because of my ability to do an internship with the National
Weather Service -- when I graduated – I was their No. 1 pick," said
McMahon. She now provides real-time weather data to everyone from emergency
managers to the media and public.
For more information, visit the Department of Atmospheric and
Environmental Sciences. http://www.atmos.albany.edu/
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Albany, NY (WAMC) –
In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. James Schwab of the University at Albany
discusses the complexity and mysteries of cloud formation.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1815995
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Kalin Kochnev is so
fascinated with weather
and meteorology, (“he reads all the books he can get his hands on about
weather!” said his Mom Annie) that in celebration of this 8th
birthday on May 24th, Kalin’s parents surprised him with a visit to
the University at Albany Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Map Room, for a tour and a chat with in-house Meteorologist Ross Lazear.
