News Archive
April - June 2006
6/29/2006 - New ARM Science Program Director Announced
Dr. Kiran Alapaty was recently named the new ARM Science Program Director.
Dr. Kiran Alapaty has joined the Climate Change Research Division within DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research to manage the ARM Science Program. Prior to Dr. Alapaty's appointment, both the ARM Science Program and ARM Climate Research Facility infrastructure were directed by Dr. Wanda Ferrell. Dr. Alapaty will direct and oversee the research and planning of the ARM science team and work closely with Dr. Ferrell, the Program Director for the ARM Climate Research Facility.
Prior to joining DOE, Dr. Alapaty was on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignment (IPA) to the National Science Foundation from University of North Carolina. As an IPA assignee, he co-managed NSF's Climate and Large-scale Dynamics program in the Atmospheric Sciences Division of the Geosciences Directorate. He also contributed to the integration of several cross-divisional programs at NSF, including Dynamical and Physical Meteorology, Atmospheric Chemistry, Hydrology, Polar Science, Geography, and Oceanography.
Dr. Alapaty was a Research Associate Professor at University of North Carolina from 2003-2004 and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University from 1993-2002. At Carolinas, he conducted research on, among other things, boundary layer modeling, land surface modeling, cumulus convection, and developing new data assimilation schemes, atmospheric chemistry-transport modeling, and regional and intercontinental ozone and aerosol modeling. Kiran holds a B.S. degree from Andhra University in India, a M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore India, and both an M.S. and a PhD degree in Atmospheric Sciences from North Carolina State University.
6/22/06 - Tropical Western Pacific Manus Facility Welcomes Taddy Baras
Taddy Baras recently joined the TWP Manus Facility Operations team.
The ARM Program is pleased to welcome Taddy Baras as the newest member of the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) Manus Facility Operations team. He joins officer-in-charge Hymson Waffi and fellow on-site observers, James Peppa and Myra Selan. A veteran meteorological observer for the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service, Taddy will be an asset to the Manus operations in its successful delivery of climate data.
Taddy's career in weather observation started 12 years ago when he joined the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Weather Service (NWS) as a trainee meteorological observer. After 11 months of training at the Civil Aviation Training College in Port Moresby, he became an observer at a weather station in his hometown of Wewak, a coastal city in the Ambunti District of the East Sepik Province. He remained in his assignment at the Wewak weather station until accepting the recent transfer to the TWP Manus facility.
5/9/06 - Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Features ARM Mobile Facility's African Field Campaign
The April 2006 version of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, or BAMS, includes a short feature about the Radiative Divergence using AMF, GERB and AMMA Stations (RADAGAST) field campaign in Niamey, Niger, West Africa. The article appears in the "NOWCAST" section of the publication, which is not available online. Look on page 411-412 of the hardcopy (Volume 87, Number 4) to read the article, or see the DOE Press Release, which the article was drawn from.
5/5/06 - ARM Mobile Facility's African Deployment Highlighted in GEWEX News
The February issue (Volume 16, No.1) of GEWEX News is devoted to the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA), and includes the ARM Mobile Facility's participation.
In the GEWEX News February issue (Volume 16, No.1)—an issue devoted to the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) field campaign—the ARM Mobile Facility deployments in Niger are described as part of the U.S. efforts in the article entitled, "US Contributions to the 2006 AMMA Field Campaign" (pp.11-13). This online newsletter, published by the International Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Project Office, provides articles on the impacts of changes to the West African Monsoon; AMMA's land-surface modeling intercomparison projects; geostationary satellites and their influence on global surface albedo; the First International AMMA Conference in Dakar, Senegal; and the African, European, and U.S. contributions to the field campaign.
Beginning in January 2006, the second deployment began of the mobile facility in Niamey, Niger, West Africa, at the Niger Meteorological Office at Niamey International Airport. A second site, the ancillary site, was established approximately 60 km from Niamey and collocated with the AMMA hydrologists site to compare radiative measurements from the natural environment of the Sahel region against those taken at the more developed surface area around the airport. This deployment is timed to coincide with the field phases and Special Observing Periods of the AMMA. The ARM Program is participating in this international effort as the Radiative Divergence using AMF, GERB and AMMA Stations (RADAGAST) field campaign.
4/21/06 - New Chair Appointed to the ACRF Science Board
In January, Dr. Sally Benson began her 2-year term as chair of the ACRF Science Board.
In January 2006, Dr. Sally Benson was appointed to a 2-year term as the new chair of the ACRF Science Board. As the chair, Dr. Benson will lead the Board in ensuring that the highest quality science is conducted at the ACRF.
From 1993 to 2005, Dr. Benson held a number of senior management positions at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, including Deputy Director for Operations, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences, and the Earth Sciences Division Director. As a staff scientist in the Earth Sciences Division at the Lab, she has spent the last seven years developing the scientific foundations for storage of carbon dioxide in deep geological formations. Dr. Benson received her BA from Barnard College in New York, and her MS and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
In addition to Dr. Benson's appointment, four new members were added to the Board to replace outgoing members. These members include Dr. Mary Barth, Dr. Dave Bader, Dr. Warren Wiscombe, and Dr. Beat Schmid. The 11-member Board, comprised of highly respected ARM-supported scientists and representatives from the external climate research community, is chartered to review scientific proposals for use of the ACRF.
4/12/06 - Dust Storm Descends on ARM Mobile Facility in West Africa
On Tuesday, March 7, the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) recorded the onset of a large Saharan dust storm in Niamey, Niger. The dust storm approached the site at about 0930 UTC and rapidly reduced visibility. A thicker dust cloud, several kilometers in height, rolled in about 1230 UTC, reducing visibility even further. The dust storm continued unabated for two more days and then gradually dissipated over the next several days. This was the largest dust storm recorded in the area in the past two years. Satellite images indicate the storm originated in the central Sahara, driven by a cold air outbreak from Europe. Read the full story.
Research from the Aerosol Intensive Operations Period in May 2003 is featured in a special section of the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres.
4/6/2006 - ARM Aerosol Research Featured in JGR-Atmospheres Special Issue
In a special issue recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres (Vol. 111), scientists funded by the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program report their research from an intensive field campaign conducted in May 2003 at the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in north central Oklahoma. This special issue entitled, "Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement May 2003 Aerosol Intensive Operations Period," presents 15 papers examining the properties and radiative influences of aerosols, and reports results from the Aerosol Intensive Operational Period. Scientists involved in the campaign used in situ airborne measurements and surface-, airborne-, and space-based remote sensing techniques to examine the properties and radiative influences of aerosols over the SGP site. The papers in the special section detail the ground-based and airborne instrumentation, the measurements, and the associated analyses.
Events
6/13/06 - ACRF to Exhibit at Air & Waste Management Association's 99th Annual Conference
Visit the ARM Climate Research Facility exhibit at the upcoming Air & Waste Management Association's (A&WMA) 99th Annual Conference and Exhibition to be held in New Orleans, Lousiana, on June 20-23. The A&WMA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that provides technology exchange, training, networking opportunities, and public outreach to more than 9,000 environmental professionals in 65 countries. This year's theme of "Healthy Environments: Rebirth and Renewal" is right in line with the rebuilding of New Orleans. So plan to join thousands of leading environmental professionals and senior-level representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at this premier environmental education, networking, and solutions event. For more information, see the conference website.
5/19/2006 - 2006 Joint Assembly Set to Begin in Baltimore May 23
The 2006 Joint Assembly will be held May 23-26 at the Baltimore Convention Center (CC), in Baltimore, Maryland. The Program Committee is developing a Union-wide science program that will cover topics in all areas of geophysical sciences. Located in the heart of Baltimore's booming downtown and Inner Harbor, the Joint Assembly will offer exciting sessions and a relaxing atmosphere. The Joint Assembly is a partnership between the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Geochemical Society (GS), the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS), the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), and Unión Geofísica Mexicana (UGM).
For more information, see the meeting website.
5/5/06 - Deadline Extended to May 12 for Abstracts for the Earth System Science Partnership Open Science Conference in Beijing
Abstracts are still being accepted for the upcoming Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) Open Science Conference in Beijing this November 9-12. Scientists, policy makers, practitioners, scholars, and members of the private sector are encouraged to submit online contributions by May 12 for poster or parallel session presentations by filling out the submission form.
ESSP will present progress on understanding the natural and social systems of global environmental change and highlight the ESSP approach to the study of the Earth System through a series of plenary and parallel sessions. Poster sessions and a town hall meeting are also planned. Conference themes will include:
- Earth System Science Approach: New advances in studies of the physical, biogeochemical, biodiversity, and human dimensions aspects of global environmental change.
- Science for Sustainability: Global environmental change research relating to carbon, food, human health, and water; as reflected in the ESSP Joint Projects.
- Integrated Regional Studies: The dynamics, impacts and consequences of the interactions between natural and social systems at regional scales, including extreme events, and how they connect with global-scale phenomena.
- Global Change in Monsoon Asia: Global environmental change research in monsoon Asia.
For more information, see the conference website.
5/5/06 - GCOS/NOAA Upper-Air Workshop II Set to Begin May 22
On May 22-24, climate community leaders will convene at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory for the Global Climate Observing System/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (GCOS/NOAA) Upper-Air Workshop II to identify technological options for a reference network to provide full characterization of the atmospheric column characteristics for several decades into the future. Surface-based, radiosonde-based, and other instrumentation will be the basis of the network, much of which already exists at current GCOS Upper Air Network (GUAN) stations or in other networks, such as the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) and the ARM Program. This workshop, the second in a series jointly sponsored by the GCOS and the NOAA, will focus on building the reference network and how it will fit into the "cascade of networks." A summary of the first workshop, held in Boulder, Colorado, in February 2005, is available at here.
Employment Opportunities
3/23/06 - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Seeks Associate Director for Climate Physics
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a leader for their Climate Physics Group. As part of the Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division at PNNL, the Climate Physics Group conducts integrated research projects that include field research, data analysis, and theoretical and modeling studies. A key aspect of this position involves bringing together scientific and applied methodologies in fundamental research and measurement science in order to improve the sophisticated and intensive computer models used in climate change research.
Researchers have access to a full range of state-of-the-art research and measurement tools, and are engaged in the development and use of research assets such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research's (NCAR) Community Climate System Model, the Multi-scale Modeling Framework, and the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.
The successful candidate is expected to have a national reputation in the science and leadership of climate change research, and should demonstrate a broad understanding of issues associated with global change modeling, from the local scale to regional and global scales.
This position has been filled. For more job opportunities, see www.jobs.pnl.gov.
