American Meteorological Society Wright Memorial Chapter

Transcription

1 American Meteorological Society Wright Memorial Chapter JULY 2008 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 5 In this newsletter: Minutes from 8 July 2008 Meeting From the National AMS Picture of the Month Minutes from 8 July 2008 Meeting AMS Wright Memorial Chapter meeting of 8 July 2008 Meeting of Chapter with Dr. Steve Fiorino, President. Beef O Brady s, Beavercreek, OH 11 Attendees Certificates of Appreciation Presented in Support of TechFest 2008 Dr. Fiorino presented Wright-Patterson Education Outreach Certificates of Appreciation to Wright Chapter Members that participated at TechFest Members (left to right, top to bottom) that supported TechFest included Steve Callis, Allison Schauer, Karen Kowalewsky, Steve Fiorino, Paul Gehred, Fred Meyer, John Turnbull (not shown), and Mary Bedrick (not shown).

2 US Coast Guard Auxiliary by Karen Kowalewsky The evening presentation was provided by Karen Kowalewsky about her experiences as a new member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Dr Kowalewsky works at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as a member of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC). She is a Meteorologist/Airborne Research Scientist. She is also a trainee of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCG AUX), 8th Eastern Region, Flotilla 6-10, Hillsboro, OH. She also serves as the Publications Flotilla Staff Officer (FSO-PB). Eventually, she plans to present/teach basic marine weather to the Auxiliary (AUXWeather), but first needs to finish her boat crew training. Dr Kowalewsky, dressed in her Coast Guard Auxiliary Uniform, presents Information about her Flotilla to AMS members. For more info on Dr Kowalewsky s flotilla go to: nfo/index.html The main USCG page is: x.html And America s Waterway Watch is: watch.us The goal of her briefing was to discuss what the US Coast Guard (CG) Auxiliary is all about, what Hillsboro s Flotilla 6-10 does in Ohio, and some AUXWeather ideas for the Chapter to discuss. The USCG AUX was created by an Act of Congress on 3 June 1939 as the Coast Guard Reserve and then renamed the CG Auxiliary on 12 Feb 1941 when a Military CG Reserve was authorized by Congress. In 1996, Congress enacted the Auxiliary Authorization Act to enable the Auxiliary to assist in performing any Coast Guard function, power, role, or operation authorized by law. In Ohio this translates to almost all duties except law enforcement (Flotilla 6-10 is NOT authorized to carry small arms). Dr Kowalewsky then described the basic organization, from the National level, to Division level, down to the Flotilla level. The division elected officers and staff provide administrative, training, and supervisory support to flotillas, while promoting district and national policies. The flotilla recruits and trains new members. Flotillas are usually less than two dozen members, but some

3 can be much larger depending on their area of responsibility. Members are asked to pay dues, maintain uniforms, and donate time, talent, and facilities (think ships and boats). Boat crew training can be extensive and is not over until basic proficiencies are tested and passed. Photograph from one of Dr Kowalewsky s Ohio River Patrols. Maysville Bridge, Ohio River. Being a clear day in November, it can get cold on patrol. Here is a small comparison of the Auxiliary and Coast Guard Qualification Programs: COAST GUARD QUALIFICATION PROGRAMS Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiner Crew/Coxswain on CG Vessels Aids to Navigation (ATON) Watch Stander Recruiter Marine Environmental Protection (MEP) programs AUXILIARY QUALIFICATION PROGRAMS Instructor Vessel Examiner ATON Verifier Marine Dealer Visitor Dr Kowalewsky says most of the Flotillas time is spent on Recreational Boating Safety Education and lake patrols. They even get to patrol 70 miles of the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. Recreational boating is very popular in the US and is actually a fairly high-risk activity for injury or death. Here are some US accident statistics from 2006: ACCIDENT ACCIDENT No. of No. of RANK TYPE ACCIDENTS FATALITIES 1 COLLISION WITH VESSEL 1, COLLISION W/ FIXED OBJECT SKIER MISHAP FALLS OVERBOARD CAPSIZING Dr Kowalewsky s provided an overview of the value of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Note that over 42% of the 940 boaters who fell overboard or were capsized drowned of these victims, only 50 of 417 drowned wore lifejackets. The bottom line: wear personal flotation equipment! Other USCG missions supported by her flotilla included regatta patrol, chart update patrol, search and rescue, aids to navigation, bridge safety and waterway management. On a typical day the USCG AUX

4 lives up to its name of America s Volunteer Lifesavers as it saves 1 life, assists 12 vessels in distress (usually aiding 30 people), spends 500 hours on surface patrols and spends 15 hrs on ATON missions. They act as a workforce multiplier by providing greater eyes on presence for the CG and freeing active duty CG for law enforcement activities. Other business Dues were collected from members. Secretary Paul Gehred will submit Ron Rodney's obit to AMS HQ for BAMS notice. We reemphasized no elections this year as officers are elected for 2 years. From the National AMS Information about the entire 89 th Annual AMS Meeting can be found at: meet/annual/ Hotel information can be found at: eet/annual/hotel.html Preliminary programs, registration, and general information will be posted on the AMS Web site later this year AMS Benefits of Membership The American Meteorological Society, founded in 1919, is the preeminent scientific and professional organization for scientists and practitioners in the atmospheric sciences and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. With a membership of more than 12,000 professionals, students, and weather enthusiasts, the AMS publishes nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals, sponsors more than 12 conferences annually, and offers numerous programs and services. The AMS offers several membership classifications to meet the needs of all individuals. Specific benefits for members include significant discounts on AMS periodicals and other publications, access to online resources available to members only, and savings on meeting and workshop registrations. 89 th Annual AMS Meeting AMS 89th Annual Meeting, January 2009, Phoenix Civic Plaza Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona The theme for the 2009 AMS Annual Meeting is Urban Weather and Climate: Now and the Future. The relevance and timeliness of the urban theme cannot be overemphasized. Recent events Hurricane Katrina; urban floods in Europe and China; heat waves in London, Paris and Chicago; homeland security concerns and industrial chemical accidents; to name a few point out the vulnerability of urban populations to high-impact weather of all types. In the U.S. today, approximately two-thirds of the population live in cities that occupy less than two percent of the U.S. land mass. This past year, the global population may have reached a tipping point with the world s urban population equaling its rural population; by 2030, the urban population fraction is predicted to surpass 60% globally and exceed 82% in the more developed countries. Most of the urban population growth results from migration from the rural areas as birth rates tend to decline in the urban areas. The nexus of urbanization and population growth, coupled with anthropogenic urban weather influences and global climate changes, portend an impending perfect storm for the urban environment. The 2009 Annual Meeting aims to highlight advances and challenges in urban-related science, applications, observations, modeling and operations. The specialty conferences, symposia and special sessions that comprise the annual meeting will focus attention on six cross-cutting urban themes: (a) measurement systems and networks; (b) modeling and forecasting; (c) observations and studies of high-impact weather; (d) geographic influences

5 on urban weather and climate; (e) human and environmental impacts; and (f) implications of climate change and population growth. High-impact weather is considered in its broadest sense, and includes severe weather, high wind events, precipitation, floods, icing, lightning, poor visibility, adverse air quality, and temperature extremes. The meeting will also feature workshops and short courses, numerous town hall meetings, the Sunday WeatherFest, a Monday Presidential Policy Forum on the role of weather and climate in urban affairs, and two special named symposia honoring Prof. Timothy Oke and the late Dr. Tony Hollingsworth. Calls for Papers follow for the various specialty conferences, symposia and special sessions. For additional information on the organization of the 89th AMS Annual Meeting, please contact meeting co-chairpersons Sue Grimmond, King s College London (Sue.Grimmond@kcl.ac.uk) or Rita Roberts, National Center for Atmospheric Research (rroberts@ucar.edu). Picture of the Month Photograph by Dr. Mike Abel. Sunset over Albuquerque, NM. Shutterbugs Submit your latest and greatest weather shots to our newsletter! Send them via to: mary.bedrick@wpafb.af.mil AMS Wright Memorial Chapter President: Steve Fiorino Steven.fiorino@afit.edu Vice President: Allison Schauer aschauer2002@hotmail.com Secretary: Paul Gehred Paul.gehred2@wpafb.af.mil Treasurer: Karen Kowalewsky kjkowal@verizon.net Web Master: John Turnbull John.turnbull@wpafb.af.mil Newsletter Editor Mary Bedrick Mary.bedrick@wpafb.af.mil We re on the Web! /wrightmem/index.html