Committee on Developing Mesoscale Observational Capabilities to Meet Multiple National Needs

1. Committee on Developing Mesoscale Observational Capabilities to Meet Multiple National Needs 2008 AMS Summer Community Meeting The Intersection of Weather and Climate August 11-13, 2008 Rit Carbone, Chair Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

2. Background • Sponsors: NOAA, NASA, EPA, DOT (FHWA), DHS • Process: • Five Committee Meetings from January 2007 – February 2008 • Broad Information Gathering, including invited presentations from 40+ invitees • Draft Report authored and submitted for external review June, 2008 • Committee is responding to reviews and revising the report • Public release of report (including prepublication version of document) late summer/ early fall 2008 • Final publication (“glossy”) released by late fall/early winter 2008 • Dissemination activities will include an AMS/AM Town Hall

3. Committee RICHARD E. (RIT) CARBONE (Chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado JAMES BLOCK, DTN/Meteorlogix, Minneapolis, Minnesota S. EDWARD BOSELLY, Weather Solutions Group, Olympia, Washington GREGORY R. CARMICHAEL, University of Iowa, Iowa City FREDERICK H. CARR, University of Oklahoma, Norman V. (CHANDRA) CHANDRASEKAR, Colorado State University, Fort Collins EVE GRUNTFEST, University of Colorado, Boulder RAYMOND M. HOFF, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore WITOLD F. KRAJEWSKI, University of Iowa, Iowa City MARGARET A. LEMONE, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado JAMES F. W. PURDOM, Colorado State University, Fort Collins THOMAS W. SCHLATTER, University of Colorado, Boulder EUGENE S. TAKLE, Iowa State University, Ames JAY TITLOW, Weatherflow, Inc., Poquoson, Virginia NRC Staff: CURTIS MARSHALL, Study Director

4. Study Description/Goals • Develop an overarching vision for an integrated, flexible, adaptive, and multi-purpose mesoscale meteorological observation network • Seek to identify specific steps to help develop a network that meets multiple national needs in a cost-effective manner.

5. Study Description/Goals • Focus primarily on mesoscale observational requirements over the United States and adjacent coastal zones • Emphasis on characterizing the planetary boundary layer (defined as extending from approximately 2 meters below the surface to 2-3 kilometers above)

6. Study Description/Goals • Forecasting on time scales up to 48 hours • The study will provide a practical approach, stressing applications and how to design and implement an enhanced atmospheric observation system in a manner that the resulting information significantly improves users' decision-making.

7. Study Description/Goals • Address the roles to be played by federal, state, and local government and by commercial entities. • In essence, the study will provide a framework and recommendations to engage the full range of weather-sensitive information providers and users in the development of an integrated, multi-purpose mesoscale observation network. This aspect of the study was the committee’s greatest challenge.

8. “Statement of Task” • Characterize the current state of mesoscale atmospheric observations and purposes; • Compare the U.S. mesoscale atmospheric observing system to observing system benchmarks; • Describe desirable attributes of an integrated national mesoscale observing system; The focus is at a high level, well removed from network design.

9. “Statement of Task” • Identify steps to enhance and extend mesoscale meteorological observing capabilities so they meet multiple national needs; and • Recommend practical steps to transform and modernize current, limited mesoscale meteorological observing capabilities to better meet the needs of a broad range of users and improve cost effectiveness.

10. Diverse Applications • Weather Prediction and Climate Monitoring • Energy Security • Public Health and Safety • Transportation • Water and Food • Research and Development A similar approach to the decadal satellite survey.

11. Energetic and Chaotic Literally thousands of organizations including small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, state agencies, local water management and flood districts, urban air quality authorities, agricultural producers and service providers, and recreation providers, have entered the field of mesoscale observation to further particular interests associated with their mission. These observational assets are clearly market driven and span a wide dynamic range of investment.

12. Starting Point? Soil-moisture The black dots represent the Oklahoma Mesonet, the green dots, the Illinois State Water Survey network; Yellow is ARM/CART; white dots: AmeriFlux sites; red dots: USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN). Courtesy of Scot Loehrer.

13. Mesoscale Observations? Resolving • Observations that resolve small temporal and spatial scales of motion and scalar variability. Enabling • Observations that do not resolve mesoscale structure but serve to enable mesoscale numerical weather prediction (e.g. lower troposphere profiles with high vertical resolution)

14. You probably won’t be bored • The report is fairly imaginative, aggressive and a bit lengthy. • For this reason the NRC went to 14 external reviewers • Controversial points helped to stimulate 108 pages of reviewer comments and suggestions. • Most technical aspects are straightforward.

15. A technical violation? Observing Weather and Climate FROM THE GROUND UP A Nationwide Network of Networks Coming soon !