Off the Radar

Latest Episodes:

Concerts and Climate Activism with AJR's Adam Met Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

When Adam Met isn’t playing bass or recording albums with his brothers in the sensational pop-rock band AJR, he finds novel ways of keeping busy. Adam founded a renewable energy and climate policy nonprofit, earned a PhD in Human Rights Law, and he also teaches at Columbia University. In his spare time, Adam Met recently wrote a book, Amplify, about activism in the art and music scenes. Climate change and global climate policy are hugely important topics to Adam. This week, Emily is going off the radar with Met to discuss music as activism, the global climate crisis, and what needs to be done to ensure corporations don’t “Burn the House Down” on our planet.

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Hurricane Season 2025: Stories, Stats and Survival May 27, 2025

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As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season begins, Jamie Rhome, Deputy Director of the National Hurricane Center, joins Off The Radar to discuss how hurricane science and communication have evolved over his 26-year career.

While forecasting accuracy has reached new heights, getting life-saving information to communities remains a critical challenge. Jamie reveals the Hurricane Center's lesser-known fieldwork—quiet missions to storm-affected areas where teams gather crucial data from survivors about their evacuation decisions.

This episode explores groundbreaking research into hurricane mortality, the technological and communication breakthroughs that have transformed the field. . Jamie also shares practical safety advice and how he's preparing his own home for potential impacts this upcoming season.

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The Artificial Forecaster: Innovation or Impersonation? May 20, 2025

Show notes

Artificial intelligence is everywhere – some people feel it’s unavoidable and needs to be embraced. After all, it can save time and has the potential to make writing, editing, and researching drastically easier. But what about weather forecasting? And what happens when people use this technology with bad intentions? In this episode, Emily talks with two meteorologists with very different AI experiences: one who created her own AI avatar to deliver important weather updates to viewers, and another who had her likeness stolen by someone on the internet. We’ll get into the pros and cons of using AI, along with the ethics of AI, and we’ll cover some basic advice on how you can safeguard yourself from being manipulated by others who use this technology.

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Deadly Debris Flows – The Flood After the Fire May 13, 2025

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After a wildfire is put out, there’s another risk that develops, one that’s far more deadly than the fire itself: rain. While water might seem like nature’s remedy for parched and fire-ravaged landscapes, heavy rainfall can trigger catastrophic mudslides and flash floods in burned areas. That’s because the fire has destroyed the plants and trees whose roots help stabilize the ground. Without living plants, hillsides pummeled with rain become fast-moving slurries that can carry boulders and move at terrifying speeds of over 35 mph. These debris flows can wash out highways and roads, carry cars away with ease, and destroy buildings in their path. This week, Emily welcomes Dr. J.J. Gourley, Research Hydrometeorologist at NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory, to discuss how scientists are utilizing lifesaving NOAA technology to predict these post-wildfire hazards. Tune in to learn what communities need to know to stay safe when the flames are extinguished but the danger isn’t over.

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When the Lights Went Out: Anchor Moms Reflect on Helene May 06, 2025

Show notes

When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina last September, it left a trail of destruction that thrust communities back to a pre-modern era. In Asheville, TV news anchors Katie Killen and Karen Zatkulak found themselves simultaneously reporting on a disaster...and living through it with their families. Katie and Karen are not just reporters — they're also mothers and hosts of the "Anchor Moms" podcast. This week they join Off the Radar to share their unique dual perspective—broadcasting the catastrophe while trying to comfort their own families through weeks without power or water. They discuss how they balanced professional responsibilities with protecting their children, what they wish they'd known before the storm hit, and how the experience fundamentally changed their approach to motherhood and emergency preparedness.

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Storm Rights: Tornado Chasers vs. Oklahoma Legislation Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, veteran storm chaser Warren Faidley discusses Oklahoma's controversial legislation that would restrict independent storm chasers while giving local television stations preferential access during severe weather events. With decades of experience in the field, Faidley explains why independent chasers are crucial for public safety, providing real-time ground verification that radar alone cannot capture and collecting valuable data that improves our understanding of dangerous storms. He offers practical solutions for a more productive relationship between broadcasters and independent storm chasers with the ultimate goal of saving lives.

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Healing the Hole: The Ozone's Road to Recovery Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating a triumph of human endeavor: the healing of the ozone layer! Many listeners will remember the hole that formed in the ozone layer, due in large part to human-made chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. My guest this week is Dr. Paul Newman, a Senior Scientist at the University of Maryland Baltimore and retired NASA Chief of Atmospheric Sciences. We’ll dive into what these chemicals are, how they damaged our vital ozone layer, and how countries around the planet came together to repair the damage we caused.

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Are Dire Wolves Back? The Science & Ethics of De-Extinction Apr 15, 2025

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In Jurassic Park, scientists bio-engineered dinosaurs by splicing preserved dino DNA with modern-day frog DNA. It sounded like science fiction…until now. A real-life biotech company with visions of “de-extinction” recently spliced gray wolf DNA with that of the dire wolf, a mammal that’s been extinct for thousands of years. And they have plans to do the same thing with other extinct species. This week we’re going off the radar with Dr. Jay Odenbaugh, a professor and researcher who specializes in the ethics of de-extinction. We’ll discuss what this company did, and what the implications might mean.

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Silenced Science: Inside NOAA's Communication Challenge Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Do you know what NOAA does? Or why this federal agency has (controversially) been in the news lately? With important offices like the National Weather Service and the National Ocean Service, NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – collects valuable data and conducts essential research that can mean the difference between national safety and widespread tragedy. On today’s episode, we’re going off the radar with two former NOAA employees: Tom Di Liberto, a climate scientist and public relations specialist who was laid off during government cutbacks; and Dr. Tracy Fanara, a scientist and regular TV figure who recently resigned from government work. We’ll be discussing the disconnect between NOAA’s lifesaving scientific research and the public’s confusion around this essential government agency.

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Baseball's Weather Playbook Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Today we pull back the curtain on baseball's most invisible yet game-altering force: weather. In this episode, we're unraveling the meteorological mysteries that can transform a seemingly ordinary pitch into a moment of sporting legend.

With two decades of sideline expertise, veteran sports reporter Morgan Adsit brings firsthand accounts of how atmospheric conditions have shaped baseball's most memorable moments. We'll also talk to Clay Nunnally, an MLB scientist at the forefront of wind dynamics research, who will deconstruct long-standing home run myths using cutting-edge scientific modeling that's rewriting our understanding of the game.

Get ready to see baseball through an entirely new lens – where every gust of wind could be the difference between a routine play and sporting history.

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