Weather Geeks

Latest Episodes:

Flooding from a Hydrologist’s Perspective Apr 01, 2020

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Guest: Michael Kane, Water Resources Engineer

Introduction: Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution and management of water on Earth, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. Hydrologists work with other scientists to investigate how water impacts their respective fields, so meteorologists and hydrologists have a special relationship. Meteorologists focus on the water coming down from the sky, and the hydrologists focus on what that water will impact when it hits the ground and where it will end up. What happens when there is too much water and flooding ensues? Hydrologist Michael Kane is my guest today and we are going to talk about that...

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Waiting to “Exascale”: Prepping the EURO Model for the Next Generation in Computing Power Mar 25, 2020

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Guest: Dr. Peter Bauer, ECMWF Deputy Director of Research & Head of the Scalability Programme

Introduction: I need more power…!! Computing power that is. This has been a major focus for numerical weather prediction in hopes of creating more accurate and detailed predictions of Earth’s systems. The highly touted European Model has long been one of the leaders in numerical weather prediction performance. As the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) prepares to integrate the next generation of supercomputers, model efficiency may suffer as more data is computed at higher resolutions. Current processing capabilities and codes are not adapted to meet these needs. Today’s guest, Dr. Peter Bauer, will outline how they are working with meteorological modellers, computer scientists and hardware providers to make sure the EURO is ready for this upgrade.

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“Northern Tornadoes Project” - Tornadoes North of the Border Mar 18, 2020

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Guests: Greg Kopp & David Sills, Western University

Intro:

While severe weather prediction continues to improve here in the United States, a nearby neighbor is currently deep into their most comprehensive tornado study ever! As we travel north of the border to our neighbors in Canada, the team at Western University is conducting the Northern Tornadoes Project, or NTP. This project seeks to have profound impacts on tornado and severe weather prediction across the forecasting community, both nationally and internationally. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re joined by the two project leads at Western University; Greg Kopp who is the lead researcher, and David Stills, the executive director on the project.

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When Weather Gets Personal: Lessons Learned from Disaster Mar 11, 2020

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Guest: Kim Klockow-McClain

Broadcast meteorologists are often the face of severe weather as they are the first people we see when severe weather is expected. However, there is a larger network of people from broadcasters, to emergency managers, law enforcement officers, and state and local officials who must work together to best serve the community before and after a disaster. Today’s guest is Kim Klockow-McClain, a societal impacts researcher from the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS). Her focus is to gather and share the human stories that unfold during severe weather events, and with each interaction, she strives to learn how our network of communicators can improve the warning-decision process.

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June Bacon-Bercey: Breaking Barriers in Meteorology Mar 04, 2020

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Guest: Dail St. Claire: Daughter of the June Bacon-Bercey, the 1st African-American Female TV Meteorologist

Introduction: If I were to ask a room full of meteorologists who their role model was, I am sure that a handful of them would say the late June Bacon-Bercey. She was the first African-American female television meteorologist, and with that achievement, she broke MANY barriers. In a time where most of the women giving the weather reports in the morning weren’t trained in meteorology in the slightest, June was determined to follow her passion and that is why she is recognized to this very day. Today I have her wonderful daughter Dail St. Claire with me today so we can celebrate her mother’s legacy...

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Can You Measure How Severe Your Winter Has Been? Feb 26, 2020

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Introduction: A lot of people choose to live in a certain place based on how the winters are. If you love wearing big comfy sweaters and playing out in the snow, odds are you live in the midwestern or northeastern United States. If you would rather turn on your heat for only a couple days in the season and enjoy the occasional chilly, rainy day, then you’d love the south! Regardless of the region, scientists have developed a method that can measure how severe the winter has been where you live. It is called the Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index, and I have the co-creator Dr. Barb Mayes Boustead here with me today to discuss it!

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Weathering the Storm: Climate Change & Mental Health Feb 19, 2020

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Introduction: As Weather Geeks, we know that the climate is changing and the Earth has needs that it wants to meet. As human beings, we are also changing and our bodies and minds have needs that they want met as well. Both of these sets of needs cannot be ignored or else there will be ramifications down the line. Scientists who are tasked with tackling and researching climate change are starting to experience mental and emotional health issues, because of all the pressures that this monumental event brings. My guest today is Susanne Moser, who is shedding light on these issues, along with the personal challenges that being an on-camera meteorologist in this current age brings.

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The Inner Workings of an NWS Office Feb 12, 2020

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Guest: Keith Stellman, Meteorologist-in-Charge NWS Atlanta

Intro:The National Weather Service is a lot more than the blaring alerts on your TV when there is a tornado warning in your area or the notifications on your phone about the severe thunderstorm watch issued for your state. The NWS operates over 120 weather forecast offices across the country and each office is constantly issuing local public, marine, aviation, fire, and hydrology forecasts 24/7! The NWS never sleeps because the weather itself never sleeps, and I’m sure my next guest can attest to many sleepless nights on the job. Keith Stellman is the Meteorologist-in-Charge for NWS Atlanta/Peachtree City, and as I know personally, this area rarely has a dull weather day!

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Strange Clouds - Pyrocumulonimbus Feb 05, 2020

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Guest: Dr. David Peterson, NASA/Naval Research Lab

As millions of acres have been ablaze across Australia in recent weeks, those wildfires have formed incredible smoke plumes that tower thousands of feet into the atmosphere. These “pyrocumulonimbus clouds” can transport massive amounts of smoke and ash into the sky, and some of that smoke has even been found to have circled the globe! Today’s guest is Dr. David Peterson from the Naval Research Lab, and his research focuses on the far-reaching impacts these monster clouds can have, including how they generate their own weather! We’ll discuss what techniques he uses to observe these events and whether or not we can expect more events in a warming climate.

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The Father of Environmental Justice Jan 29, 2020

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Intro: With the increasing number of climate change impacts being seen across the globe, it is becoming apparent that not all communities are affected equally. Today’s guest has dedicated his career to being a champion for at-risk populations facing environmental challenges, and has even been lauded as the Father of Environmental Justice. Dr. Robert Bullard is an award-winning author and also serves as a Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. We’ll discuss how his work aims to bring attention to such humanitarian crises and how we can work together to secure the environmental health and resilience of all communities being affected by extreme weather.

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