AMS May science highlights

Following are story ideas and tips about upcoming AMS meetings, papers in our peer-reviewed journals, and other happenings in the atmospheric and related sciences community.

Climate and Health Effects of Carbon Dioxide, Black Carbon and Other Air-Borne Particles. What are black carbon (BC) aerosols and Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC), and in what way to they exacerbate or add to air pollution and global and regional climate warming" What is the scale of the problem" Are there indirect affects of BC and ABC as well" Which regions of the U.S., Asia and rest of the world seem most affected by BC and ABC" What are these affects and how do these intersect and interact with greenhouse gases and global warming" Are there policy opportunities" Is there now a scientific basis for a direct causal link between CO2 emissions and health" From the perspective of air pollution, does controlling carbon dioxide have a robust scientific basis" These questions will be addressed at the next AMS Environmental Science Seminar on Friday, May 16 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Russell Senate Office Building Room 253. The featured speakers are Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University; and Dr. V. Ramanathan, Distinguished Professor of Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, at the University of California, San Diego. Media are invited. For details see http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/EnvironmentalScienceSeminarSeries.html

A New Class in Meteorology. After the 2005 hurricane season, several meteorology students at Texas A&M University became interested in understanding Hurricane Rita's forecasts and societal impacts in greater depth. In response to the students' interest, the university and the National Center for Atmospheric Research developed a collaborative student research study at Texas A&M University associated with an undergraduate course in the spring semester of 2006. The study included both a meteorological and an interdisciplinary component, in which students performed an in-person survey of Texas Gulf Coast residents. Students were involved in multiple phases of the research, from the design to implementation to dissemination of results. The study and class linked the students' classroom knowledge to reality while generating new knowledge about the societal aspects of Hurricane Rita and other hurricanes. A paper in the April issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society reviews key aspects of the study and class, presenting a prototype integrated research–education model for others interested in incorporating active learning, collaborative inquiry, and interdisciplinary study into undergraduate classrooms. View the paper at http://ams.allenpress.com/archive/1520-0477/89/4/pdf/i1520-0477-89-4-497.pdf