Semi-Annual Performance Report for Cooperative Agreement #:NA11SEC4810003 Reporting Period: March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012
The NOAA Educational Partnership Program Cooperative Science Center
THE NOAA CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Dr. Vernon R. Morris Director and Principal Investigator
Participating Institutions
Howard University (Lead Institution) Jackson State University University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez University of Texas at El Paso State University of New York at Albany University of Maryland College Park
NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012– August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director
Table of Contents
A. Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………...... 2-4
I. Overview………….…………………………………………………………………………..2
II. Highlights and Major Accomplishments……………………………………………………3
III. Student Success Stories……………………………………………………………………...4
B. Performance Report...... 5-25
I. Cooperative Research Activities…………………………………...…………………..... 5-18 1. Climate and Weather Analyses and Prediction ...... 5 2. Air Quality Analyses and Forecasting ...... 7 3. Observational Program in Support of NCAS Research in Training ...... 13 4. Social, Behavioral and Economics (SBE) Sciences Component ...... 16
II. Education & Outreach Efforts……………………………………………….....……….…18 1. Degree Programs and Training ...... 18 2. Informal and Community Outreach ...... 19 3. K-12 Outreach………………………………………………………………………...19
III. Photo Gallery……………………………………………………………………………. 21
C. Appendix………………..…………………………………………………………………………..24-35 1. Detailed Breakdown of NCAS Leveraged Funding...... 24 2. NCAS Calendar of Activities...... 25 3. Publication/Presentation List ...... 26 4. Acronyms ...... 29
1 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director
A. Executive Summary
Howard University’s NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS) has been awarded $2.625M for year one in 2011 and up to $15 million over the next five years by the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program (EPP) to conduct research and educational efforts in weather, climate, air quality, and environmental literacy. NCAS, a consortium of six educational institutions led by Howard University, has been supported by the core funding from the Department of Commerce since 2001. The partner schools are Jackson State University, the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Texas El Paso, State University of New York Albany and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.
NCAS expands the Centers research into the Social & Behavioral and Economics Sciences. Joining in this new area of research are four new faculty members from Howard University with extensive social science research expertise that will enable the Center to extend its research to include the societal dimension of environmental change, its measurement and its prediction. NCAS welcomes: Dr. Carolyn Stroman (Associate Professor of Communication and Culture), Dr. Tia Tyree (Assistant Professor of Journalism), Dr. Cynthia Winston (Associate Professor of Psychology) and Dr. Terri Adam-Fuller (Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology).
The following semi-annual report details the activities conducted during March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012 As NCAS enters its second year of its third five-year cycle, we are pleased to report achievements in both education and research. The Center maintains robust collaborations and educational partnerships with the NOAA National Weather Service (National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Office of Operational Service (OOS), and various Weather Forecast Office (WFOs)), OAR (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) scientists), and National Environmental Satellite, Data & Information Service (NESDIS) (research and joint publications). Several of the highlights from this reporting period are listed below.
NCAS performance is primarily evaluated on the basis of the following measures: A. Number of students from underrepresented communities who are trained and graduate in NOAA‐mission sciences annually [33, 3 graduated] B. Number of students who are trained and graduate in NOAA‐mission sciences annually; [41 trained, 3 graduated] C. Number of students completing experiential opportunities at NOAA facilities; [9] D. Number of EPP funded students who are hired by NOAA, NOAA contractors and other environmental, natural resource, and science agencies at the Federal, State, local and tribal levels, in academia and the private sector; [2] E. Number of collaborative research projects undertaken between NOAA and MSI partners in support of NOAA operations; [23] F. Number of students and faculty who participate in and complete postdoctoral level research programs in support of the NOAA mission; [7] G. Number of peer reviewed papers published in NOAA‐mission sciences by scientists (faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students) sponsored by NOAA EPP; [9] H. Funds leveraged with NOAA EPP funds (including student support); and, I. Number of outreach participants engaged in NOAA mission relevant learning opportunities. [5000]
The performance in each category for this reporting period is listed above in the emboldened brackets. NCAS continues to be a leader on the national stage in the production and training of African Americans and Hispanics in the atmospheric sciences at all levels of education. NCAS is developing a model for public school interaction through the Adopt-a-school program and has established a national model for 2 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director summer camp exposure and training in atmospheric sciences through the CAREERS middle school and high school camps. The undergraduate programs supported at JSU (Meteorology), the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (Atmospheric Sciences), and UTEP (Atmospheric Physics) lead the nation in the number of African American and Hispanic students exposed to NOAA mission relevant learning within academic degree programs. The HUPAS graduate program at HU is the national leader at the PhD level.
During this reporting period, NCAS conducted a comprehensive suite of training and outreach events. NCAS sponsoring 5 summer camps, 4 Science Fests, participated in 4 science fairs, hosted 6 tours to NOAA facilities, conducted 9 interactions with public schools, conducted 2 training seminars, and presented 1 seminar at a NOAA facility. These events reached over 5000 students across thirteen states, the District of Columbia, and two US territories (Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands). Co-sponsored events (the CAREERS affiliate camps in New York, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Houston, Texas) reached an additional 70 students in an additional four states.
HIGHLIGHTS AND MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EDUCATIONAL MILESTONES
Three NCAS supported students completed their degrees during this period, while another three students were recruited to the HUPAS programs to begin their graduate education in NOAA mission relevant disciplines. The graduates are listed below.
NCAS Doctoral Recipient: Dr. Rufus White (Advisor: Dr. Vernon R. Morris). HU NCAS student Rufus White successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled: A Statistical and Theoretical Investigation of the Chemistry of the Formation of Atmospheric Particles in Beltsville, Maryland via Observations of Physical Properties on October 27, 2011. Dr. White was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry in May 2012. NOAA employee, Ariel Stein served on the dissertation committee. Dr. White started June 18, 2012 as a Physical Scientist with the Department of Defense.
NCAS Master Recipients Mariana Guereque (Advisor: Drs. Rosa Fitzgerald and Thomas Gill). UTEP NCAS student Mariana Guereque successfully defended her master thesis titled: Aerosol Particle Size Distributions Observed during AEROSE V Campaign on May 4, 2012. Ms. Guereque was awarded the Master of Science in Geological Sciences in May of 2012.
NCAS Bachelor Recipient: Keyaara Robinson (Advisor: Dr. Vernon R. Morris). HU NCAS student Keyaara Robinson an active member of Dr. Morris research group received her Bachelor of Science degree in
3 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Chemistry in May of 2012. Keyaara performed her undergraduate research on the flux of particulate matter at street level inside the Washington, DC urban canopy.
Success Stories:
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez student Ana Patricia Torres participated in a nine- week summer internship at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. This year she was awarded a NOAA EPP Undergraduate Scholarship. This award is in recognition of her accomplishments as an undergraduate student in areas pertinent to NOAA’s mission. Ms. Torres participated in the Puerto Rico Weather Camp in 2009 and is currently pursuing a bachelor degree in Theoretical Physics at UPRM. She is also completing the course work for the certification in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology at UPRM. Ana is an active member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) student Chapter and received a NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences Travel Award to participate in the AMS 2012 annual meeting in New Orleans
Angel Esparza, who graduated on December 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Fitzgerald, was hired to head a division at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX.
NCAS hosted 23 students and faculty to attend the 2011 EPP Forum and returned with three first place and two second place awards in the PhD oral presentation and poster presentations.
4 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director 1. Cooperative Research Activities
1.1 Climate and Weather Analysis and Prediction The NCAS research activities in the area of climate and weather analysis and prediction include: (A) Surface-atmosphere interaction and PBL processes, the emphasis of this research being on understanding roles of aerosols and clouds in land-atmosphere exchange; (B) Convection, microphysics, and cloud- aerosols radiative effects, with the research being focused on investigating direct effects of aerosols in NCEP GFS-GOCART Model, and process studies of aerosol-cloud indirect effects; (C) Model development for climate, with an emphasis on improving the physics representation and prediction at regional scale; and (D) Enabling greater decision support applications of satellite data and improved radiative transfer treatment in NOAA’s Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM). The research activities in (D) entails forward modeling and closure studies to improve CRTM, and remote sensing studies of vegetation states.
1.1.1 Surface-Atmosphere Interactions and PBL Processes Research activities in this subsection were descoped due to budget constraints.
1.1.2 Convection, Microphysics, and Cloud-aerosols Radiative Effects – Investigate Direct Effect of Aerosols in New NCEP GFS-GOCART Model Lead PI: Dr. Everette Joseph (HU) Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 3 Jeffery McQueen (NWS/EMC/MMB), Cheng Lu (OAR/ESRL/PSD), Involved Nick Nalli(NESDIS/STAR/SMCD/SCDAB) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Qilong Min (SUNYA),Vernon Morris (HU) Involved Other 0 N/A Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 0 0 Graduate 2 Mayra Oyola Adrian Flores Post-Doctoral 0 0 0 NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 1 See Appendix Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 20%
Acquisition and analysis continued with respect to the collection of aerosol data for this study from HUBC and AEROSE. In the case of AEROSE data analysis continued and a collaboration is being forged among NCAS, NESDIS/STAR and NCEP/EMC. A journal article involving NOAA and NCAS authors was recently published. The title of the article is: On the Effect of Dust Aerosols on AIRS and IASI Operational Level 2 Products E. S. Maddy, S. G. DeSouza-Machado N. R. Nalli3, C. D. Barnet4, L. L Strow,W. W. Wolf, H. Xie,4, A. Gambacorta T. S. King E. Joseph, V. Morris, S. E. Hannon, P. Schou. NCEP/EMC has recently implemented the GFS-GOCART (NGAC). NCAS/EMC/NESDIS had a recent meeting to develop further details on the project. NCAS graduate student Mayra Oyola continues to conduct background research on this project. Also NCEP is working on logistics that will allow Ms. Oyola to work at NCEP and access computing resources for the project.
1.1.3 Model Development for Climate - Improving the Physics Representation and Prediction at 5 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Regional Scales Lead PI: Dr. Xin-Zhong Liang (UMD) Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 1 Julian Wang (OAR/ARL) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 2 Vernon Morris, Everette Joseph, and Tsann-Wang Yu (HU) Involved Other 0 N/A Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 0 0 Graduate 1 Adam Greeley 0 Post-Doctoral 0 0 0 NOAA Mission Weather and Water Relevance Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 1 See Appendix Presentations 4 See Appendix Other Milestones The CWRF, incorporating the most comprehensive ensemble of alternative physics representations, facilitates seamless applications for regional weather forecast and climate prediction. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 40%
We have focused on preparing articles to document several major achievements in the development of CWRF. First we have published the fundamental paper to provide a general description and model performance for the CWRF, which has been developed for the last 9 years under the support of NCAS along with numerous other federal grants. This paper is highly appreciated by both the editor and reviewers, and has appeared with a cover page illustration in the September issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (Liang et al. 2012). We have also completed the first draft for two manuscripts intended for publication in Journal of Climate. They are part of my Ph.D. graduate student thesis research under the NCAS support, and address the effects of cumulus parameterization closures on CWRF precipitation prediction over the continental U.S. and coastal oceans All these works demonstrate the necessity of incorporating advanced physics representation for realistic precipitation and climate prediction at regional-local scales.
1.1.4 Forward Modeling and Closure Studies to Improve CRTM and Process Studies of Aerosol Cloud Indirect Effect Lead PI: Dr. Qilong Min Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 1 Felix Kogan (NESDIS/STAR/SMCD/EMB) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 2 Everette Joseph (HU), and Tsann-Wang Yu (HU) Involved Other 1 Jiwen Fan (DOE/PNNL) Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 0 0 Graduate 2 Matthew Gibbons, Hanisha Hirani (SUNYA) 0 Post-Doctoral 0 0 0 6 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 35% (Activity 1); 65% (Activity 2)
Activity 1. Forward modeling and Closure Studies to Improve CRTM We are conducting closure studies by comparing CRTM calculations using in-situ observed aerosol and cloud properties to satellite and surface radiometers at the ARM SGP site. These include three sub-tasks: 1) We are testing the implementation of CRTM within WRFDA package, in which CRTM has been coupled with the atmosphere properties simulated by WRF. With proper 3Dvar data assimilations (through WRFDA), we are able to simulate radiation at both TOA and surface with a “real” atmosphere; 2) We are also testing the optical-microphysical conversion schemes cross wavelength spectrum (visible, infrared, and microwave) in the CRTM; and 3) We will compare with both measured radiation and in- situ cloud and aerosol properties at the ARM site to assess the performance of CRTM.
Activity 2. Process Studies of Aerosol-Cloud Indirect Effect We are testing the newly coupled WRF-SBM (Spectral-Bin-Microphysics) model. Our WRF-SBM can deal with both CCN and IN nucleation processes (most WRF-SBMs don’t have homogeneous and heterogeneous ice nucleation and droplet freezing processes). Graduate student Matthew Gibbons uses the WRF-SBM simulating dust effects on deep convection systems and the effect of partition of CCN and IN on clouds. The preliminary results are very good. We expect to complete writing two papers in the near future. We just finished the revision of the VOCALS field campaign paper on aerosol-cloud interaction.
1.2 Air Quality Analyses and Forecasting During this reporting period, NCAS research activities include : (A) Formation and fate of air pollutants for air quality forecasting, (B) Mineral dust observations and characterization, (C) Satellite algorithm development for aerosols, and (D) Estimating societal economical and health impacts of air quality and air quality forecasting. In topic (A) research activities include: understanding of Ozone and aerosols formation, evaluation and development of atmospheric chemistry mechanisms, atmospheric chemistry sensitivity and process analyses, and air pollution effects on visibility. In topic (B) research activities include: AEROSE data analyses, chemical characterization of crustal aerosols, optical characterization of dust, and climate change and historical records of Saharan dust trends. In topic (C) research activities include: algorithm development for improved satellite retrieval, and development of Saharan dust index and new satellite products. In topic (D) research activities include: economic value of air quality forecast information, development of modeling tools for the direct assessment of toxic air pollutant effects, and exploring airborne biodiversity.
1.2.1 Understanding of Ozone and Aerosol Formation Lead PI: Dr. William Stockwell Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 2 Jeffery McQueen (NWS/EMC/MMB), Jianping Huang (NWS/EMC) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 4 Rosa Fitzgerald (UTEP), Duanjun Lu, Loren White, Remata S. Reddy Involved (JSU), Vernon Morris (HU), Roy Armstrong (UPRM) Other 2 Wendy Goliff (University of California, Riverside), James. V. Cizdziel Collaborator(s) (University of Mississippi, MS) Involved
7 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 2 Willaim Parks and Jessica N/A Foxworth (JSU) Graduate 2 N/A Charlene Lawson , Tamil Maldonado- Vega (HU), Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission This activity addresses NOAA’s strategic objectives: “Healthy people and Relevance communities through improved air and water quality. Key to the development of models for air quality is knowledge of the chemical mechanisms of ozone and particle formation. New and updated chemical mechanisms are being developed through this activity. Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A. Presentations 4 See Appendix Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 30%
Activity 1. Understanding of Ozone and Aerosol Formation The Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, Version 2 (RACM2) has been completed and a publication has been submitted to the journal Atmospheric Environment and is now under review. Graduate student Charlene Lawson continues her research to examine the processes that affect gas-phase nighttime chemistry and how they affect ozone formation over multi-day periods. Graduate student Tamil Maldonado-Vega is completing research on the aqueous-phase that affects cloud chemistry and cloud formation.
1.2.2. Evaluation and Development of Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanisms, and Atmospheric chemistry sensitivity and Process Analysis Lead PI: Dr. William Stockwell Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 2 Jeffery McQueen (NWS/EMC/MMB), John Lewis (OAR/NSSL) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 2 Rosa Fitzgerald (UTEP), Duanjun Lu (JSU) Involved Other 1 Wendy Goliff (University of California, Riverside) Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 1 N/A Charlene Lawson (HU) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission This activity addresses NOAA’s strategic objectives: “Healthy people and Relevance communities through improved air and water quality. Assimilation methods are critical for meteorological forecasting. Assimilation methods for chemical species are not yet well developed. Key to the development of data assimilation methods for air quality is knowledge of the response of forecasts to small perturbations to model constants, parameters or to the initial state (such as the three dimensional concentration fields). This activity examines the use of sensitivity and process for the development of chemical data assimilation methods. Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A. Presentations 2 See Appendix Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: Activity 2: 20%; Activity 3: 5% 8 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director
Activity 2. Evaluation and Development of Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanisms The Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, Version 2 has been completed and a publication has been submitted to the journal Atmospheric Environment and is now under review. Graduate student Charlene Lawson is evaluating the performance of the Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, Version 2 (RACM2) for modeling the nighttime chemistry of nitrogen oxides
Activity 3. Atmospheric Chemistry Sensitivity and Process Analyses Chemical box model simulations are now being made to generate a large number of cases for analysis.
1.2.3. AEROSE Data Analyses Lead PI: Dr. Vernon Morris Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 5 Nicholas Nalli (NESDIS-STAR), Dan Wolfe (OAR-ESRL), Chris Barnet Involved (NESDIS-STAR), Claudia Schmid (OAR-AOML), Claude Lumpkin (OAR-AOML) NCAS Partner(s) 1 Everette Joseph (HU) Involved Other 2 Tegoh Augustiadi (Indonesian National/ AOML Visitor) Collaborator(s) Sasha Smirnov (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 4 Elsa Castillo(UTEP), Mayra Christopher Spells (NOAA CREST), Oyola(HU) Adrian Flores (HU) Post-Doctoral 1 Ebony Roper (NCAS) N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Satellite Validation, Model Verification for Climate and Weather Student Thesis 4 All are to be determined. Students are in the process of advancing to candidacy. Publications 0 N/A Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones The cruise that was scheduled to take place in summer 2012 was postponed. Instruments were calibrated and prepared for the 2013 mission and data analysis continues. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 50% (Activity 1)
Activity 1. AEROSE Data Analyses The PNE/AEROSE research cruise originally scheduled for August 31 – Sep 30, 2012 was postponed due to mechanical challenges with the NOAA RHB propulsion systems.
1.2.4. Chemical Characterizations of Crustal Aerosols and Exploring Airborne Biodiversity Lead PI: Dr. Vernon R. Morris Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 1 Ariel Stein (OAR/ARL) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 0 N/A Involved Other 3 Courtney Thomas and Broderick Eribo (HU), Priscilla Chaverri (UMD), Collaborator(s) Involved
9 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Students Trained 4 NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 1 N/A Meghna Ramaswamy (UMD) Graduate 3 Maria Velez, Jose Tirado Esther Effiong (HU) (HU) Serenella Linares (UMD) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 1 Physico-chemical characterization of Airborne Saharan Dust during AEROSE Publications 1 N/A Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Phylogenetic and genomic analysis nearly completed. MALDI-TOFS analysis preliminary studies completed. Three manuscripts are in preparation. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 25% (Activities 2 and 3)
Activity 2. Chemical Characterization of Crustal Aerosols This study examines the physicochemical characterization and trend in major dust outbreaks of the AEROSE samples obtained during the month of July during the 2006 and 2009 campaigns,. This data set is being examined for the purpose of gaining insights on the microphysical evolution of mineral dust during transport across the tropical North Atlantic.
Activity 3. Exploring Airborne Biodiversity Aerobiological samples have been collected during the AEROSE cruises between 2006-2010 and in Washington, D.C. since 2007. Preliminary analysis of these samples has indicated the presence of enhanced fungal counts coincident with high mass regions of the advected air masses (e.g. dust storms, pollution events). Additionally, these studies have revealed a significant flux of plant pathogens that may be harmful for major crop types and indigenous species in the Caribbean and the eastern US.
1.2.5. Algorithm Development for Improved Satellite Retrieval, and Air Pollution Effect on Visibility Lead PI: Dr. Rosa Fitzgerald Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 4 Joe Michalsky (OAR/ESRL/GMD), Dave Novlan Involved (NWS/SR/WFO/SANTA TERESA NM), Joe Rogash (NWS/SR/WFO/SANTA TERESA N), Paul Ginoux (OAR/GFDL) NCAS Partner(s) 1 Thomas Gill (UTEP) Involved Other 7 Dave Dubois (NMSU), Alexei Maradudin (UC Irvine), Joseph Prospero, Collaborator(s) (University of Miami), N.C. Hsu (NASA- Goddard), Sergio Cabrera Involved (UTEP), Matthew Baddock (Griffith University), Miguel Dominguez (Univ. Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez) Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 1 N/A Celia Garcia (UTEP) Graduate 7 Mariana Guereque, Elsa Javier Polanco, Fernando Becerra- Castillo, Richard Medina, Davila, Juan Gustavo Arias (UTEP) Mohammad Alkhatib (UTEP) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 1 “Aerosol Particle Size Distributions Observed During AEROSE V Campaign:-(Mariana Guereque M.S Thesis). Publications 5 See Appendix Presentations 3 See Appendix
10 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 30%
Activity 1. Algorithm development for improved satellite retrieval The aim of this project is first to implement an empirical model that has the purpose of predicting PM2.5 ground concentrations from satellite values of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and subsequently to develop new algorithms for improved satellite retrievals of air pollution. A complete correlation between satellite and ground-level measurements will provide a solid basis to sense remotely events of high particulate matter concentrations. It has been successfully shown that an empirical model can create a regression between daily PM2.5 concentrations and AOT values from a satellite. This study relies on satellite and ground instruments information. Thus, the data collection and its proper processing is an indispensable joint operation that determines the accuracy of the results. Satellite data is provided by the MISR level 2 aerosol data collection, which is processed at the Atmospheric Sciences Data Center at NASA Langley Research Center. We propose to implement this methodology for the El Paso-Juarez Airshed and to subsequently apply to AEROSE.
Activity 4. Air Pollution Effect on Visibility Poor visibility is a subject of growing public concern throughout the U.S, and an active area of research within NOAA. Its societal impacts in air quality, aviation transport and traffic are enormous. It is well known that air pollutant concentrations influence visibility. The underlying phenomenon is the light scattering by the aerosol particles, which is responsible for the major visibility degradation.
We are using the El Paso-Juarez Airshed as a test-bed to study the effect of size, chemical composition and concentration of aerosols on the impairment of visibility. In addition, we are studying the effects of aerosol coating in the light extinction results. The models have been developed and subsequently they will be validated against experimental data.
1.2.6. Development of Saharan Dust Index and New Satellite Products, and Optical Characterization of Dust Lead PI: Dr. Roy Armstrong Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 4 Jim Hendee (OAR/AOML), Robert Warner (NOS/NCCOS/COASTB), Involved Ernesto Morales (NWS/SR/WFO/CAROLINA PR), Odalys Martinez (NWS/SR/WFO/CAROLINA PR) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Tom Gil (UTEP) Involved Qilong Min (SUNYA) Other 1 Hector Jimenez (UPRM – Physics Dept.) Collaborator(s) Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 3 Gyan Villamil, Joanna Coronado, Lizandra N/A Flores(UPRM) Graduate 6 William Hernandez, Cynthia Ramos, Ali Amirrezvani Myrna Santiago, Maria Cardona, Melissa (UPRM) Melendez (UPRM) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission Climate Mission Goal: Understand climate variability and changes to enhance Relevance society’s ability to plan and respond. NOAA’s Technology and the Mission’s Support Goal: Provide critical support for NOAA’s mission. Student Thesis 2 Remote sensing of benthic habitats in SW Puerto Rico (William Hernandez) Hurricane forcing of phytoplankton biomass in the Sargasso Sea (Myrna Santiago) 11 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Publications 0 N/A Presentations 6 See Appendix Other Milestones AERADNET upgrades – See Technical Report Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 10%
Activity 2. Development of Saharan Dust Index and New Satellite Products The main objectives of this activity are: (1) to quantify the effects of dust aerosols on incident levels of solar UV and PAR radiation reaching Puerto Rico; (2) to analyze CREWS radiation data to generate a Saharan Dust Index (SDI) as a NOAA/CREWS operational product, (3) once this relationship is established using field radiation measurements, a similar approach will be tested using satellite-based data (e.g. OMI), and 4) generate PAR and UV attenuation coefficients (Kd) as an index of water quality.
Activity 3. Optical Characterization of Dust African dust and volcanic ash particles are transported by the trade winds and affect the air quality, visibility, weather and climate, and carry contaminants that affect human and ecosystem health. Visibility is also negatively affected when south-east winds bring volcanic ash from the Soufriere Hills (Montserrat) to the island. We are using an MFRSR, EKO Sun-Tracker, and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for optical and chemical characterization of these dust sources. We are also developing spectroscopic techniques for quantitative relationships between the concentration of iron in filtered samples (as determined by the ICP-MS) and the spectral response using visible reflectance spectroscopy.
1.2.7. Economic Value of Air Quality Forecast Information, and Development of Modeling Tools for Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutant Effects Lead PI: Dr. William Stockwell Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 1 Jeffery McQueen (NWS/EMC/MMB) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 2 Rosa Fitzgerald (UTEP) Involved Duanjun Lu (JSU) Other 0 None Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 1 Tasha Anderson N/A Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission Potential societal economic benefits of numerical AQF in public and private sectors Relevance are driving NOAA’s expansion of its portfolio of services. This research area focuses on the estimation of the societal - economic baseline impacts of using observational and numerical air quality and meteorological information. Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: Activity 1: 15%; Activity 2: 5%
Activity 1. Economic Value of Air Quality Forecast Information HU graduate student, Tasha Anderson, has collected model forecasts and observational data of ozone and particulate matter. The data are being used to evaluate the air quality forecasts. These metrics include: (1) The number of times that an unhealthy event is correctly forecasted, (2) the number of times that an unhealthy event is forecasted when it does not occur and (3) the number of times when the air 12 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director quality forecast predicts healthy air when the air was observed to be unhealthy. These comparisons will be the basis for Tasha Anderson’s Master’s degree thesis.
Activity 2. Development of Modeling Tools for Direct Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutant Effects The publically available modeling software, “Neuron” was acquired, installed and tested at HU. HU students are now being recruited for this project. Duanjun Lu (JSU) collaboratively worked with faculty of University of Mississippi to study mercury dispersion. In this work, HYSPLIT model was used to track the dispersive route of mercury. The results indicated that air masses during plume events generally originated either from northern continental (dominated by terrestrial sources) or, less frequently, from the south (e.g., the Gulf of Mexico). Mercury originating from northern continental region accounted for the majority of the highest plume events. It was suggested that unpolluted air from the Gulf of Mexico was not a primary source of mercury in Oxford, MS.
1.3. Observational Program in Support of NCAS Research in Training Since 2001, with the support of NCAS funding, the Howard University Beltsville Campus (HUBC) has grown into a world-class mesoscale observation site. Building upon this success and capacity and in support of research and education, NCAS will continue to conduct six research activities for the emerging NWS operational observing technology testbed at HUBC: (A) All-weather ground-based LIDAR for NWS, (B) Extending decision support based application of NWS Ceilometer network, (C) Global Climate Observation System (GCOS) Upper Air Network (GUAN), (D) Microwave radiometer profiling and nowcasting, (E) Washington D.C. lightning mapping array demonstration project, and (F) Demonstration of Real-Time Mesoscale Analyses (RTMA) of PBL information
1.3.1. All Weather Ground Based Lidar for NWS, and Extending Decision Support Based Application of NWS Ceilometer Network Lead PI: Dr. Belay Demoz Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 4 Micheal Hicks, Joseph Facundo (NWS/OOS/FSOC/OSB), Dennis Involved Atkinson (NWS/OST/PPD/PMB), David Turner (OAR/NSSL) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Demetrius Venable and Everette Joseph (HU) Involved Other 6 Activity-1: Kevin Vermeesch (SSAI), Tim Berkoff (UMBC-SSAI), Collaborator(s) Ruben Delgado (CREST), Involved Activity-2: Scott Spuler and Tammy Weckwerth (NCAR), Mike Repasky (Montana University) Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 1 N/A Khalil Dixon (HU) Graduate 3 Shadya Sanders (HU) Lorenza Cooper, Monique Walker (HU) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance High – See TPT workshop Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A Presentations 0 Workshop report forthcoming. Other Milestones Supplemental Funding acquired; A major workshop in collaboration with NWS completed Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: Initiation stage.
Activity 2. Extending Decision Support Based Application of NWS Ceilometer Network Given the many important applications that the ceilometer can be put to use, saving and archiving of the data is a game-changing idea. At the TPT workshop in Boulder, CO and later at the follow-up ASOS Ceilometer Workshop meeting on March 28, 2012 at Sterling, VA, a 13 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director consensus was reached to plan a method that would demonstrate the archival and analysis of the full profiler backscatter data from the ASOS CL31 for real-time data exploitation. At both places a limited area ceilometer network was discussed. Howard University (lead by PI Belay Demoz) was charged with the demonstration work in collaboration with the NOAA/NWS personnel at Sterling and other partners.
1.3.2. Global Climate Observational System (GCOS) Upper Air Network (GRUAN) Lead PI: Dr. Belay Demoz Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 4 Joseph Facundo, Micheal Hicks (NWS/OOS/FSOC/OSB), Involved Antony Reale (NESDIS/STAR/SMCD/OPDB), Howard Diamond (NESDIS/NCDC) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Everette Joseph and Demetrius Venable (HU) Involved Other 1 David Whiteman (NASA/GSFC) Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 2 N/A Sium Tesfay, Lorenza Cooper Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 1 See Appendix Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones NOAA Supplemental funding started. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 20%
Activity 3: Global Climate Observational System (GCOS) Upper Air Network (GUAN) The reliable detection of the vertical structure of changes in climate variables in the atmosphere requires very high quality atmospheric observations with well-characterized measurement uncertainties. While the GRUAN provides upper air measurements over large regions of the globe, these are primarily for operational weather forecasting and as a result seldomly include quality control systems to guarantee data quality so that the data are suitable for long-term trend detection. This was formalized between 2005 and 2007 when a reference upper-air network consisting of eventually 30-40 sites worldwide was planned. HUBC was selected as part of the initial set of seven sites and is involved in the formulation of the implementation and data flow documentation. The network, known as GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN; GCOS-112, GCOS-134) is being led by the NOAA Climate office. Profile measurements from HU Beltsville campus are contributing to the long-term data quality and formulation of the network.
1.3.3. Microwave Radiometer Profiling and Nowcasting Lead PI: Dr. Belay Demoz Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 4 Micheal Hicks, Joseph Facundo (NWS/OOS/FSOC/OSB), Antony Reale Involved (NESDIS/STAR/SMCD/OPDB), David Turner (OAR/NSSL) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Demetrius Venable, Everett Joseph (HU) Involved Other 5 Torreon Creekmore (NGIA), Scott Spuler and Tammy Weckwerth 14 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Collaborator(s) (NCAR), Randolph Ware (Radiometrics Inc) Involved Mike Repasky (Montana University) Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 3 Shadya Sanders (HU) Monique Walker , Lorenza Cooper (HU) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance High - See TPT workshop Student Thesis 0 N/A Publications 0 N/A Presentations 1 See Appendix Other Milestones A publication led by Cooper is in progress. Comparison with Lidar/DIAL made; A 1- month experiment planned and executed. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 20 % (Activity 4)
Activity 4. Microwave Radiometer Profiling and Nowcasting NCAS has started evaluation of the MWR operation with respect to the recommendations of the Thermodynamic Profiling Techniques (TPT) workshop recommendations; compared the MWR temperature data with radiosonde values for GRUAN; and has evaluated the feasibility of the instrument vis-a-vis the derivation of storm potential indicators. The results were presented at AMS and at the EPP forum by a graduate student Lorenza Cooper. As a follow up to this meeting, we have organized and prepared, in collaboration with NCAR and Montana University, to evaluate the active DIAL lidar that has the best potential for a network instrument.
1.3.4. Demonstration of Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) of PBL Information Lead PI: Dr. Everette Joseph Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 3 Micheal Hicks and Joseph Facundo (NWS/OOS/FSOC/OSB), Jeffery Involved McQueen (NWS/EMC/MMB) NCAS Partner(s) 2 Demetrius Venable, and Belay Demoz (HU) Involved Other 0 N/A Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 0 N/A N/A Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 1 The Characterization of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Depth and Turbulence in an Semi-Urban Convective Environment (Micheal Hicks) Publications 0 Under development Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 70 %
Activity 6. Demonstration of Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) of PBL Information. The PBL work conducted during the reporting period focused on completion of algorithms to improve the retrieval of PBL heights from HURL. The initial phase of testing and development of the experimental algorithm was completed as part of completion of Micheal Hick's dissertation. During the summer research efforts were focused on refinement of the algorithm and development of a publication 15 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director to report this research. The algorithm is in transition to NWS/OOS. Discussions are underway to apply this algorithm in Dr. Demoz's proof of concept study on ceilometers with NWS. Planning with NCEP/EMC is pending on further application of this research in RTMA.
1.4. Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Sciences Component Effective translation of NOAA sciences to the public and private sectors is essential for achieving the vision articulated in the NOAA Strategic plan. In order to realize an informed society that understands the ecosystem approach to management and the integration of science into social and economic decision- making it is crucial for research to be performed that evaluates the economic impacts as well as societal benefits, responses, and attitudes towards NOAA products and services. NCAS SBE research is investigating human impacts of climate and weather events which is integrated within the air quality working group activity with a focus on forecast value and social and behavioral research that spans across working groups, and is focused on communication, public perceptions, and social attitudes toward NOAA sciences. The proposed research projects will lead to the development of a new generation of services, advances in sensors / sensor networks, and establishment of an improved understanding of complex systems and their global interactions
1.4.1. Natural Disaster Risk Communication Basic Social and Behavior Research Lead PI: Dr. Terri Adams Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 3 Vankita Brown and Cindy Woods (NWS/OCWWS/ORD), Douglas Involved Young (NWS/OCWWS/RAD/PB) NCAS Partner(s) 1 Carolyn Stroman, Tia Tyree, and Everette Joseph (HU) Involved Other 0 N/A Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 2 Luann Edwards, Keith Sabala (HU) N/A Graduate 4 Michelle Dovil, Crystal Adkisson N/A Shadya Sanders, Rita Jacobs (HU) Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 2 Michelle Dovil- Identifying the Social Determinants used for Risk Assessment in the Evacuation Responses during Hurricane Katrina: Race, Class, and Gendered Analysis (In progress) Shadya Sanders- Relationships Between Demographics and Protective Actions During Severe Weather (In progress) Publications 0 N/A Presentations 1 See Appendix Other Milestones Developed relationships with community representatives at 3 of the study sites for focus group research. Provided technical assistance for the NOAA’s Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services. Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 20%
Activity 1. Natural Disaster Risk Communication Basic Social and Behavioral Research The SBE component of NCAS has accomplished a number of goals towards meeting its research objective of examining risk perceptions and motivations that impact response to emergency warnings issued by NOAA. The major accomplishments during the reporting period include: (1) networking to secure research opportunities at the various study sites; (2) working with NOAA partners to attain contacts for the NWS offices at the study sites; (3) providing technical assistance to NOAA’s Office of 16 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Climate, Water, and Weather Services; (4) preparing students for professional conferences; and (5) developing papers for publication.
1.4.2. Public Communication and Outreach Lead PI: Dr. Terri Adams Total Name/Affiliations (Locations) Number NOAA Partner(s) 2 Vankita Brown and Cindy Woods (NWS/OCWWS/ORD) Involved NCAS Partner(s) 0 Carolyn Stroman and Tia Tyree (HU BSE faculty) Involved Other 0 N/A Collaborator(s) Involved Students Trained NCAS-Supported by Activity Leveraged by Activity Undergraduate 0 N/A N/A Graduate 2 Michelle Dovil, Crystal Adkisson (HU) N/A Post-Doctoral 0 N/A N/A NOAA Mission From Proposal and NGSP Relevance Student Thesis 1 Examination of the impact of social media networks during weather related disasters. Publications 0 N/A Presentations 0 N/A Other Milestones Percent Completion Relative to Implementation Plan: 5% (Activity 2)
Activity 2. Public Communication and Outreach The SBE NCAS team is in the beginning phases of this aspect of the project, as the goals of this phase are dependent on the findings of the first phase of the project. When the data becomes available the team will provide outreach and information services to the public for selected NCAS research findings. This public outreach campaign uses multiple methods and media to expand the public’s knowledge about the work of NCAS and NOAA. These methods and media include creating video, print and audio news releases, and developing online content including web sites, blogs, Flickr photostreams, Twitter and Facebook postings.
NCAS SBE faculty will involve the CapComm Lab, a student-run advertising and public relations agency at Howard University, and graduate students to develop a comprehensive outreach plan to disseminate and market the research findings and activities of NCAS.
17 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director II. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTITIVIES
NCAS has adopted a four-tiered approach to developing a talent pipeline in atmospheric sciences from underrepresented minorities and underserved communities. It is comprised of programs that address the five key factors that have been attributed to attrition at the transition points along the education pathway; Access, Mentoring and Motivation, Professional Development, Education, and Distinction (as indicated by Degree or Career). NCAS has been leveraging the unique legacies of its MSI partners, the technical capacities of its participating scientists in academia, government, and private sector, in consultation with NOAA to build and strengthen successful outreach programs for a comprehensive pipeline development and education strategy. NCAS is using the knowledge and experience gained over the past ten years to buttress these efforts.
NCAS participates in numerous educational and outreach efforts that are aimed at enhancing student enrollment in NCAS partner institutions at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, other minority- serving institutions (MSIs), and in STEM fields, in general. This section presents examples of specific accomplishments conducted during the March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012 reporting period. NCAS continues to strive to make its greatest investment in graduate education through direct financial support (tuition, stipends, conferences/workshops, books, and travel) as well as indirect support through entraining graduate students into seminars, courses, field experiences, and research via leveraged funding.
2.10 Degree Programs and Training Focus - Program - Institution March 1 – August 31, 2012 Activities Undergraduate - 3+2 Undergraduate Scholarship - HU None during this performance period Graduate - Multiple Disciplines – HU Stipend (13): Benjamin Albright, Shadya Sanders, Michelle Dovil, Craig Battle, Henry Lovelace, III, Tasha Anderson, Yaitza Luna- Cruz, Mayra Oyola, Crystal Adkisson, Jose Tirado, Maria Velez- Quinones, Karretta Venable, Gino Davis Atmospheric Sciences/Marine Sciences/Physics - UPRM Stipend (6): William Hernandez, Myrna Santiago, Cynthia Ramos, Maria Cardona, Melissa Melendez, Gyan Villamil Tuition (2): Myrna Santiago, Maria Cardona Physics/Environmental Sciences - UTEP 1 PhD student supported in Environmental Sciences, 1 PhD student supported in Computational Sc, 1 M.S student in Geology Meteorology - JSU Conference travel & Books (5): Chelsae Fullilove, Caleb Johnson, John Moore, Hope-Anne Weldon, Christopher Wilson Books Only (4): Jessica Foxworth, Brittany Hailey, Marcus Hereford, DeVondria Reynolds Conference Travel only: Dereka Carroll Stipend & Books: William Parks Atmospheric Sciences – SUNYA Stipend &Tuition Waiver (2): Matthew Gibbons, Hanisha Hirani Atmospheric Sciences – UMD Stipend & Tuition (1): Adam Greeley NCAS Undergraduate Research Summer Internship: Howard University hosted six (6) interns: John Bartlett (NCSU), Luanne Edwards (HU), Chelsae Fullilove (JSU), Caleb Johnson (JSU), Jeremy Mayo-Johnson (UMD), Zachery Zobel (PU) from June 4 – July 27. Internships location included NCEP and HU. Technical Workshops: UTEP conducted two (2) Teacher Workshops to increase public awareness towards Atmospheric Sciences in the community and with High School students. Roy Armstrong (UPRM-NCAS) presented a NOAA Brown-bag seminar at the NOAA Central Library on August 9, 2012 entitled: The use of autonomous underwater vehicles in studies of mesophotic and deep water corals. HU sponsored NCAS STEM Career day the HU Upward Bound/TRIO HS program. Concurrent science demonstrations conducted by STEM professionals for approximately 90 metropolitan-area high school students. The areas of focus were: Weather satellites, hands-on Marine Ecology, Robotics and Engineering, and Pentagon’s IT Infrastructure. Conference Travel: NCAS annual meeting was held on June18-19, 2012 by means of video and teleconferencing. The Videoconference portion of the meeting was hosted by EPP NOAA in downtown Silver Spring, MD.
18 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Graduate Focus: NCAS graduated three (3) students during this reporting period. Mariana Guereque received a M.S from UTEP. Rufus White received a Ph.D. and Keyaara Robinson received a B.S. from HU. NCAS Graduate Student Support: UPRM: 6; UTEP: 3; SUNYA: 2; JSU: N/A; UMD: 1; HU: 13
2.11 Informal and Community Outreach Conference Mentorship UPRM: Provided travel support for two (2) faculty members to attend/participate in the Sixth Biennial NOAA Education and Science Forum held on the campus of Florida A&M University from March 26-28, 2012 SUNYA: Provided travel support for one (1) faculty member to attend AOGS-AGU (WPGM) Joint Assembly JSU: Provided travel support for Dereka Carroll (student) to attend NCUR at Weber State University from March 29-31, 2012. Provided travel support for three (3) faculty members to attend/participate in the Sixth Biennial NOAA Education and Science Forum held on the campus of Florida A&M University from March 26-28, 2012 HU: Provided travel support for 32 students (17 from HU; 5 from JSU; 3 from UTEP; 4 from UPRM, 1 from UMD, and 1 from UVI) and five (5) HU faculty to attend/participate in the Sixth Biennial NOAA Education and Science Forum held on the campus of Florida A&M University from March 26-28, 2012 UTEP: Provided travel support for two (2) faculty members to attend/participate in the Sixth Biennial NOAA Education and Science Forum held on the campus of Florida A&M University from March 26-28, 2012. Two (2) UTEP students (Juan Gustavo Arias, Angel Esparza) participated at SACNAS using leverage funding. Travel support for two (2) UTEP students (Elsa Castillo and Javier Polanco) and one (1) faculty member (Rosa Fitzgerald) to attend/participate in PECS-X: 10th International Symposium on Photonic and Electromagnetic Crystal Structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 3, 2012 – June 8, 2012.
No applications were made center wide for other fellowships during this performance period. Colour of Weather Networking Mixers: None during this performance period
2.12 K-12 Outreach High School Camps: UPRM: 15 participants Gabriela Alicea (PR), Keishaly Cabrera (PR), Angélica Colon (PR), Anthony Crespo (PR), Darimar Davila (PR), Jordan P. Ferguson (St. Thomas, USVI), Zoe A. Garcia (PR), Jonathan M. Mendez (PR), Alex Montenegro (PR), Victor A Negron (PR ), Paola del Mar Nieves (PR), Shane K Ramsey (Milwaukee, WI), Ada M Rios (PR), Nayrobie L Rivera (PR), Wilnelly Ventura (PR) Immersive summer experience (June 24-29, 2012) in which high school students from Puerto Rico, USVI and continental USA learn about basic concepts of atmospheric sciences and meteorology, complex tropical weather, climate change, atmosphere and ocean connections, coastal weather, and ocean observing systems, among many other relevant topics. Participants meet experts in these fields and learn about the diverse academic and professional opportunities. JSU: 8 participants Aaron Ayers (Huntsville, AL), Patrick Cajandig (Davis, CA), Victor Flores, Jr. (Fort Worth, TX), Maggie Klug (Tuscaloosa, AL), Abbey McGilvrey (Noblesville, IN), MaaLiik McMorris (Houston, TX), Christian Williams (Southlake, TX), Reagan Williams (Tyrone, GA) The JSU Weather Camp was held on June 25-29, 2012. Participants took part in lectures, hands-on demonstrations, field trips, and interactive activities relating to weather processes, atmospheric science careers, and personal skills development. The camp was based on the campus of JSU, using a residential paradigm, over a period of one week. The activities were facilitated by JSU faculty, alumni chaperones, and guest professionals from within the community. UTEP: 12 participants Carla Cos, Michelle Carrasco, Isidro Melchor, Abril Raygosa, Aby Gonzalez, Karol Balderrama, Crystal Fino, Rosie Moreno, Bitania Hernandez, Pamela Fierro, Jessica Reyes, Karian Estrieve The UTEP Weather Camp was held on July 9-13, 2012 and it was very successful. 12 high school students from the city of El Paso participated. HU: 12 participants Julien Benjamin (Acworth, GA), Shellianne Booth (Laurel, MD), Matthew Cappucci ( Plymouth, MA), Joseph Ghianni (Nashville, TN), Gabriella Ibanez-Alers (Aldie,VA), Kyle Jordan-DeDaux (Florissant, MO), Amber Ligett (Beaver, PA), Malik Means (Philadelphia, PA), Rachel Pyfron (Davidsonville, MD), Laurel Robert-Rivera (Aguadilla, PR), Marin Satrio (Plano, TX), Laura Searles (Gaithersburg,MD). The HU Weather camp was held on July 8-12, 2012. 12 high school students from across the country participated. Adopt A School Program: 19 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director HU: Cleveland Elementary (K-5) Provided - judges for school science fair on March 6, 2012, and tour of Beltsville Research Facility on May 23, 2012. Howard University Middle School for Mathematics and Science (6-8) – provided a weather camp for 19 HU middle school students on July 23-27 culminating with a hot air balloon launch by the students. Initiated talks Columbia Heights Educational Campus and Hardy Middle School. UPRM: School name: Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (K-6). Facilitated the participation of two (2) Science teachers from school in the NASA sponsored workshop: “The Biosphere Interactions: An Ineludible Connection of Events”. JSU: Planning meetings with Piney Woods Country Life School in Braxton, MS. Facility tours: HU provided a tour of the NCAS Beltsville Research Facility for 35 fifth graders from adopt-a-school Cleveland Elementary on May 23, 2012 and 55 Howard University Upward Bound Math and Science students on June 22, 2012. HU provided a tour of the NWS Sterling Facility for approximately 70 Howard University High School Upward Bound students. Science Fests: UPRM: AMS (UPRM Student chapter) Weather Fest – UPR Mayaguez (Aprox. 500 students) Hurricane hunter visit – Isla Grande Airport – Sponsored by UNIVISION PR (Over 1,000 students) HU: USA Science and Engineering Festival, Washington Convention Center, DC. Total participation at the festival was approximately 3,000+ families on April 28-29, 2012. DCPS STEM Fair & Expo (grades 6-12) at Wilson High School on Macrh 26-28, 2012.
20 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director III. PHOTO GALLERY
UTEP Weather Camp2012
HU Weather Camp 2012 JSU Weather Camp 2012
21 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director
UPRM Weather Camp 2012
HU Adopt School Cleveland Elementary Visit with Nano Express 2012
HU Upward Bound visit NWS Sterling, VA
AMS (UPRM Student Chapter) Weather Fest 2012 22 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director
NCAS USA Science and Engineering Festival 2012
HU Undergraduate Summer Internship 2012
NCAS STEM Careers Day with HU Upward Bound-Trio Programs
HU Adopt a School Cleveland Elementary visit to Beltsville Facility 2012 23 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Appendix 1 – Detailed Breakdown of NCAS Leveraged Funding March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012 Institution Funding Agency / Sponsor Awarded Amount Status / Comments HU OAR/OARO/OWAQ $114,000.00 2 year full support student award
HU Cooperative Institute for Climate $33,000 Established July 2009 and Satellites (CICs)
HU NASA $1M/yr 2008-2013
HU Maryland Department of the $60,000/yr Regional Air Quality Network Site Environment (MDE), ARL, & at Beltsville (renewed annually) UMCP
HU Various External Sources 3 students x International Students working on $38,000/student NCAS projects
In-kind sources of leveraging Ronald H. Brown Ship Allocation HU NOAA $40,000/day x 55 days AEROSE06
24 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Appendix 2 - NCAS Calendar of Activities March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012 March o NCAS co-sponsor with Howard University Graduate School – Morehouse Hopps Scholars Visitation (Presentation and Tour ) – March 6 o Cleveland Elementary School Science Fair o NCAS co-sponser with HU Department of Biology – GENEWIZ for a DNA Sequencing Lunch Seminar – March 7 o Visit to discuss partnerships with Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC), Washington, DC – March 8 o NCAS Outreach presentation to Science Department of CHEC (Washington, DC) o NCAS participated in the DC Public schools STEM Fair at Wilson High School – March 24 o NCAS Participated in Capitol College Juniors STEM Expo, Laural, MD – March 16 o AEROSE Day Beltsville, MD – March 16 o NCAS Participated in NOAA Cooperative Institutes Meeting, Silver spring, MD – March 20-21 o NCAS participated in the Sixth NOAA Education and Science Forum, Tallahassee, FL – March 26-28
April o ScienceFest, Washington, DC o NOAA Day with Howard University Upward Bound Trio Program – April 21 o NCAS participated in the USA Science and Engineering Festival, National Mall – April 28-29
May o EPP CSC Directors Spring Meeting, Silver Spring, MD – May 3
June o NCAS Summer Internship Program – June 4-July 23 o NCAS Participated in the World Science Festival, Governor’s Island, New York, NY – June 4 o UPRM High School Weather Camp, Lajas, PR - June 24-30 o JSU High School Weather Camp, Jackson, MS - June 25-29
July o HU High School Weather Camp, Washington, DC – July 9-23 o UTEP High School Weather Camp, El Paso, TX = July 9-13
August o Roy Armstrong (UPRM-NCAS) presented a NOAA Brown-bag seminar at the NOAA Central Library entitled: The use of autonomous underwater vehicles in studies of mesophotic and deep water corals – August 9
25 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Appendix 3 – Publication, Presentation, Press Release and Web Links March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012
Publications: Liang, X.-Z., M. Xu, X. Yuan, T. Ling, H.I. Choi, F. Zhang, L. Chen, S. Liu, S. Su, F. Qiao, Y. He, J.X.L. Wang, K.E. Kunkel, W. Gao, E. Joseph, V. Morris, T.-W. Yu, J. Dudhia, and J. Michalakes, 2012: Regional Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting Model (CWRF). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00180.1. Maddy, E.S., S. G. DeSouza-Machado, N. R. Nalli, C. D. Barnet, L. L Strow, W. W.Wolf, H. Xie, A. Gambacorta, T. S. King, E. Joseph, V. Morris, S. E. Hannon, and P. Schou, 2012: On the Effect of Dust Aerosols on AIRS and IASI 1 Operational Level 2 Products, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L10809, doi:10.1029/2012GL052070 Polanco, J., R. M. Fitzgerald, and A.A. Maradudin, 2012: Propagation of S-Polarized Surface Polaritons Circumferentially Around a Locally Cylindrical Surface, Physics Letters A, Volume 376, Issue 18, 2 April 2012, Pages 1573-1575, ISSN 0375-9601, 10.1016/j.physleta.2012.02.061. Collins, T.W., S. E. Grineski, P. Ford, R. Aldouri, M.L R. Aguilar, G. Vela´zquez-Angulo, R. Fitzgerald, and D. Lu, 2012: Mapping vulnerability to climate change-related hazards: children at risk in a US–Mexico border metropolis, Popul. and Environ., DOI 10.1007/s11111-012-0170- 8. Lu, D., R. Fitzgerald, W. R. Stockwell, R.S. Reddy, and L. White, 2012: Numerical Simulation for a Wind Dust Even in the US/Mexico Border, Air Qual. Atmos. and Health, DOI 10.1007/s11869-012-0174-7, 2012. Alkhatib, M.Q., D. C. Sergio, and T. E. Gill, 2012: Automated Detection of Dust Clouds And Sources in NOAA-AVHRR Satellite Imagery. Proceedings of the 10th Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and Interpretation, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), April 2012, Santa Fe, NM, pp. 97- 100, doi:10.1109/SSIAI.2012.6202462 Ginoux, P., J.M. Prospero, T.E. Gill, N. C. Hsu and M. Zhao, 2012: Global scale attribution of anthropogenic and natural dust sources and their emission rates based on MODIS Deep Blue aerosol products, Rev. Geophys 50:RG3005, 36 pp., doi:10.1029/2012RG000388 Thorne, P.W., H. Vömel, G. Bodecker, F. Immler, M. Sommer, 2012: GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN): Steps Towards Assuring Future Climate Records. Proceedings of the 9th International Temperature Symposium, American Institute of Physics: Temperature: Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, Volume 8, Los Angeles, CA on March 19 - 23, 2012. Kim, Y-J., Kim, B-G., Miller, M., Min, Q., and Song, C-K, 2012: Enhanced Aerosol-Cloud Relationships in More Stable and Adiabatic Clouds , Asia-Pacific J. Atmos. Sci., 48(3), 283- 293, 2012, DOI:10.1007/s13143-012-0028-0. V. Morris, V., T.-W. Yu, H. M. Mogil, 2012: A Growing Network of Weather Camps with a CAREER Focus, Eos, Vol. 93, No. 15, 10 April 2012. Morris, V., E. Joseph, S. Smith, and T-W. Yu, 2012; The Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS): A Program Exemplifying Diversity and Opportunity, Journal of Geoscience Education 60, 45-53, 2012.
Presentations: Liang, X.-Z.: CWRF Advances for Water Management (Chesapeake Bay). Invited talk at the Chesapeake Bay Program Modeling Quarterly Review Meeting, Annapolis, Maryland, July 11. Liang, X.-Z., F. Qiao, and L. Chen: CWRF Improved Rainfall Prediction by Ensemble Cumulus Parameterization. Oral presentation at the 13th Annual WRF User’s Workshop, Boulder, CO, June 25-29. 26 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Liang, X.-Z.: CWRF Advances for NCEP Operational Use. Oral talk (1 hour) to brief the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) management team, Maryland, June 22. Liang, X.-Z.: Regional Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting Model Development and Application. Seminar at the China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, March 21. Anderson, T., W.R. Stockwell, C.V. Lawson. The Economic Value of Air Quality Forecasting, NOAA- EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum, “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Lawson, C.V., W.R. Stockwell, W.S. Goliff. The Effect of Nighttime Chemistry on Air Quality Forecasts, NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum, “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Lu, D., R. Fitzgerald, W.R. Stockwell, R.S. Reddy, L. White. Numerical Simulation for a Wind Dust even in the US/Mexico Border, NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum, “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Reddy, R. S., D. Lu, L. White, R. Armstrong, and V. Morris. Impacts of Saharan Dust on Atlantic Hurricanes and Climate Change, NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Stockwell, W. R., C.V. Lawson, W.S. Goliff. Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanisms for Air Quality Forecasting, NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum, “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Stockwell, W. R., W. S. Goliff, C. V. Lawson. The Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, 22nd International Symposium on Gas Kinetics, Boulder, CO, June 18 – 22, 2012. Polanco, J. The Scattering of Surface Plasmon Polaritons by One-dimesional Surface Defects, PECS-X: 10th International Congress on Photonic and Electromagnetic Crystal Structures, June 3-8, 2012, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Acosta, M.D., T.E. Gill, and M. Baddock. The White Sands as a Dust Emission Hotspot, White Sands Science Symposium, sponsored by the National Park Service, Las Cruces, NM, June 2012. Gill, T.E. Health Impacts: Can Desert Dust Really Make You Sick? NOAA- National Weather Service /Arizona Department of Transportation Dust Storm Workshop, Casa Grande, AZ, March 6, 2012 Santiago, M.J., and R.A. Armstrong. Hurricane forcing of phytoplankton biomass in the Sargasso Sea. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Detrés, Y. and R.A. Armstrong. Contribution of the Puerto Rico Weather Camp to the Recruitment of Underrepresented Students in STEM Careers. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Flores, L., Y. Detrés, and R.A. Armstrong. Monitoring of African Dust Intrusions to the Eastern Caribbean During the Summer of 2011. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Coronado, J. Detrés, Y. and Armstrong, R. A. Source Frequency of African Dust Storms Reaching the Island of Puerto Rico. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012.
27 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Hernández, W. J. and Armstrong, R. A. Benthic Habitat Mapping for La Parguera Marine Reserve, Southwest Puerto Rico, using Passive and Active Remote Sensing Data. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Cooper, L., and B. Demoz. Microwave Radiometer and its use in the Atmospheric Thermodynamic Analysis of the 27 April 2011 Tornado Event in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012. Sanders, S.J., T. Adams, and E. Joseph. Relationships Between Demographics and Protective Actions During Severe Weather Outbreaks: 2011 Super Outbreak, Tuscaloosa, AL. NOAA-EPP Sixth Education and Science Forum “Developing STEM Talent: Increasing Innovation and National Competitiveness”. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. March 26-28, 2012.
Press Releases: None to report during this performance period
Web Links:
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz2D4uT1XFA (video) b. http://www.facebook.com/pages/NOAA-Puerto-Rico-Weather-Camp/126994785756 (video) c. http://www.rtbot.net/Puerto_Rico_Weather_Camp (video) d. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIjmzwLP8VU (video) e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfhAjzjnBtY (video) f. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w0yoztB-Hs (video) g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsE9vdgQJY (video) h. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUX0TLbhu58 (video) i. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQMgPvWziw4 (video) j. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsBjoDWzf8o (video) k. http://www.lib.noaa.gov/about/news/archivebrownbags.html#2012
28 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director Appendix 4 – NCAS Acronyms March 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012
3DVAR Three-Dimensional Variation AAAR American Association for Aerosol Research ACARS Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System ACS American Chemical Society ADP Automated Data Processing AERADNET AErosols and RADiation Observing NETwork AEROSE AERosols and Oceanographic Science Expedition AFWA Air Force Weather Agency AG Access Grid AGL Above Ground Level AGU American Geophysical Union AHPCRC Army High Performance Computing Research Center AIRS Atmospheric Infrared Sounder AL Alabama AMMA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis AMS American Meteorological Society AMSU Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit AOML Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory AOT Aerosol Optical Thickness ARL Air Resources Laboratory ARM Atmospheric Radiation Measurement ARW Advanced Research WRF ASL Atmospheric Surface Layer ASLO American Society of Limnology and Oceanography ASOS Automated Surface Observing System AUV Autonomous Underwater Vehicle AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer AWIPS Advanced Weather Interactive Prediction System AWOS Automated Weather Observing System BAMP Howard University Beltsville Atmospheric Measurement Program BBSS Balloon Borne Sounding System BLH Boundary Layer Heights BSRN Baseline Surface Radiation Network CAFAS Careers in Fisheries, Aquatics, and Atmospheric Sciences CAMx Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions CAREERS Channeling Atmospheric Research into Educational Experiences Reaching Students CAPE Convective Available Potential Energy CASTNET Clean Air Status and Trends Network CB4 Carbon Bond IV model CBL Convective Boundary Layer CCBay Corpus Christi Bay CCN Cloud Condensation Nuclei CE-CERT Center for Environmental Research and Technology (University of California Riverside) CGD Climate and Global Dynamics CGU Canadian Geophysical Union CICS Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites CISM Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling 29 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director CLM Common Land Model CM3 Coordinated Mesoscale Measurements in Mississippi CMAQ Community Multi-scale Air Quality model CMM5 Climate MM5 Model CMP Conference Mentorship Program COAMPS Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System CONFRRM Cooperative Network for Renewable Resource Measurements CoZOBs Coastal Marine Zone Observations CPAS Cooperative Program in Atmospheric Sciences (UPRM) CPC Climate Prediction Center CPS Cumulous Parameterization Schemes CPU Central Processing Unit CREST Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Centers CREWS Coral Reef Early Warning System CRTM Community Radiative Transfer Model CSC Cooperative Science Center CSWR Center for Severe Weather Research CTD Conductivity/Temperature/Depth Instrument CUNY City University of New York CVS Concurrent Version Systems CWRF Climate WRF D Democrat DC District of Columbia DDR Direct to Diffuse Irradiance Ratio DEQ Department of Environmental Quality DISORT Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer DCRM Detailed Cloud Resolving Model DIAR-BAR Differential O2 Absorption Barometric Pressure Radar DMR Division of Marine Resources DOD SMART Department of Defense Science Mathematics & Research for Transformation Scholarship DOE Department of Energy DOW Doppler-on-Wheels DRI Desert Research Institute ECSU Elizabeth City State University EF Enhanced Fujita scale EMC Environmental Modeling Group ENSO El Nino/Southern Oscillation EOC Expanding Opportunities Conference EOS Earth Observing System EPA Environmental Protection Agency EPIC Equatorial Processes including the Coupling EPP Educational Partnership Program (NOAA) EPPMSI Educational Partnership Program (NOAA) with Minority Serving Institutions EPIRM Environmental Physics Inverse Reconstruction Model EQB Environmental Quality Board ERDC Engineering Research and Development Center ESA European Space Agency ESE Environmental Sciences and Engineering ESRL Earth System Research Laboratory FAMU Florida A & M University
30 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director FGSEE Future Geoscientists for a Sustainable Earth Environment FL Florida FRRF Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometry FSIRP Faculty and Student Internship Program FTE Full time employee GCOS Global Climate Observing System GDAS Global Data Assimilation GFDL Geographical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory GIS Geographic Information Systems GLAS Global Laser Altimeter S GOCART Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation Transport Model GOES Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites GoHFAS Goddard Howard University Fellowship in Atmospheric Sciences GFS Global Forecasting System GLOW Goddard Lidar Observatory for Winds GPCP Global Precipitation Climatology Project GPI Global Precipitation Index GPS Global Positioning System GRUAN GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) GSM Global Spectrum Model GUFMEX GUlF of Mexico EXperiment HBCU Historically Black Colleges and Universities HF High Frequency HU Howard University HUBRF Howard University Beltsville Research Facility HURL Howard University Roman Lidar HUPAS Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences HYSPLIT Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated IAMA International Aerosol Modeling Algorithms Conference IAMAS International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences ICCM Canary Institute of Marine Sciences ICE Informal Science Education ICodEM Icod Environmental Model ICON Integrated Coral Observing Network IDAS-RAP Diversity in Atmospheric Science through Research Application and Partnership IDV Integrated Data Viewer IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc IEO Spanish Institute of Oceanography IGARSS International Geosciences & Remote Sensing Symposium IGRA Infrared Gas Analyzer IHOP International H2O Project INTEX Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment IOAS-AOLS Integrated Observing and Assimilation Systems for the Atmosphere. Oceans, and Land Surface IOPs Intensive Observational Periods IR Infrared ISCS International Solar Cycle Studies ISO International Standards Organization
31 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director ISWS Illinois State Water Survey IUGG International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics JCSDA Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation JISAO Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean JPL NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory JSU Jackson State University JSUMP JSU Meteorology Program LA Louisiana LA-MS Louisiana/Mississippi LAPS Local Analysis and Prediction System LEAD Linked Environment for Atmospheric Discovery Lidar Light detection and ranging LSM Land Surface Model LST Local Solar Time LPASF Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics Siméon Fongang LW Longwave LWS Living With a Star MADIS NOAA’s Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System MAST Mississippi Academy for Science Teaching MCC Mesoscale Convective Complex Met Meteorological MD Maryland MDE Maryland Department of the Environment MEA Malt Extract Agar MFRSR Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer MHD Magneto Hydro Dynamics MISR Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer MS Mississippi MMCR Millimeter Cloud Radar MM5 Mesoscale Model 5 MODIS Moderate Imaging Spectrometer MODTRAN MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission MP Micro Physics MSI Minority Serving Institution MWR Microwave Radiometer NAAPS Navy Automated Aerosol Prediction System NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAM North American Model NAME North America Monsoon Experiment NAQFS National Air Quality Forecast System NARR North American Regional Reanalysis NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NAVO Naval Oceanographic Office NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research NCAS NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences NCDC National Climatic Data Center NCDDC National Coastal Data Development Center NCEP National Center for Environmental Prediction NCO NOAA Computing Office NCUR National Center on Undergraduate Research NDBC National Data Buoy Center NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data & Information Service
32 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director NHC National Hurricane Center NIS Network Infrastructure & Administrations NMM Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale Model NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOBCChE National Organization of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers NoN Nationwide Network of Networks NOS National Ocean Service NRCS National Resources Conservation Service NREL National Renewable Energy Lab NRL Naval Research Laboratory NSF National Science Foundation NSTA National Science Teachers Association NWA National Weather Association NWS National Weather Service OAR Office of Atmospheric Research OD Optical Depth OES Oceanic Engineering Society OGP Office of Global Programs OLR Outgoing Longwave Radiation OOS Office of Operational Service ORA Howard University Office of Research Administration ORA Office of Research & Applications (NESDIS) ORAD Office of Research Applications and Development ORISE Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Optical Depth PAR Photosynthetically Active Radiation PASCoR Partnership for Spatial and Computational Research PBL Planetary Boundary Layer PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction PDAS-RAP Promoting Diversity in Atmospheric Sciences through Research Applications Partnership PI Principal Investigator PIERS Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium PM Particulate Matter PNE PIRATA Northeast Extension PPM Piecewise Parabolic Method PSM Ponce School of Medicine (Puerto Rico) PSU Pennsylvania State University QBO Quasi-Biennial Oscillation QEM Quality Education for Minorities QPF Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts RAC Research Advisory Council RACM2 Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism, Version 2 RASS Radio Acoustic Sounding System RASS Reference Ambient Air Sampler RAMS Regional Atmospheric Modeling System REBS Radiation and Energy Balance Systems Rep. Representative RFC River Forecast Center RHB Ronald H. Brown Rn Net radiation RMS Root Mean Square RS Remote Sensing
33 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director RSM Regional Spectrum Model RSMS University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science RSS Rotating Shadowband Spectrometer RTMA Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis SAR Semi-Annual Report SACS Southern Association of Colleges and Schools SACNAS Society of Associated Chicanos, Native Americans in Science SAHRA Center for Sustainability of Semiarid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (University of Arizona) SAL Saharan Aerosol Layer SAQM SARMAP Air Quality Model SARMAP SJVAQS/AUSPEX Regional Modeling Adaptation Project SCEP Student Career Experience Program SeaWiFS Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor SEC Space Environment Center SGP Southern Great Plains SLP Sea Level Pressure SMOKE Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions model SOARS Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research & Science SOSVRT Successive Order of Scattering Vector Radiative Transfer model SOW Statement of Work SRL Scanning Raman Lidar SSM/I Special Sensor Microwave Imager SSRB Solar Surface Radiation Branch STC Science and Technology Center STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STP-M Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Meteorology SUW Subtropical Underwater SURFRAD Surface Radiation Budget Network SUNYA State University of New York at Albany SW Shortwave TCEQ Texas Commission for Environmental Quality TDL Techniques Development Laboratory TNRCC Texas National Resource Conservation Commission TOA Top of the Atmosphere TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission TRMM PR Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar TUV Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible model TX Texas UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research UIUC University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign UMBC University of Maryland Baltimore County UMCP University of Maryland College Park UMES University of Maryland Eastern Shore UMET Universidad Metropolitana de San Juan UND University of North Dakota UPRH University of Puerto Rico Humacao UPRM University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez URC University Research Center US United States USA United States of America
34 NCAS Semi Annual Report (March 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012) Vernon R. Morris, Principal Investigator & Director USDA United States Department of Agriculture USDA SCAN United States Department of Agriculture Soil Climate Analysis Network UTC Coordinated Universal Time UTEP University of Texas at El Paso UV Ultraviolet UW/APL University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory VALIDAR Validation LIDAR Vis5d Visualization of Large 5-d Grided Data Sheets VOC Volatile Organic Compounds VRS Visible Reflectance Spectroscopy WBTP Weather Broadcast Training Program WFO Weather Forecast Office WMO World Meteorological Organization WRF Weather Research and Forecast WTA Western Tropical Atlantic XBT Expendable Bathythermographs
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