Dedicated to Broadening Participation in the Geosciences
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Dedicated to broadening participation in the geosciences Kimberly Trent, SOARS protégé, and her science research mentor Warren Washington “Understanding the complex, changing planet on which we live, how it supports life, and how human activities affect its ability to do so in the future is one of the greatest intellectual challenges facing humanity. It is also one of the most important for society as it seeks to achieve prosperity and sustainability.” – National Research Council Earth, Wind, Sea, and Sky CONTENTS A Message for 2006 1 SOARS PROTÉGÉ ABSTRACTS Radar and surface measurements of boundary layer convergence zones Theresa Abigail Aguilar 2 Ozone dependency of the background current in ozonesondes Karen A. Diaz 3 A comparison of large-scale influences on tropical cyclogenesis in the Eastern Pacific Anthony C. Didlake, Jr. 4 Radar rainfall verification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A step toward improving short-term flash flood forecasting Braxton Edwards 5 Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) effect on the diurnal tide in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) Alisha R. Fernandez 6 Developing a C++ interface for netCDF-4 Shanna-Shaye Forbes 7 Characteristics of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 23ºC and 24ºC west of the Galápagos Islands Douglas J. Gavin 8 Observations and assessment of outer rainband tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Katrina Keith E. Goodman, Jr. 9 Statistical methods for quantifying uncertainty in El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on wind power in the northern Great Plains Bret Harper 10 Comparison analysis of CHAMP radio occulations to the model forecasts: 2005 hurricane season Michael Kevin Hernandez 11 ii CONTENTS(CONT.) The modification of a carbon monoxide instrument for improved sensitivity Clarence Mann 12 Correlating atmospheric water vapor and hurricane development Talea L. Mayo 13 The impact of megacities on the emission of nitrogen dioxide using GOME and SCIAMACHY data Imani Morris 14 Assessing the prospects for employment in an expansion of U.S. aquaculture Nicole Ngo 15 Sulfuric acid in the woods and a connection to aerosols Marco Orozco 16 Meteorological conditions of extreme dust events in the Chihuahuan desert region of the United States and Mexico Nancy I. Rivera Rivera 17 Assessing the precision of Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet 18 Understanding local wind circulations over White Sands Missile Range Armand Silva 19 Effect of the Gulf of Mexico’s mixed layer depth on hurricane intensity in the warming environment Kimberly R. Trent 20 Analyzing tropospheric ozone formation sensitivities in the Mexico City metropolitan area Julien Wang 21 RESESS PROTÉGÉ ABSTRACTS Modeling of vertical deformation associated with the 1931 Mach earthquake, Pakistan Miriam Estela Garcia 22 Continental breakup on the East African Rift Stephen Hernandez 23 A new approach to Global Positioning System (GPS) multipath visualization Lennox Thompson 24 iii A MESSAGE FOR 2006 homogeneity of the geosciences (only up to four summers of research, 2% of the geoscience PhDs earned receive funding for professional between 1973 and 2002 went to conference travel, and apply for Latinos or African Americans), the supplemental funding for under- need for greater diversity is self- graduate and graduate programs. evident: without a more inclusive Through these efforts, SOARS and geoscience workforce, there simply RESESS seek to create the next gener- will not be enough geoscientists. ation of leaders in the geosciences whose investigative expertise is Dr. Rajul E. Pandya Dr. Susan Eriksson Significant Opportunities in complemented by strong leadership SOARS Director and RESESS Director and Principal Investigator; Principal Investigator; Atmospheric Research and Science and communication skills. Associate Director for Diversity UNAVCO Education (SOARS) and Research Experience in Education and Outreach, and Outreach Director UCAR in Solid Earth Science for Students This edition of Earth, Wind, Sea, (RESESS) are dedicated to ensuring and Sky highlights the work of he next generation of scientific that the next generation of geo- the talented SOARS and RESESS leaders will serve an increas- scientists both reflect and serve protégés. Their research includes T ingly diverse nation and be an increasingly diverse nation and many aspects of the Earth system, part of an increasingly multicultural multicultural world. from understanding how hurricanes society. Nowhere is this truer than in change in a warming climate to the geosciences, where we face the SOARS has extended educational exploring complex earthquake zones challenge of contributing to an opportunities to college and university in Pakistan. Their research addresses equitable and sustainable future for students from diverse backgrounds the needs of a diverse and global all communities. for 12 years. In 2005, the National community, from collaborations with Science Foundation’s program of African scientists to study the East These challenges are profound and Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity African Rift to understanding how demand the full scope of human in the Geosciences funded a new El Niño influences wind-generated ingenuity including a diversity of program to partner with the SOARS power on American Indian lands. people and approaches. Research program. RESESS extends the SOARS Their commitment to serving society shows that diverse groups design model of research, multi-dimensional influenced the choice of some other more innovative solutions to problems mentoring, and a supportive learning topics including improving our and bring a higher level of critical community into the fields of understanding of hurricanes, describ- analysis to decisions. In the context geophysics and geology. ing the economic choices inherent in of the geosciences, greater diversity farmed fishing, examining the also means welcoming indigenous It is an opportune time for SOARS temporal and spatial patterns of approaches to learning and knowing and RESESS to partner. Driven by the urban air pollution, and improving about Earth. overarching need to envision a urban flood forecasting with radar- sustainable future for our planet and derived precipitation measurements. Greater diversity in the geosciences its inhabitants, research in the is necessary to ensure that all geosciences is becoming more inter- We hope that in these abstracts you communities will benefit from new disciplinary and collaborative. By will see both the dedication our approaches to dealing with a planet combining the SOARS and RESESS protégés bring to serving all under stress. This need is especially learning communities, we will develop communities, as well as the strong compelling for minority communities a new generation of leaders who will scientific abilities and diverse who often bear a disproportionate thrive in an increasingly complex perspectives they contribute to geo- share of the impacts of human scientific culture that requires broad science. To learn more about these interaction with the planet. Due to knowledge of the geosciences as well talented students or the SOARS and the fact that scientific priorities are as expertise in a specific discipline. RESESS programs, please visit both determined through the competition web sites: www.soars.ucar.edu and of ideas in a peer-review process, With support from multiple mentors www.unavco.org/resess. consideration of every community’s and peers, each year our protégés priorities requires that qualified embark upon a summer of scientific Sincerely, participants from each group are investigation, personal growth and Dr. Susan C. Eriksson involved in the process. professional development. Our Director, RESESS combination of hands-on research, Director of Education and Outreach, UNAVCO Given the demographic changes practice in scientific communication, underway in the U.S. (by 2050, for and leadership training prepares our Dr. Rajul E. Pandya example, white and Euro-Americans protégés to contribute to future Director and Principal Investigator, SOARS will make up less than 50% of the U.S. scientific endeavors. SOARS and Associate Director for Diversity in Education population) as well as the historic RESESS protégés can participate in and Outreach, UCAR 1 Theresa Abigail Aguilar SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Tammy Weckwerth WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Bob Henson COMMUNITY MENTOR: Marina LaGrave PEER MENTOR: Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet FIRST-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ Junior, Geophysics, Texas Tech University Radar and surface measurements of boundary layer convergence zones While boundary layer convergence zones (RUST), Lincolns (LINC), and Playhouse (BLCZs), which are areas of low-level (PLAY). The objective of this study was to convergence of air at the surface, influence daily acquire a better characterization of BLCZs by weather, their specific effects on wind, analyzing data from various sources. The temperature, moisture, and thunderstorm preliminary results indicated similarities in the formation are not well known. In order to data between radar fields and surface stations, address this problem, BLCZs that occurred in similarities between the four surface stations, the 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP) and both similarities and differences between field campaign were documented and analyzed cases documented. With a better characteri- using a variety of data sets consisting of zation of BLCZs, environmental events such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and changes in