news from our chapters

The following are meeting reports received at AMS headquarters on or before 14 April 1972.

Central Oklahoma about "Modern Developments in Meteorology." He discussed the World Weather Watch, the Global Atmospheric Re- Approximately 75 people attended the February meeting search Program, the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment, of the Central Oklahoma Chapter in spite of a raging and the various problems encountered in each. icestorm. The meeting was held at the Norman Public At the January meeting Duane Benton, Instructor in Library in Norman, Okla. Mr. Allen Pearson, Director of Meteorology, Ashland College, was the speaker. He talked the National Severe Storms Forecast Center, Kansas City, about the Pre-BOMEX (Barbados Oceanographic and Mete- narrated a film, What Do We Know About Tornadoes? He orological Experiment) of 1968, in which he participated. expounded on the terms peculiar to severe weather fore- The March meeting's speaker was Dr. T. Theodore casts and clarified the Center's verification methods. Mr. Fujita of the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the Pearson told of the current effort at the center to classify University of Chicago. The title of his talk was "All About tornadoes using, among other parameters, their center Tornadoes." maximum wind speed and pathlengths. He entertained Attendance at the meetings has averaged from 25-35 with questions from the floor during his talk, and engaged in over 70 at the March meeting. A program including a informal discussion with attendees as refreshments were panel discussion of weather and safety in small boating is served after the meeting. planned for the May and final meeting of the year. Officers Committee chairmanships for the calendar year 1972 were for the next year will be elected at the May meeting.— announced as follows: Craig Goff, Membership; Joe Golden, Joseph Prelec, Jr., Secy-Treas. Program; Bill Curry, Publicity; and Dr. Stan Barnes, Educa- tion. This year again the Chapter provided awards to the winners of the Oklahoma City Science Fair, which was District of Columbia held 29-31 March.—William T. Davis, Secy-Treas. The speaker for the 15 March meeting of the D.C. Chapter was Dr. Alan E. Strong, Oceanographer, Environmental Central South Carolina Sciences Group, National Environmental Satellite Service. On Tuesday, 28 March, 21 members and guests met in the His subject was "Applications of National Oceanic and Atmo- facilities of the National Weather Service Forecast Office, spheric Administration Satellites Data Toward Monitoring West Columbia, S.C., to hear Mr. Charles Lindsay speak on the Marine Environment." Dr. Strong described the utiliza- "Forecasting Thermal Conditions for Soaring." Slides de- tion of data from the operational NOAA environmental picted the meteorological conditions required for soaring. satellites and the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- Many experiences of sail plane enthusiasts were introduced tration research satellites in the oceanographic research by Mr. Lindsay in order to illustrate situations in which program. they had found themselves due to changing meteorological The data application studies are presently being directed conditions during a flight. toward developing regional sea surface temperature charts Slides taken during the National Soaring Meet held in from thermal infrared scanning radiometer data, mapping Bryan, Ohio, last summer were also shown. At the end of sea ice in the arctic and antarctic, and inferring sea surface March 1972 a sail plane meet was held in Chester, S.C. roughness and wind fields from sun glint. Dr. Strong ex- Two participants in this meet, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kruesi plained that the advent of the environmental satellite has, of Hockessin, Del., were our guests for the evening.—G. for the first time, provided the oceanographer with good, Emmett C. Kauffman, Secy-Treas. nearly synoptic data coverage of the broad ocean areas. He illustrated, by means of numerous photographic slides, the Cleveland detailed oceanographic features that may be inferred from the processing of satellite data. Dr. Strong stated that he The Cleveland Chapter meets on the second Tuesday of anticipates a rapidly expanding knowledge of the ocean the months of September, November, January, March, and environment with the availability of data from the im- May. Officers for the current year are: President, Robert proved sensors of the ITOS-series satellites in the near Zames, Meteorologist, WEWS-TV; Program Chairman, Rich- future, particularly from those operating in the infrared ard Finn, Vulcan Laboratories; Secretary-Treasurer, Joseph spectrum.—Harry O. Davis, Rec. Secy. Prelec, Jr., Forecaster, National Weather Service. The speaker for the September meeting was Robert E. Hamilton of the National Weather Service Forecast Office, Greater Boston Cleveland, Ohio. The title of his talk was the use of radar On 25 January the Greater Boston Chapter met at L. G. in forecasting the weather. He detailed his research on the Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass. The speaker for the eve- 4 July 1969 severe storm that hit Cleveland. ning was Mr. Eli Bulba of Eli Bulba, Inc., consulting engi- For the November meeting, Perry Fisher of the Geology neers in air pollution control surveys, systems design, and Department of Case Western Reserve University talked aerosol technology. Mr. Bulba's topic was "Air Pollution

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Controls: A Case Study." In his talk Mr. Bulba reviewed city and discussed the techniques involved in the data col- a plan proposed by the state of Massachusetts to achieve lection. Theodolite equipment and observation support were air quality commensurate with the resources of the state. He provided by the Air Weather Service's 6th Weather Squa- also presented a well-illustrated case study of a ferrous dron (MOB). Dr. Ackerman currently is in the process of cupola foundry where scrap iron is processed. He compared analyzing the wind profile data from the nine sites around the complex emissions from such a foundry with those of a the city. The data sample obtained will provide for an in- cement plant where some of the product is incorporated depth study of the complex circulation patterns of a metro- in the emissions and becomes pollution. Mr. Bulba stressed politan area. the importance the particulate size plays in controls and laws Upon completion of her lecture, Dr. Ackerman answered to be developed and he cited the need to know annual costs a number of questions from the audience.—Charles Lee, of pollution controls so that they may be economically as Secy. well as ecologically desirable. The second meeting of 1972 was held on 23 February Greater Tokyo on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Greater Tokyo Branch of the American Meteorologi- in a joint meeting with the MIT Department of Mete- cal Society held its third meeting of the 1971-72 season in orology and Oceanography. The speakers for the evening the Early American Room of the Sanno Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, were Paul Sherr, James Barnes, David Spiegler, and David on 9 February 1972. The meeting was called to order at Staelin of Environmental Research and Technology, Inc., 1900 hours by Maj. Austin G. Cotton, Vice President. Gen- of Lexington, Mass. They chose as their topic, "Current and eral William H. Best, Commander of the Air Weather Ser- Future Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing." vice, U.S. Air Force, introduced the honored speaker, As moderator, Paul Sherr introduced Dr. Barnes who spoke RAdm. William J. Kotsch, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Deputy on "Current and Planned Satellite Systems." Among the Director for Operations at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. ones that he discussed were the ESSA series, ITOS-D, and RAdm. Kotsch gave a very interesting presentation on TIROS-N. Following him, Dr. Spiegler spoke on "Use of revolutionary changes in the weather services as the result Satellite Data in Synoptic Meteorology." He used a semi- of adopting computerized equipment during the past decade. tropical cyclone of late October 1969 as his example and He also referred to man's role in the meteorological fields in correlated satellite pictures and surface charts in tracking the future. the storm's path and development. Following the speaker's presentation. Dr. Ichiro Imai, Prof. Staelin spoke next on "Vertical Sounding Techniques Chapter President, appointed a nominating committee to and Microwave Observations of the Earth's Surface." He select candidates for office for the 1972-73 season. The meet- displayed pictures taken from satellites depicting tempera- ing was adjourned at 1940 hrs.—Toshio Ide, Secy. ture and water vapor profiles as well as some which depicted differences between land and water, wet and dry land, and Kansas City old and new ice. Dr. Barnes ended this interesting discussion by speaking on "Uses of Satellite Data for Snow and Ice Eighty-seven members and guests attended the annual social Surveying." Using composite APT photographs, he delini- dinner meeting of the Kansas City Chapter on 7 December. ated areas of major snowmelt water and showed how these The meeting was held at the "Brown Bottle Club" of the areas can be mapped using the photographs. Schlitz Brewing Company. Following the dinner Chapter Also at this meeting, an announcement was made con- Chairman, Allen Pearson introduced the nationally known cerning a fun-filled weekend on Mount Washington in New humorist of the Kansas City Star, Mr. William Vaughan, Hampshire that is being planned for early June.—Elizabeth as speaker for the evening. L. Kintigh, Secy. Mr. Vaughan's topic was a humorous one, "Thirty Years After Pearl Harbor and Other Lousy Forecasts I Have Known." In addition to the humor, the speaker conveyed a Greater St. Louis serious message about the nature of humor and its role in The 23 March meeting of the Greater St. Louis Chapter was contemporary society.—Robert H. Johns, Secy. held in the Busch Memorial Center at St. Louis University. The business meeting, preceded by a cocktail hour and din- New Jersey ner, was called to order at 2030 hours by Chairman Edwin Carmell. He suggested that consideration should be given to The March meeting was held at the Holiday Inn, New the selection of another deserving program in which the Brunswick, with 20 members and guests attending. Martin Chapter could render assistance, in addition to the Science Schroeder, the Chairman, presided. Fair Program. Dan Mazzarella of Science Associates, Princton, N.J., was Ollie Raymond of KMOX-TV had visited Chapter mem- the speaker for the evening. His topic was "Wind Vanes, bers at Scott AFB recently and extended an invitation to Old and New." The importance of wind on civic and mili- members of the Chapter to visit the local TV Channel 4 tary operations and its role in air pollution studies was facility in St. Louis. Chairman Carmell introduced the guest emphasized. Slides of wind vanes of the past and present speaker, Dr. Bernice Ackerman of the Argonne National from throughout the world were shown. It was apparent Laboratory in Chicago. that wind vanes—their history and the folklore attached Dr. Ackerman's subject was her recent participation in to the wind—are a long-time hobby of the speaker.—Mary the St. Louis METROMEX Project. Her personal challenge Ellen Thomas, Secy. was that current dispersion models being utilized in vari- ous cities were inadequate. She entered the project in order Northern California to study the circulation patterns of such a metropolitan Members and friends of the Northern California Chapter area. She provided slides of the data collection around the took a 250-mile stroll across California from the coast to the

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Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/30/21 09:36 AM UTC Vol. 53, No. 6, June 1972 eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada on Friday, 17 March, in followed. About 45 members and guests were present.—Billy the Oakland Museum. The trip was conducted by guide Cook, Secy-Treas. David Wright. Arrangements were made by our Vice Chair- man, Prof. Christopher Riegel, San Jose State College. Texas A&M (Student) The Natural History section of the museum was arranged On Tuesday, 7 December, the last meeting of the fall semes- in geographical order, starting with an unusual display of ter was called to order by the club President, Norman Possiel. marine life in the coastal area. Authentic displays of terrain After a business meeting, the Weather Station Forecaster in each sector included micro-climate around the end of a for Texas A&M, Jim Lightfoot, spoke on some of his past snowfield in the mountains. From the crest of the Sierra experiences. He also discussed the usefulness of courses other we had a view eastward across the Great Basin. The tour than meteorology in the meteorology curriculum.—Paul took nearly two hours, leaving no time for a business Smith, Secy-Treas. meeting.—David J. Stowell, Secy. West Central Florida North Texas The Decade Banquet of the West Central Florida Chapter The regular meeting of the North Texas Chapter was held 1 of the AMS was held at the MacDill AFB Officers Club on February at the Press Club, Worth Hotel, Fort Worth, 16 March, with 92 members and guests in attendance. Tex. Dr. Eugene Wilkins presided. Members voted to mail a Wayne McCollum, who planned the meeting and banquet, check for $25.00 to the Fort Worth Dallas Council of Scien- and who arranged for the speaker, did a fine job. Those in tific Societies in payment of annual dues. attendance enjoyed the dinner very much. Dr. Wilkins introduced the speaker for the evening, Mr. Dr. Robert Simpson, Director of the National Hurricane Allen D. Pearson, Meteorologist in Charge, National Severe Research Project, spoke on the 1971 hurricane season; prob- Storms Forecast Center, Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Pearson spoke lems to be faced in the future by hurricane forecasters be- on "What Do We Know About Tornadoes." His illustrated cause there so many new waterfront dwellers from Maine to lecture was both interesting and informative. As usual with Texas; and of a new type of designation for storms, called Mr. Pearson's talks, a lively and long discussion period "neutercane."—Charles Fetherston, Corres.

(Continued from news and notes, page 551) When the tornado season in the south has reached its peak, the instruments may be moved into the upper midwest Tornado watch with electronic detectors to extend coverage. Possible sites are: Ames, Iowa; Salem and Portable electronic tornado detectors developed by scientists Springfield, 111.; or Lincoln, Nebr. of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are The tornado detector is a receiver tuned to 3 mHz with a being tested at more than 15 sites in 10 tornado-prone states recorder to note atmospheric electricity events. Test locations during the 1972 storm season. The newly developed moni- were chosen because of their proximity to radar observations toring equipment will enable investigators to spread tor- of a NWS WSR-57 weather radar station. Scientists from nadic research over a wide geographic area, thereby greatly NOAA's Environmental Research Laboratories have been increasing not only the probability of successful tornado studying the possibility that an identifiable electrical signal observation but also the statistical accuracy of the results. from severe storms might be useful in tornado warnings. Although the average tornado path is only 1/8 mile wide According to Taylor, during the past two years observations and five miles long, the destruction caused by such storms have shown that many tornadoes occur simultaneously with can be great. Since the early 1950s the annual death toll what seems to be a distinctive electrical signature. The due to tornadoes has averaged 118, while the cost of destruc- electrical signature becomes more distinctive as the storm tion has averaged $40 million annually. Although tornadoes increases in intensity. Further research and observations are may occur in many parts of the world and do occur in all necessary, however, to establish the feasibility and reliabil- 50 of the states, the area most favorable to their formation ity of using such an electrical precursor as a tornado fore- in the United States is the continental plains. No season is casting technique. free of them in the plains, though the storms occur with NOAA's recent work has produced a qualitative atmo- greatest frequency during April, May, and June. spheric electricity picture indicating that electrical activity A research team from the Wave Propagation Laboratory, associated with tornadoes generally has three stages. In the Boulder, Colo., which is an arm of NOAA, in cooperation first stage, radio emanations intermingled with occasional with the National Weather Service and the National Severe high-rate bursts produced by discrete lightning discharges Storms Forecast Center, Kansas City, Mo., has selected sites are shown. The second stage is an enhanced background of for the testing of the new electrical tornado-detecting equip- almost continuous high rate with little or no isolated burst ment. The team, headed by William L. Taylor of WPL, activity, and the final stage is a slow return to a low rate has chosen: Norman, Stillwater, Ardmore, and Leonard, background with occasional bursts. Using this electrical pat- Okla.; Columbia, Cape Giradeau, and Springfield, Mo.; tern, Wave Propagation Laboratory researchers devised their Winfield and Lawrence, Kans., Searcy and Fort Smith, Ark.; detectors to observe the significant peak of the tornado activity at 3 mHz. Vicksburg and Oxford, Miss.; Shreveport, La.; and Richard- son, Tex. (More news and notes on page 573)

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