LETTER FROM HEADQUARTERS AMS Journals: Unsurpassed Quality, a Lasting Legacy, and Competitive Speed to Publication hile AMS journals have always maintained a that takes the manuscript through editing, typesetting, level of quality that was unsurpassed in the and layout into final form as a high-quality archived W atmospheric and related sciences—by virtu- article in both full-function XML and PDF (plus print ally any measure you might care to focus on—there for those who still receive the journals in this format) was a period when they were less competitive is also occurring in record time—currently on the than some journals in our field when it came to the order of 60 days and improving continually. The level speed of publication. of editorial and produc- As many authors have tion work carried out happily learned in re- on manuscripts ensures cent years, this has not that the resulting article been the reality with is one that authors can AMS journals for some be proud of and one time—but the impres- that reflects well on sion still lingers in some the author when ac- quarters. So forgive cessed by scholars in me if you’ve heard this the future. before, but the steady The AMS journals improvements over re- have a long reputation cent years in the time of publishing seminal to first reviews means works, and the AMS that all the journals imprimatur is synony- making up the AMS mous with quality. AMS suite are now boasting review times in the range of authors do not need to make a choice between speed 50 days on average. This is an excellent metric for to publication or high quality. They can choose AMS the level of substantive and rigorous peer review the journals and achieve both. If you are creating publish- AMS journals are known for, and significantly better able research results and have not submitted to an than the goal of 70 days that was in place just a few AMS journal recently, you owe it to yourself to take years ago. advantage of what they have to offer. And once a manuscript has been accepted for pub- lication through the peer-review process, it is posted as an Early Online Release with its final Digital Object Identifier (DOI) within days of that acceptance, mak- ing it available to the community and fully citable as a KEITH L. SEITTER, CCM reference almost immediately. The production work EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY NOVEMBER 2018 | 2375 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/10/21 06:22 PM UTC ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Christopher W. Landsea has been promoted to chief the AMS’s Banner I. Miller Award given for the best of the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) contribution to the science of hurricane and tropical at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Mi- weather forecasting at the May 1993 meeting of the ami. The branch generates wind and wave forecasts 20th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Me- for the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, tropical North teorology. He was corecipient of a U.S. Department Atlantic Ocean, and tropical northeastern Pacific of Commerce Bronze Medal in 2000 “for issuing Ocean. TAFB supports the the accurate and first official physically based At- Hurricane Specialist Unit at lantic seasonal hurricane outlooks for the 1998/1999 NHC by providing tropical seasons, based upon new research”; recipient of the cyclone position and inten- 2002 AMS Editor’s Award for reviews for Weather sity estimates based on the and Forecasting; corecipient of the National Hur- Dvorak technique. TAFB ricane Conference’s Outstanding Achievement also provides decision-sup- Award for Meteorology in 2009 for development of port services for mariners, the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook product at including the U.S. Coast NHC; and the corecipient of a 2011 Department of Guard for over open-ocean Commerce Gold Medal “for excellence in research hazardous wind and sea and data stewardship leading to a more confident conditions. assessment of the influence of human-induced Landsea received his climate change on hurricanes.” Landsea currently bachelor’s in atmospheric serves on the Editorial Board of BAMS as its subject Christopher Landsea science from the Univer- matter editor in tropical meteorology. He is also a sity of California, Los An- member of AGU. geles (1987), and his master’s degree and doctorate in atmospheric science from Colorado State Uni- versity (1991, 1994). Landsea’s main expertise is in The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected seasonal forecasting of hurricanes, in hurricane its 2018 class of medalists, awardees, and prize re- climate variability and change, and in testing ap- cipients. Individuals are recognized for their dedica- plied research projects for possible use in weather tion to science for the benefit of humanity and their forecasting. He currently is leading a reanalysis achievements in Earth and space science. of the Atlantic hurricane database. Hurricane The recipients represent many areas of Earth and Andrew was officially upgraded to a category 5 space science and come from a variety of backgrounds hurricane at landfall in southeastern Florida as including early-career researchers, climate scientists, part of this project. data scientists, and journalists. Their passion, vision, While a research meteorologist at the Hurricane creativity, and leadership have helped to expand sci- Research Division (HRD) from 1995 through 2005, entific understanding, pave the way to new research Landsea participated in the HRD Hurricane Field directions, and have made Earth and space science Program by flying in the NOAA Orion P-3 aircraft accessible, relevant, and inspiring to audiences and the NOAA Gulfstream IV jet into and around across the scientific community and general public. 15 Atlantic hurricanes (including Gilbert, Opal, The honorees will be recognized during the Honors Georges, Charley, Jeanne, Ivan, and Katrina) for Tribute at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting in December research and forecasting purposes. He served as the in Washington, D.C. science and operations officer at NHC from 2005 to The following AMS members were recipients of 2018. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed medals, awards, and prizes: articles and several book chapters. Landsea served as the chair of the AMS Commit- • William Bowie Medal—Daniel N. Baker, Univer- tee on Tropical Meteorology and Tropical Cyclones sity of Colorado Boulder (2000–02). He was the recipient of the AMS’s Max • James B. Macelwane Medal—Caroline Ummen- A. Eaton Prize for the Best Student Paper given at hofer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution the 19th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical • Robert E. Horton Medal—Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Meteorology in May 1991, and was corecipient of University of California, Los Angeles 2376 | NOVEMBER 2018 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/10/21 06:22 PM UTC • Roger Revelle Medal—Isaac Held, NOAA Geo- • Balaji Rajagopalan, University of Colorado physical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Boulder • Charles A. Whitten Medal—David T. Sandwell, • Geoffrey D. Reeves, Los Alamos National University of California, San Diego Laboratory • Joanne Simpson Medal for Mid-Career Scientists— • Gavin A. Schmidt, NASA Goddard Institute for Endawoke Yizengaw, Boston College Space Studies • Edward A. Flinn III Award—Richard P. Hooper, • Richard Seager, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observa- Tufts University tory of Columbia University • Athelstan Spilhaus Award—C. Alex Young, NASA • David G. Tarboton, Utah State University Goddard Space Flight Center • Fuqing Zhang, The Pennsylvania State University • Excellence in Earth and Space Science Education • Francis W. Zwiers, Pacific Climate Impacts Con- Award—Mark A. Chandler, Center for Climate sortium, University of Victoria Systems Research • Climate Communication Prize—Michael E. Mann, The Pennsylvania State University Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Di- vision in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA AGU also announced its 2018 Fellows, an honor Headquarters since 2006, is retiring from the agency given to individual AGU members who have made in February 2019. Freilich leads NASA’s mission to exceptional scientific contributions and gained increase understanding of our home planet and help prominence in their respective fields of Earth and safeguard and improve lives for humanity’s future. space sciences. Since the AGU Fellows program was Freilich helped drive the evolution of NASA established in 1962, and according to the organiza- Earth science from a program that launched an tion’s bylaws, no more than 0.01 percent of the total Earth-observing space mission every few years membership of AGU is recognized annually. The 2018 class of Fellows will also be recognized during the Honors Tribute at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting. The following AMS members were elected as Fellows: • Paul A. Baker, Duke University • Cecilia M. Bitz, University of Washington • Gregory R. Carmichael, University of Iowa • Thomas L. Delworth, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory • Kerry Emanuel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Steven J. Ghan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Dorothy K. Hall, University of Maryland and Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center • Kimitaka Kawamura, Chubu University • Jos Lelieveld, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Cyprus Institute • Trevor McDougall, University of New South Wales • Stephen A. Montzka, NOAA Earth System Re- search Laboratory • Victor P. Pasko, The Pennsylvania State University • Christa D. Peters-Lidard, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY NOVEMBER 2018 | 2377 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/10/21 06:22 PM UTC to one that launches several missions each year During Freilich’s tenure at NASA Headquarters, he while preserving balance between orbital flight oversaw 16 successful major mission and instrument missions, research, applications, and technology launches and 8 CubeSat/small-satellite launches; the development activities. He led NASA’s response Earth science program has some 20 additional large to the National Academy of Sciences’ first-ever Earth-observing missions and major hosted instru- Earth Science and Applications from Space decadal ments well along in development for launch before 2023.