CIRA ANNUAL REPORT FY 2014/2015 (Reporting Period July 1, 2014 – March 31, 2015) COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN THE ATMOSPHERE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University (CSU) is one of a number of cooperative institutes (CIs) that support NOAA’s mission. Although this mission continues to evolve, there continue to be strong reasons for partnering between NOAA and the fundamental research being done in the University environment and the students it entrains into NOAA’s mission. Strengthening these ties in satellite remote sensing and regional/global weather and climate prediction, as well as application development, education/training, data assimilation, and data distribution technology make CIRA a valuable asset to NOAA. As the Director of CIRA, I have tried to do everything possible to strengthen CIRA’s ties not only among CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Science, the College of Engineering, and the University, but also the ties among the different groups within CIRA that now covers researchers in Fort Collins and College Park associated with NESDIS, researchers in Boulder working closely with OAR and researchers in Kansas City working with the National Weather Service. With a renewed emphasis on interactions and joint initiatives, we are expanding our collaboration to bring more satellite data to bear upon model evaluations such as we are doing with the High Impact Weather Prediction Project or our new Data Assimilation that are bringing the satellite knowledge gained at the Fort Collins facility to bear on CIRA’s Boulder and College Park groups. With this, we hope to fulfill the promise of being the conduit for developing ground breaking research to address socially-relevant problems that face NOAA and our society today as well as to help train a new workforce that has a broader perspective needed to continue developing decision support tools guided by scientific advances. CIRA is fortunate in that its corporate culture and proximity to many of the Nation’s top research institutions have allowed it to work with talented researchers and support staff who continue to perform at the highest possible level. There are many important accomplishments that are highlighted in this report and summarized in the executive summary. Not as obvious, but equally important, are the activities that CIRA carries out with the National Park Service, and the activities with NASA through the CloudSat data processing facility and OCO algorithm development. While not funded by NOAA, these activities are highly synergistic in the areas of algorithm development, modeling and data distribution. They allow CIRA researchers working on exciting new satellite data such as Suomi/NPP’s VIIRS instrument to have access to other experts with whom they can consult as they develop their own projects. This progress report constitutes the first full year of reporting under the second 5-year term of the Cooperative Agreement. With it, we re-establish our commitment to the maintenance and growth of a strong collaborative relationship with NOAA, other National programs, the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU, and the University as a whole. Christian D. Kummerow ii 2014/2015 CIRA Annual Report - Director’s Message COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN THE ATMOSPHERE The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) was established in 1980 at Colorado State University (CSU). CIRA serves as a mechanism to promote synergisms between University scientists and those in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since its inception, CIRA has expanded and diversified its mission to coordinate with other Federal agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of Defense (DoD). CIRA is a multi-disciplinary research institute within the College of Engineering (CoE) and encompasses several cooperative agreements, as well as a substantial number of individual grants and contracts. The Institute’s research for NOAA is concentrated in five theme areas and two cross-cutting research areas: Satellite Algorithm Development, Training and Education - Research associated with development of satellite-based algorithms for weather forecasting, with emphasis on regional and mesoscale meteorological phenomenon. This work includes applications of basic satellite products such as feature track winds, thermodynamic retrievals, sea surface temperature, etc., in combination with model analyses and forecasts, as well as in situ and other remote sensing observations. Applications can be for current or future satellites. Also under this theme, satellite and related training material will be developed and delivered to a wide variety of users, with emphasis on operational forecasters. A variety of techniques can be used, including distance learning methods, web-based demonstration projects and instructor-led training. Regional to Global Scale Modeling Systems - Research associated with the improvement of weather/climate models (minutes to months) that simulate and predict changes in the Earth system. Topics include atmospheric and ocean dynamics, radiative forcing, clouds and moist convection, land surface modeling, hydrology, and coupled modeling of the Earth system. Data Assimilation - Research to develop and improve techniques to assimilate environmental observations, including satellite, terrestrial, oceanic, and biological observations, to produce the best estimate of the environmental state at the time of the observations for use in analysis, modeling, and prediction activities associated with weather/climate predictions (minutes to months) and analysis. Climate-Weather Processes - Research focusing on using numerical models and environmental data, including satellite observations, to understand processes that are important to creating environmental changes on weather and short-term climate timescales (minutes to months) and the two-way interactions between weather systems and regional climate. Data Distribution - Research focusing on identifying effective and efficient methods of quickly distributing and displaying very large sets of environmental and model data using data networks, using web map services, data compression algorithms, and other techniques. Cross-Cutting Area 1: Assessing the Value of NOAA Research via Societal/Economic Impact Studies - Consideration for the direct and indirect impacts of weather and climate on society and infrastructure. Providing metrics for assessing the value of NOAA/CI research and tools for planners and decision makers. Achieving true ‘end-to-end’ systems through effective communication of information to policy makers and emergency managers. Cross-Cutting Area 2: Promoting Education and Outreach on Behalf of NOAA and the University - Serving as a hub of environmental science excellence at CSU for networking resources and research activities that align with NOAA mission goals throughout the University and with its industrial partners. Engaging K-12 and the general public locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to promote both awareness and informed views on important topics in environmental science. Annually, CIRA scientists produce over 200 scientific publications, 30% of which appear in peer-reviewed publications. Among the important research being performed at CIRA is its support of NESDIS’ next-generation satellite programs: GOES-R and NPOESS. These two multi-billion dollar environmental satellite programs will support weather forecasting and climate monitoring for the next 2-3 decades. They will include vastly improved sensors and will offer higher-frequency data collection. CIRA research is building prototype products and developing training, based on the new sensor technology, to assure maximum exploitation of these data when the sensors are launched. iii 2014/2015 CIRA Annual Report - Institute Description & Core Activities CIRA EDUCATION, TRAINING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: 2014-2015 From the CIRA Mission Statement: “Important bridging elements of the CI include the communication of research findings to the international scientific community, transition of applications and capabilities to NOAA operational users, education and training programs for operational user proficiency, outreach programs to K-12 education and the general public for environmental literacy, and understanding and quantifying the societal impacts of NOAA research.” ____________________________________________________________________________________ Outreach and Education at CIRA Enters a New Era 2014 saw a new year for education and outreach efforts at CIRA, with new opportunities and new audiences for CIRA research and science to reach. New partnerships with educational and professional organizations made in 2014 provide new avenues of collaboration, which coupled with an increase in funding opportunities for education and outreach programs in 2015, offer some exciting new potential areas of growth for both outreach and science alike. Teacher Professional Development: Fifth-Grade Weather Standard One of the key ways CIRA has continued to develop is through involvement in teacher professional development programs. The forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), currently being adopted by states nationwide, specify comprehensive metrics for understanding climate and weather patterns as part of the Earth Science component across grade