NOAA/OAR’s Director of Weather and Air Quality, Dr. John Cortinas, has been elected to the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Council. His three-year term of office will begin in January 2017. AMS is one of the nation’s leading and affluent professional organizations that supports a diverse scientific community in the fields of weather, water, and climate.
TWC’s “Weather Geeks,” a weekly program hosted by Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd (Director of the University of Georgia’s Atmospheric Sciences Program and 2013 AMS President), airs on Sundays at noon on the popular cable affiliate. The show serves as a forum for experts to discuss the most pressing issues and current hot topics of the weather community.
The Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) supports research conducted by NOAA scientists and partners that focuses on high-impact weather and air quality events including: hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, heavy precipitation, air pollution, and the social science behind how the public processes weather forecast information and products. OWAQ uses its hallmark US Weather Research Program (USWRP) to fund research for the purposes of improving the understanding of high-impact weather events, sharpening the capabilities of numerical weather and air quality forecast models, bettering the understanding of atmospheric processes associated with high-impact weather and air quality events, and enhancing forecasting and analysis techniques for more accurate forecasts. The ultimate goal is to transition this valuable research into NOAA operations to help save lives and reduce property damage.