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2013 Weather Networking

Networking with ARSO, Joseph Steffan Institute, and FGG continued this fall.  ARSO added a 600 processor super computer for forecasting and numerical modeling research called BOBER.  ARSO Director Josko Knez and Agriculture Minister Dejan Zidan unveiled the new super computer in August.  It will be used to improve mesoscale and interactive dynamic ocean models of the Adriatic for severe weather predictions.  It can perform 20 billion mathmatical operations per second and cost 640,000 EUR.  The BOBER air-sea interaction research is designed to improve the understanding and simulation of mesoscale moisture and energy fluxes that control precipitation and extreme events. 

ARSO provides much technical forecasting information on their public web page which is leading to better awareness of Slovenian weather conditions and preparedness for damaging extreme weather.  The MeteoAlarm system provides real-time updates of hazardous weather.

Joseph Steffan Institute provides fundamental research in a wide variety of disciplines from medicine to nuclear physics.  Dr. Roman Trobec introduced me to his research in computer science and communications.  His web site provides detailed information about this powerful research.

In 2013, after a dry early season mid-February, March, April and May provided heavy snows that brought our Summit County weather station total accumulated WaterYear snow to 243 inches and 18.14 inches of water equivalent on May 31, 2013.  This resulted in excellent late season ski conditions in the central Colorado Rockies. 

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In 2013, after a dry early season mid-February, March, April and May provided heavy snows that brought our Summit County weather station total accumulated WaterYear snow to 243 inches and 18.14 inches of water equivalent on May 31, 2013.  This resulted in excellent late season ski conditions in the central Colorado Rockies. 

Fall 2013 brought good early season snows and excellent ski conditions for the World Cup races at Beaver Creek shown below.  Totals at my Summit weather station SU-6 by December 17, 2013 were 68.7 inches total snow accumulation and 3.89 inches snow water equivalent for the current WaterYear (1 Oct 2013 to 30 September 2014).

In May, our collaborations continued in SLOvenia with Janez Polajnar at ARSO and Mitja Brilly at the University of Ljubljana FGG.  Europe had a very cold, wet, winter with deep snows in the Alps and many storms from the North Atlantic which maintained a deep cold trough over western and central Europe and a warm southerly flow of dry air in eastern Europe that set record high temperatures on the north Finland coast at 29C, while Slovenia remained cool at 10 C setting recod low temperatures at the end of May.  On June 2, the ARSO high altitude observatory at Kredarica (2515 m msl) had 260 cm of snow on the ground.  June is bringing again 100-200 year floods in central Europe, similar to those that caused havoc in 2002 in Prague on the Vltava and Elbe in Germany, and along the Donau from Linz to Budapest.

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GLOBE

GLOBE - Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment GLOBE presents an opportunity for students, teachers, and scientists to learn and develop scientific thought processes and to understand our environment.  In the early 1990’s Vice President Al Gore had an idea to help children around the world use the internet to communicate and learn about each other and their environment.  His goal was to have at least one computer in every school around the world.  He wanted students to improve their understanding of science and math thru making observations that they could share.  I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Sandy McDonald, Director, Forecast Systems Laboratory, NOAA when he was helping Al Gore develop the early stages of GLOBE in 1993.  At the time I worked with the US Bureau of Reclamation and was a visiting scientist at NCAR in Boulder, Colorado.  NCAR and UCAR hosted many meetings on GLOBE and UCAR now hosts the GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO).  One of my interests has been to promote GLOBE in various regions.  After returning from Morocco in 1988, I maintained interests with the Direction de la Meteorologie National and with friends at the Casablanca American School.  Morocco joined GLOBE after helping make the connections there. 

Today, I am interested in helping Slovenia join GLOBE.  This effort dovetails with US Ambassador, Brent Hartley’s interest in developing a partnership between the Slovenian Triglav National Park and Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.  Environmental science and biodiversity are common interests of Triglav and Crater Lake park rangers and environmental scientists.

Lyn Wigbels, International Coordinator, GLOBE Implementation Office relayed this information about recent GLOBE Student Research Experience: "I was pleased to hear about the Ambassador’s project which sounds like a great venue for involving students in the GLOBE Program.  Over the years, GLOBE activities have been organized in national parks.  Most recently, during our 20th GLOBE Annual Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, in July, GLOBE students visited Rocky Mountain National Park to take part in a Student Research Experience:
 
http://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-news/newsdetail/globe/video-captures-the-essence-of-the-2016-globe-student-research-experience? 

This video truly captures the essance of the GLOBE scientific discovery process and clearly demonstrates how it works to engage students from around the world in learning about nature and their environment.  It shows how students apply the scientific procss and communicate their discoveries to others working with their mentors.

Joining GLOBE can be a life changing process that enables teachers, scientists, GLOBE partners, and alumni to improve their understanding of earth.