Vernon R. Morris

Regional Climate–Weather Research and Forecasting Model

The CWRF is developed as a climate extension of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) by incorporating numerous improvements in the representation of physical processes and integration of external (top, surface, lateral) forcings that are crucial to climate scales, including interactions between land, atmosphere, and ocean; convection and microphysics; and cloud, aerosol, and radiation; and system consistency throughout all process modules. This extension inherits all WRF functionalities for numerical weather prediction while enhancing the capability for climate modeling. As such, CWRF can be applied seamlessly to weather forecast and climate prediction. The CWRF is built with a comprehensive ensemble of alternative parameterization schemes for each of the key physical processes, including surface (land, ocean), planetary boundary layer, cumulus (deep, shallow), microphysics, cloud, aerosol, and radiation, and their interactions. This facilitates the use of an optimized physics ensemble approac...

Multiyear Observations of the Tropical Atlantic Atmosphere: Multidisciplinary Applications of the NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions

This paper gives an overview of a unique set of ship-based atmospheric data acquired over the tropical Atlantic Ocean during boreal spring and summer as part of ongoing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE) field campaigns. Following the original 2004 campaign onboard the Ronald H. Brown, AEROSE has operated on a yearly basis since 2006 in collaboration with the NOAA Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) Northeast Extension (PNE). In this work, attention is given to atmospheric soundings of ozone, temperature, water vapor, pressure, and wind obtained from ozonesondes and radiosondes launched to coincide with low earth orbit environmental satellite overpasses [MetOp and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) A-Train]. Data from the PNE/ AEROSE campaigns are unique in their range of marine meteorological phenomena germane to the satellite missions in question, including dust and smoke outflows ...

Measuring Trans‐Atlantic aerosol transport from Africa

An estimated three billion metric tons of mineral aerosols are injected into the troposphere annually from the Saharan desert [Prospero et al., 1996]. Additionally, smoke from biomass burning sites in the savanna grasslands in sub-Saharan Africa contribute significant quantities of smaller-sized aerosols [e.g., Hobbs, 2000]. These windswept aerosols from the African continent are responsible for a variety of climate, health, and environmental impacts on both global and regional scales that span the Western Hemisphere. Unfortunately in situ measurements of aerosol evolution and transport across the Atlantic are difficult to obtain, and satellite remote sensing of aerosols can be challenging.

The role of convective processes over the Zaire‐Congo Basin to the southern hemispheric ozone maximum

During October, satellite measurements show that there is a region of elevated tropospheric ozone over the tropical southern Atlantic Ocean. The cause of the high ozone concentrations has been related to biomass burning in South America and Africa. In this paper, we present evidence from satellite sources, European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast analyses, and a mesoscale simulation during October, suggesting that afternoon and evening deep convection in central Africa is responsible for some of the abnormally high concentrations of ozone in the Tropical South Atlantic which extend southeast over southern Africa into the Indian Ocean. The mechanisms for enhancing tropospheric O3 includes (1) the removal of ozone, NOx, and hydrocarbon rich air from fires in eastern Africa within the planetary boundary layer to the middle and upper troposphere by deep convection; (2) the production Of NOx from lightning associated with mesoscale convective systems and the subsequent photochemical production of O3, and (3) the entrainment of O3 rich air from the lower stratosphere into the upper troposphere by deep convection. During the next few years an international field campaign in central Africa (the experiment for regional sources and sinks of oxidants-EXPRESSO), global lightning data, and the launch of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) will help to identify the relative importance of each of the processes over central Africa that could be responsible for high O3 concentrations over the tropical south Atlantic.

Evaluating the accuracy of density functional methods for ClOO

We present results of density functional calculations on ClOO using the local density approximation (LDA) and the Becke–Lee–Yang–Parr functional (BLYP). The accuracy of computed geometries and vibrational frequencies appears comparable to that achieved with very high quality single‐determinant methods [QCISD(T)].

An Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions: A Framework for Producing Minority Scientists in NOAA-Related Disciplines

An effective partnership with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) has been established with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Building on a commitment to increase research collaboration with MSIs, a collaborative program developed by NOAA and its MSI partners has led to a significant increase in the education and graduation of students from underrepresented communities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that support NOAAs mission. NOAAs Educational Partnership Program (EPP) with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) was established in 2001 with a primary goal to increase individuals trained in STEM fields from which NOAA may select its future workforce. The program uses the National Science Foundation (NSF) data and internally developed performance metrics to illustrate a measurable impact on national statistics. To date, over 900 undergraduate and graduate students have benefited directly from educational and research experiences through the EPP and over 340 secondary (middle school and high school) students have participated in EPP activities designed to encourage students to pursue degrees in STEM fields. The EPP framework demonstrates that an effective partnership, with best practices, and concrete examples of success is available as a template for institutions and agencies working to replicate these successes.

Integration and Ocean-Based Prelaunch Validation of GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager Legacy Atmospheric Products

An ocean-based prelaunch evaluation of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R series Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) legacy atmospheric profile (LAP) products is conducted using proxy data based upon the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board the Meteosat Second Generation satellite. SEVIRI-based LAP temperature and moisture profile retrievals are validated against in situ correlative data obtained over the open ocean from multiple years of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions (AEROSE). The NOAA AEROSE data include dedicated radiosonde observations (RAOBs) launched from the NOAA ship Ronald H.BrownoverthetropicalAtlantic:aregionoptimallysituatedwithinthefull-diskscanningrangeofSEVIRI and one of great meteorological importance as the main development area of Atlantic hurricanes. The most recent versions of the GOES-R Algorithm Working Group team algorithms (e.g., cloud mask, aerosol detection products, and LAP) implemented within the algorithms integration team framework (the NOAA operational system that will host these operational product algorithms) are used in the analyses. Forecasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecasting System (NCEP GFS) are used for the LAP regression and direct comparisons. The GOES-R LAP retrievals are found to agree reasonably with the AEROSE RAOB observations, and overall retrievals improve both temperature and moisture against computer model NCEP GFS outputs. The validation results are then interpreted within the context of a difficult meteorological regime (e.g., Saharan air layers and dust) coupled with the difficulty of using a narrowband imager for the purpose of atmospheric sounding.

A hybrid approach to improving the skills of seasonal climate outlook at the regional scale

Abstract A hybrid seasonal forecasting approach was generated by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction operational Climate Forecast System (CFS) and its nesting Climate extension of Weather Research and Forecasting (CWRF) model to improve forecasting skill over the United States. Skills for the three summers of 2011–2013 were evaluated regarding location, timing, magnitude, and frequency. Higher spatial pattern correlation coefficients showed that the hybrid approach substantially improved summer mean precipitation and 2-m temperature geographical distributions compared with the results of the CFS and CWRF models. The area mean temporal correlation coefficients demonstrated that the hybrid approach also consistently improved the timing prediction skills for both variables. In general, the smaller root mean square errors indicated that the hybrid approach reduced the magnitude of the biases for both precipitation and temperature. The greatest improvements were achieved when the individual models had similar skills. The comparison with a North American multi-model ensemble further proved the feasibility of improving real-time seasonal forecast skill by using the hybrid approach, especially for heavy rain forecasting. Based on the complementary advantages of CFS the global model and CWRF the nesting regional model, the hybrid approach showed a substantial enhancement over CFS real-time forecasts during the summer. Future works are needed for further improving the quality of the hybrid approach through CWRF’s optimized physics ensemble, which has been proven to be feasible and reliable.

A real-world plan to increase diversity in the geosciences

Quinton Williams (quinton.l.williams@jsums.edu) is chair and associate professor of physics at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Vernon Morris (vmorris@howard.edu) is an associate professor in the chemistry department at Howard University in Washington, DC. Tanya Furman (furman@geosc.psu.edu) is a professor in the department of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.

Satellite Sounder Observations of Contrasting Tropospheric Moisture Transport Regimes: Saharan Air Layers, Hadley Cells, and Atmospheric Rivers

AbstractThis paper examines the performance of satellite sounder atmospheric vertical moisture profiles under tropospheric conditions encompassing moisture contrasts driven by convection and advection transport mechanisms, specifically Atlantic Ocean Saharan air layers (SALs), tropical Hadley cells, and Pacific Ocean atmospheric rivers (ARs). Operational satellite sounder moisture profile retrievals from the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP) NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) are empirically assessed using collocated dedicated radiosonde observations (raobs) obtained from ocean-based intensive field campaigns. The raobs from these campaigns provide uniquely independent correlative truth data not assimilated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models for satellite sounder validation over oceans. Although ocean cases are often considered “easy” by the satellite remote sensing community, these hydrometeorological phenomena present challenges to passive sounders, in...