Environment Canada (EC) –
Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)
Meteorologists’
Training
Monthly Newsletter
April-
2002
Upcoming
Training
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Mountain Weather
Spring Seminar |
April 18 |
Kelowna, BC |
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RCNC Aviation Workshop |
April 23
&25 |
Ottawa, ON |
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25th Conference on
Hurricanes & Tropical Meteorology |
April 29 - May 3 |
San Diego,
California |
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Change of
Season Workshop |
May 1, 7, 9 |
Montreal,
Quebec, Rimouski |
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6th Annual Northern
Plains Workshop |
May 8-10 |
Bismarck, North
Dakota |
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URP 2.0 Radar
Training |
Week of May 13 |
Toronto, ON |
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Western Canada
Weather Workshop |
May 13 |
Vancouver, BC |
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13th Conference on
Applied Climatology |
May 13-16 |
Portland, Oregon |
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10th Conference on
Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology |
May 13-16 |
Portland, Oregon |
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12th Joint Conf. on
Air Pollution Met. & Waste Management |
May 20-24 |
Norfolk, VA |
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The Northern
Environment - 36th CMOS Congress |
May 22-25 |
Rimouski, Quebec |
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Smog Workshop |
May 28 &30 |
Fredericton, NB |
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11th Conference on
Cloud Physics |
June 3-7 |
Ogden, Utah |
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10th Conference on
Mountain Meteorology |
June 17-21 |
Park City, Utah |
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NRP Radar Seminar |
June 20-21 &
25-26 |
Kelowna, BC |
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31st Conference on
Broadcast Meteorology |
June 24-28 |
Williamsburg, VA |
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Canadian Society Of
Agrometeorology (CSAM), Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) |
July 16-17 |
Saskatoon, SK |
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21st Conference on
Severe Local Storms 19th Conference on
Weather Analysis & Forecasting 15th Conference on
Numerical Weather Prediction |
August 12-16 |
San Antonio, Texas |
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Mid-Atlantic States
Winter Storms Regional Conference |
October 4-5 |
Washington, DC |
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7th International
Workshop on Wave Hindcasting and Forecasting |
October 21-25 |
Banff, AB |
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NWA 2002 Annual
Meeting |
October 19-25 |
Fort Worth, Texas |
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15th Conference of
Biometeorology and Aerobiology |
October 28 -
November 1 |
Kansas City,
Missouri |
Inside
This Issue
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2 |
5 |
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Update on Ab
Initio Training (MOIP) and Meteorologist Recruitment |
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Report on the
26th Annual Meeting of the National Weather Association |
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The Northern
Environment - 36th CMOS Conference |
7 |
Prairie and Northern
Region
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3 |
Congress of
Biometeorology - Call for Papers |
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Battle Creek
Stream Hydrology and Ecology Workshop:
A Field and Classroom Experience |
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4 |
How Good Data
Can Lead To A Poor Model Analysis |
8 |
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Report on the
Ninth Conference on Mesoscale Processes |
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Aviation
Defence Services Workshop in Esquimalt and Comox |
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5 |
Completion of
MSC Career Video |
8 |
Training
Services Unit Winnipeg Provides Doppler Radar Workshops to WSC's Greenwood
and Halifax |
Update on Ab Initio Training (MOIP) and
Meteorologist Recruitment
Training Course
News...
The training
course portion of the Meteorologist Operational Internship Program (MOIP)
concluded on March 28 at all three training locations—Montreal, Dartmouth and
Edmonton—with all successful interns receiving a course certificate. Details on the last phase of the training
course will be available in a separate article in next month's issue of the
newsletter. Interns are now beginning
their last phase of MOIP, On-the-Job Training, which takes place at the
locations of their first postings.
On-the-Job
Training News...
In March, in
preparation for on-the-job training, Wendy Benjamin, MOIP Coordinator, visited
each weather centre receiving one or more interns to deliver a short tutorial
explaining the program, responsibilities related to on-the-job training,
supporting documentation and forms, evaluation procedures, recent changes,
feedback from past interns, and how to deal with weak performance. The tour first took her to weather centres
in Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton and Winnipeg. In mid-March, she visited the
Newfoundland Weather Centre in Gander, an important office for her to meet with
since it is receiving six new interns!
Wendy wrapped up her tour at the weather centres in Toronto, Trenton and
Ottawa (where she delivered the tutorial twice).
To better
support the offices in their training, Wendy revised and organized the MOIP
documentation and had it made up into printed manuals. She also developed a laminated daily
reference card for on-the-job trainers to use and keep with them at the
operational desk.
Everyone seemed
pleased with the excellent organization of the material, and following the
tutorial they felt more confident about doing this year's on-the-job
training. It should be emphasized that
the on-the-job training phase makes up approximately 1/3 of the ab initio
training (or MOIP) and is a very important element in the training
program.
Recruitment
news...
The 2001-02
recruitment campaign came to a close with offers being made to 24 applicants.
There is a good mix of recruits from the employee equity diversity groups. Some
acceptances have already come back!
Contact: Wendy Benjamin (613) 995-4992
The Northern Environment - 36th CMOS
Conference
While not yet
complete, a draft schedule of social events for the upcoming CMOS (Canadian
Meteorological and Oceanographic Society) Congress that will be held in
Rimouski, Quebec, from May 20 to 25 is provided below. Information on the many sessions and
speakers currently being planned for the Congress is too lengthy to include
here but is available on the Congress web site (URL is provided below).
Monday, May 20:
Workshop
on Extreme Weather
Workshop
on Improving Quantitative Precipitation Forecast of Extreme Weather (both
presented by Isztar Zawadzki and Peter Yau)
Tuesday, May 21 - Meetings of the:
School and Public Education
Committee (led by Gilles Simard)
Private Sector Committee (led by
Susan K. Woodbury)
CMOS
Publications Committee (led by Richard Asselin)
University
and Professional Education Committee (led by Peter Bartello)
CMOS
Council (led by Ronald Steward)
CMOS
Centre Chairs (led by Ian Rutherford)
Canadian
National Committee meeting of SCOR (Scientific Committee on Oceanographic
Research) (led by Ken Lee)
Membership
Committee (led by Ron Bianchi)
Scientific
Committee (led by Charles Lin).
Other events on
Tuesday, May 21:
Day-2
of workshops on Extreme Weather and Short Term Precipitation Forecasting of
Extreme Weather (Isztar Zawadzki and
Peter Yau)
“Ice
Breaker Cocktail” in the evening.
Events
scheduled for Wednesday, May 22:
Awards
Luncheon
Women
in Science and Technology (Rebecca Wagner and Anne Marie Cabana)
CMOS
General Meeting.
The CMOS
Banquet will be held on Thursday, May 23. On Friday, May 24, Dr. Gordon McBean
will give a special presentation on CFCAS developments, and a CFCAS meeting
will be held. A Teacher’s Day led by
Anne Rossignol and Anne-Marie Cabana and an Open House Day at the Maurice
Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans are scheduled for
Saturday, May 25.
For more information
on locations and times, please consult the Congress web site at: http://scmo-cmos-2002.osl.gc.ca.
Call For Papers: International Congress of
Biometeorology and Aerobiology
The call for papers is now open for the 16th
International Congress of Biometeorology, hosted by the International Society
of Biometeorology, and the 15th Conference of Biometeorology and Aerobiology,
hosted by the American Meteorological Society.
The conferences will take place on October 28 to November 1, 2002 in
Kansas City, Missouri. The closing date
is May 7, 2002, and abstracts can be submitted on-line.
The proposed structure of the Congress and companion
conference is:
Day 1:
Global climate change and its impact on biological response;
Day 2:
Genome characteristics and properties to initiate adaptation to changing
environmental stresses;
Day 3:
Aerobiology impacts on spread of odours, spores, insects, and human and
animal diseases;
Day 4:
Drought with emphasis on food supply, water availability and human health;
Day 5:
Emerging technology in biometeorological and aerobiological research and
applications.
Tours of local medical, pharmaceutical, and
agricultural laboratories will also be held during the Congress for interested
scientists.
Further information is available at: http://www.mcc.missouri.edu/icb2002.
How Good Data Can Lead To A Poor Model Analysis
There is a very intriguing web site that can give
clues to one of the conundrums facing operational meteorologists: how good data
can sometimes lead to a poor model analysis.
The web site
contains a case study by Stephen Jascourt, of UCAR/COMET (University
Corporation for Atmospheric Research), in which an operational 22-km Eta model
analysis differs considerably from radiosonde 700 hPa temperature reports over
a large area of Oklahoma and northeast Texas on August 13, 2001. The case study
includes a series of interactive-type questions to help a forecaster search out
what happened and the implications for detecting and analyzing mesoscale
atmospheric features.
Although this
example is from a National Weather Service model, the example applies equally
well to objective analysis in general. In addition, the diagrams, questions,
and teaching expertise evident in this case study are worth the look. One can
go through this case study in about twenty minutes or so.
.
The web site
can be accessed from: http://meted.ucar.edu
Report on the Ninth Conference on
Mesoscale Processes
Sponsored by the American Meteorological Society (AMS)
and organized by the AMS Committee on Mesoscale Processes, the Ninth Conference
on Mesoscale Processes took place on July 30 to August 2, 2001 in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. The conference
included sessions on:
1. Mesoscale
data assimilation for numerical weather prediction and research applications;
2. Development
of mesoscale prediction models;
3. Improving
physical parameterizations in mesoscale models;
4. Mesoscale
predictability and ensembles; and
5. New
insights regarding mesoscale structure based on recent field experiments and
new observing platforms.
André Methot of CMC attended the conference and wrote
an exhaustive report. Below are
highlights from his report.
·
Comparisons between the ETA model (22 km grid length,
50 levels) and the MRF (Medium Range Forecast model) shows that the ETA model
is competitive with the MRF model up to 84 hours.
·
The National Centre for Environmental Prediction
(NCEP) has plans to use hourly winds obtained from Doppler radar as well as
clouds deduced from GOES satellites.
·
A new model of ETA will have three changes:
1. Changes
to the 3D-VAR (3-D variational analysis scheme);
2. Introduction
of a system of “nudging” for forecast precipitation; and
3. Changes
to the scheme for the surface for snow.
·
THREATS is an experiment quite analogous to HiMAP
(High Resolution Model Application Project). It will be run daily on different
domains covering all of the United States.
·
The Kain and Fritsch Scheme in the ETA model was
discussed, and compared to the scheme of Betts-Miller-Janjic. The Kain and
Fritsch scheme did a fair job within the ETA model. Both schemes showed results
that were very close, but showed very different (complementary) systematic
errors. This will be valuable information for future field meteorologists since
the next CMC regional model will likely use the Kain and Fritsch scheme.
·
A new system of short-term ensemble forecasting will
be tried at NCEP beginning this autumn. The case of the December 29-30 snow
storm (where the snow accumulations at Washington DC were not forecast in the
short term) was the motivation for this project.
·
Model MM5 (fifth generation National Center for
Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model) presentations were discussed. The ETA
model has a large problem in the west due to the presence of uneven topography.
The MMT model is used for modeling in such uneven terrain. The 2002 Winter
Olympic Games in Salt Lake City will make use of forecasts based on the MM5
model.
·
The WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) and the
ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) models were presented and discussed.
There are two prototypes of the WRF model at the present time. A U.S. company
called Weather Decision Technology is selling weather services based on their
operations of the ARPS model.
·
The Air Force Weather Agency as well as the U.S. Navy
are making large use of the MM5 model in their forecasts.
For more information, please contact André Methot at: (514) 421-4671, or e-mail Andre.Methot@ec.gc.ca.
Completion of MSC Career Video
Wendy Benjamin recently completed a project to have a
MSC career video made. The video targets high school and university students
and provides those doing outreach with a new tool for promoting MSC. The video
will also be distributed to the math, physics and meteorology departments of
Canadian universities.
To make the
video as economically and quickly as possible, Wendy teamed up with
Denis Bourque from Policy and Corporate Affairs Directorate, who was in
the process of revising the MSC video entitled Forecasting for Your Safety and Security. Wendy added a two-minute
segment called “Predicting Your Future”
to the end of the revised video. The first segment of the career video (Denis'
segment) gives an excellent overview of MSC's programs, services and roles and
the second segment advertises careers -- emphasizing meteorology -- in a short
catchy commercial. The total length is approximately 15 minutes (in either
official language).
Anyone
interested in obtaining a copy of the video for his/her office should contact
Wendy Benjamin at (613) 995-4992, or at Wendy.Benjamin@ec.gc.ca
Report on the 26th Annual Meeting of the
National Weather Association
The annual
meeting of the National Weather Association (NWA) was held in Spokane,
Washington from October 13 to 19, 2001. The operational segment of the annual
meeting was attended by five members of Environment Canada’s Pacific and Yukon
Region: Gregg Walters, Mitch Meredith, Tony Ng, Terri Lang, and Allan
Coldwells. Gregg and Mitch prepared a
report of this conference, with contributions from Tony, Terri and Allan. Below
is a brief summary of their report:
1. At
the annual awards banquet, Colonel Timothy H. Miner of the USAFR was presented
with an award for his efforts in developing NWA’s Thunderstorms and Flying
Internet course. Afterwards, a slide show of the Mount St.
Helen’s eruption was given by C. D. Miller, who showed that, yes, boulders can
fly through the air at 500 miles an hour.
2. The
presentations were organized into 13 sessions, one of which focused on Pacific
Northwest Weather. Another concentrated
on a Downburst Symposium as a special focus. Other sessions included “Women in
Meteorology”, “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV”, “When is a Record a Record”.
3.
Clifford Mass of the University of Washington gave an
excellent summary of the MM5 model.
4.
Eric Grimit of the University of Washington presented
efforts to implement and evaluate a mesoscale short-range ensemble forecasting
system over the Pacific Northwest.
5.
AccuWeather displayed its new three-dimensional media
graphics: a virtual 3-D flight from city to city and through clouds and rain
which help the viewers “experience” the actual weather forecast for the region.
6.
Severe weather climatology has shown that the number
of tornadoes reported by the public between the Rockies and the Appalachians
have increased over the last 50 years, possibly due to improved public
education.
7.
Commercial forecasting companies seem to want the NWS
to concentrate on technology development and weather warnings, leaving the
issuance of public forecasts to the public sector.
8.
The development of NWA’s Thunderstorms and Flying
Internet course was reviewed. Over
2,200 students from 18 countries have taken the course.
9.
There was a strong focus on tornadoes, severe weather,
and downbursts. The importance of radar interpretations was discussed, along
with case studies of tornadoes, flash floods, and bow echoes. Allan Coldwells
and Terri Lang of the Mtn Wx Centre gave an excellent presentation on the
series of severe thunderstorms that hit the Okanagan region on July 22,
2000.
10. Dr. Wakimoto of
the University of California gave an overview of downburst mechanics. He
suggested that although a dry microburst is twice as strong as a wet
microburst, they both produce identical outflow wind speeds. The reason the outflow wind speeds are
identical may be that mid-level downdrafts seldom line up with low level
downdrafts.
11. The downburst
symposium included the topic of the number of accidents and fatalities in the
aviation community resulting from undetected downbursts. Short range techniques, which primarily
involve the very effective utilization of radar, were discussed. Fire weather forecasting was also
discussed. It has been learned that dry
thunderstorms, combined with winds, especially from a dry cold front, were
prime lightning and forest fire producers.
12. NWS
partnerships with local universities in the education and training of
prospective meteorologists were presented, with explanations of the practical
training experiences at NWS offices in the summer, and joint operational based
research initiatives.
Gregg and Mitch present three conclusions in their
paper:
1.
One of the themes most stressed at the conference was
the invaluable contribution that weather radar plays in all areas where severe
convective activity poses a threat to property and lives. The presentation by
Terri and Allan highlighted the need for the new radar facility being
constructed northeast of Vernon.
2.
High-resolution models were shown to have some utility
in forecasting winds and associated cold temperature advection during cold
outbreaks in Washington State, and probably would be of some help in
forecasting such events in the complex terrain of coastal B.C.
3.
Outreach programs, such as the Volunteer Severe
Weather Watchers, greatly enhance the forecast program at PWC.
For further
information, please contact Gregg Walters or Mitch Meredith at (604) 664-9385.
Battle Creek Stream Hydrology and Ecology
Workshop: A Field and Classroom
Experience
The Water
Survey Division is hosting the 9th Battle Creek Stream Hydrology and Ecology
Workshop on June 17-21, 2002. This
workshop is designed for those with an interest in stream hydrology, fluvial
geomorphology, aquatic biology, riparian vegetation, water chemistry and the
interrelationships of these topics. The
presenters will provide instruction on the processes that form streams and the
resulting implications for stream ecology.
They will also demonstrate techniques to assess the relative state
(health) of a stream reach. The workshop
employs a unique blend of classroom and field study activities. This year, a section has been added on water
chemistry to better describe the link between the physical and biological
environments of a stream.
The presenters will be:
·
Robert Newbury, Newbury Hydraulics
·
Dave Sauchyn, Prairie Adaptation Research
Collaborative, University of Regina
·
Nancy Glozier, National Water Research Institute,
Environment Canada
·
Mary Vetter, Luther College, University of Regina
·
Lynne Quinnett-Abbott, Business Development Unit,
Environment Canada
A schedule and information on
registration can be obtained from Mike Renouf at (306) 780‑5347; fax
(306) 780-5350, or mike.renouf@ec.gc.ca.
The deadline for registration is
May 31, 2002. Space is limited.
Aviation Defence Services Workshop in
Esquimalt and Comox
John Ogletree, Operations Coordinator for the Weather
Services Centre (WSC) Greenwood, visited the West Coast on March 8 and March 11
to conduct a one-day workshop at WSC Comox.
The topics included:
·
GRIB (Gridded Binary Meteorological Data) Primer: an
introduction to CMC GRIB data sets, and the impact of data resolution on
various meteorological fields.
·
Edigraf: Various approaches to configuring Edigraf and
setting up files were discussed. A description was presented of images and
vector files in use at WSC Greenwood, including the dynamic use of amx for
custom underlays.
·
Focal Points: various science related topics that
require special attention by forecast staff if ADS wants to move its program
forward with a basis in science were described; possible roles and
responsibilities for Focal Point forecasters in ADS were reviewed.
·
xth V4.50 (Tephigram Display Program): a review of
recent changes to the program.
·
URP (Unified Radar Processor) V2.0: a review of
changes to new software release, including a discussion of proposed changes to
the ADS program necessary to incorporate this software.
·
Met Manager: a
review and demo of the new met Manager suite with emphasis on amx were given.
·
ADS Activities:
a review of presentations made by ADS managers at CMC in January, along
with discussions on relevant action items that arose from that meeting.
·
Future Opportunities for ADS: Discussions on options
for changes to the ADS support program to DND ensued.
For more
information, please contact John Ogletree, at (902) 765-1494, Ext. 3894.
Training Services Unit Winnipeg Provides
Doppler Radar Workshops to Weather Services Centres Greenwood and Halifax
Barry Konzelman
of the Training Services Unit (TSU) Winnipeg office gave three Doppler Radar
workshops to MSC and DND staff in the Halifax/Greenwood area on March 14, 18
and 19, 2002.
The first
workshop, given on Friday, March 14, was for the ADS/MSC meteorological staff
of the Weather Services Centre Greenwood. It was well attended by both ADS/MSC
Staff and DND staff of the 14 Wing Greenwood Weather office. In his 3-hour
presentations, Barry covered topics ranging from Doppler radar basics to
synoptic and mesoscale feature interpretation using Doppler radar. A CD-ROM
with hands-on exercises and case studies was left with Bob Howell, Manager
of the Weather Service Centre Greenwood, for staff to use after the workshop to
solidify the information presented.
On Monday March
18 and Tuesday March 19, Barry delivered two 3-hour presentations to Weather
Service Centre Halifax staff, various DND staff from the Halifax area and a
number of MSC meteorologists from the Atlantic Weather Centre (AWC). Barry once
again covered many topics and left a few CD-ROMs of exercises and case studies
with Jim Hamilton for future reference by his staff and those at the AWC.
Workshops such as these allow TSU Winnipeg staff to
share their meteorological knowledge and instructional abilities with other MSC
and DND offices. TSU Winnipeg meteorologists mainly deliver courses focussing
on short-range forecasting for the DND meteorological technicians that are
employed at Canadian fighter bases as short-range aviation forecasters.
Training
Services Unit (TSU) Winnipeg is part of the Aviation and Defence Services
Branch of the Services, Clients and Partners Directorate of MSC Headquarters.
TSU Winnipeg is co-located at the DND School of Meteorology at 17 Wing, CFB
Winnipeg.
Contact: Jasmin
Paola, Manager TSU Winnipeg (204) 833-2500, Ext. 5838
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recruitment. Submissions or any
questions related to items without a contact can be directed to Spencer.Silver@ec.gc.ca Editorials:
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your comments to Spencer.Silver@ec.gc.ca |