volume 34, number 8 -- august 1999

Staff Notes Monthly August 1999

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Volume 34, Number 8 -- August 1999

In this issue

WebEXTRA!

Team UCAR bicyclesthe 1999 MS150

Information technology: Where do we stand?

How to make your voice heard Key points from the IT Strategic Plan Get up to speed on desktop issues with DSAC sessions

It's Delphi election time RTD comes to Jeffco Science Briefing Tornadic testimony: Mr. Weisman goes to Washington

Pushing the warning envelope OGA's briefings on the Hill

SOARing beyond Boulder: Protégés move into off-site research

Video brings SOARS to classrooms nationwide

Frostfire: Prescribed burn holds clues to wildfires Middle-school teachers bid Boulder adieu

What can you LEARN in one day? Staff participants in LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers

Barry White: One of the mesa's originals heads out Fiber and foot power: Two new agreements make for happy trails New Hires

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Tired but happy, Andy Heymsfield (MMM), Joe VanAndel (ATD), Russ Rew(Unidata), Becky Ruttenberg (RAP), and Katy Ginger (PAGE) await theirbikes at Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, just south ofDenver. The fivesome had just completed the MS150, a bicycling fund-raiserfor the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held on 10-11 July. Team UCARalso included Rick Anthes (UCAR president), Lynne Davis (PAGE), Katy'ssister Lizzy Page, Missy Petty (RAP), Joe's wife Margaret VanAndel, andStick Ware (GST). UOP director Jack Fellows was to be the team leader untilhe suffered a broken ankle near the end of snowboarding season. This leftRick, Joe, and Stick as the MS150 vets and the rest as newcomers. Below: Aview of Garden of the Gods from the last climb of the day. Left: Rick Anthesand Stick Ware at the Royal Gorge Bridge. More on the exploits of Team

UCAR can be found in the "SN Extra!".

About this publicationProductionWriter/editor: Bob HensonCopy editor: Zhenya GallonDesign: Michael ShibaoPrinting: Speedy BeePrint distribution: Milli ButterworthElectronic distribution: Jacque MarshallPhotography: NCAR Imaging & Design Center, Carlye Calvin



Unless otherwise noted all images are copyrighted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research / NationalCenter for Atmospheric Research / National Science Foundation.

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Team UCAR at MS150 '99

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August 1999 EXTRA!


Team UCAR bicyclesthe 1999 MS150

This year's edition of the MS150, a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, saw a 600-person increasein ridership to total 1,800 riders. Included were members of Team UCAR: Rick Anthes (UCAR), Lynne Davis(PAGE), Katy Ginger (PAGE) and sister Lizzy Ginger, Andy Heymsfield (MMM), Missy Petty (RAP), Russ Rew(Unidata), Becky Ruttenberg (RAP), Joe VanAndel (ATD) and wife Margaret VanAndel, and Stick Ware (GST). JackFellows (UCAR) was to be the team leader but suffered a broken ankle near the end of snowboarding season. This leftRick, Joe, and Stick as the MS150 vets and the rest as newcomers.

Tired but happy, Andy Heymsfield, Joe VanAndel,Russ Rew, Becky Ruttenberg, and Katy Gingerawait their bikes at Thunder Ridge High Schoolafter completing the MS150.

This year's ride took place on 10-11 July, beginning at Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, overnightingat Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and finishing at Canon City. The basic route covered 75 miles per day, withan optional 25-mile loop on Day 1 to make a century ride, and three choices on Day 2: the 50-mile direct ride to CanonCity, a "flatter" 25-mile loop and the tough 25-mile loop over the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River to total 75 miles.The route options offered something for everyone, accommodating differing levels of fitness.

Day 1: Saturday 7/10

Day 1 started out easy, leaving town on Santa Fe Drive and soon switching to back roads. The first hills were alsoeasy, but as the day wore on they got steeper and more numerous, with a headwind to boot.

Waiting on a train early on Day 1. (Photo by Rick

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Anthes.)

A climb over the Palmer Divide put the riders in Monument for lunch, with the Air Force Academy to follow. Beforethe Academy, however, was a rough patch of bike path, whose avoidance caused Andy to miss the turn-off for thecentury loop. He climbed the first hill in the Academy before realizing his error, then turned around to do the century.He gets the award for most miles biked in a day.

Stick gets the award for most miles driven in a day, having arrived at the starting line without his bike shoes. After aquick round trip home to fetch them, Stick started the ride one minute before the route closed, and was able to make itto the century ride turn-off before that option also closed.

Becky knew of the fierce hills in the Air Force Academy, so she proposed a short cut along Stadium Way. However,when they arrived at the split, Becky, Katy, and Lizzy decided to go for it and stick to the route. Four hills later theywere rueing their decision, but after a nice coast out of the Academy they figured that they were done with hills.However, the route organizers had a few more surprises--a tour through "Tuscany Hills" (which Russ figured was agratuitous attempt to show off a ritzy neighborhood), then a climb over a hogback just east of Garden of the Gods,comparable to Dinosaur Ridge just east of Red Rocks. This is what the organizers meant when they advertised "aspectacular view of Garden of the Gods." At least it was an excuse to get off the bike to take a picture.

Left: Joe VanAndel, Rick Anthes,Russ Rew, and Margaret VanAndelrelax on the Colorado CollegeQuad after a hard day's work.(Photo by Andy Heymsfield.) Right:Pikes Peak and Garden of theGods, from the last climb of theday. (Photo by Rick Anthes.)

One more short climb led to Cascade Avenue and Colorado College, where riders had lasagna, bread and brownies fordinner, stowed their bikes and had access to the massage tables. Those who didn't fall into immediate slumber partook



of the beer garden and danced to live music. Hardy souls stayed on campus in dorm rooms; others made use of theswimming pool at area hotels.

Day 2: Sunday 7/11

Day 2 started out with short climbs around NORAD and up some ridges, then a long descent into the Arkansas RiverValley and to Florence for lunch. Road hazards included rumble strips which caught some descending riders unaware,but Team UCAR made it through without mishap.

At Florence, the "flatter" 25-mile loop took off (as in "flatter than the Gorge route"), and a few miles later the RoyalGorge route began. An enterprising soul could have done both extra loops for another century, but saner riders(including Team UCAR) did either the Gorge (Andy, Missy, Joe, Russ, Stick and Rick), the flatter route (Margaret) orwent straight into Canon City (Lizzy, Lynne, Katy and Becky). Gorge riders reported that by virtue of the road beingbadly graded, it is steeper in spots than anything in Boulder, with level spots in between. The average grade over twomiles is 10%. Gorge riders were well rewarded with a view, Oreos, an "I did the Gorge!" pin, and a thrilling descentinto Canon City while watching their compatriots slog up the other side of the road.

Left: Rick Anthes and Stick Ware at the Royal Gorge bridge.Right: A spectacular view upstream from the bridge. (Photo on right by Andy Heymsfield.)

Shortly thereafter, riders were cheered across the finish line, where medals, showers, hamburgers, ice cream, andmassage tables greeted them. Then came a relaxing bus ride back to Thunder Ridge High School, traversing some ofthe route ridden earlier. In perhaps the only snafu of the event, the bike trucks were delayed on the return trip, allowingTeam UCAR to get in a few hands of Uno.

All in all, riders reported a good time with many memories to take home, including:

Food - Everything tastes good when you're hungry (Missy), although the mystery breakfast at 5:30 AM on Day 2was hard to swallow--too dark to see, too cold to taste (Russ)--and for the fast riders, eating a ham sandwich forlunch at 8:30 AM was odd (Missy, Andy). But fresh cantaloupe and trail mix at the aid stations couldn't be beat!

Aid stations - Spaced at 10-mile intervals on the average, they were welcome excuses to get off the bike,stretch, and refuel. Stick reported a "Sister Act" at the century loop aid station featuring volunteers dressed asnuns, while the last aid stop of the day had a Mardi Gras theme including beads and wash-off tattoos.

People on the ride - The start was awe-inspiring, with wheelchair- bound people with MS thanking the ridersfor riding for them, and many riders had names of friends and loved ones with MS pasted to their jerseys. On alighter note, Katy and Lizzy enjoyed engaging other riders in water-bottle fights.

Bikes on the ride - Ranging from a one-speed Schwinn to the latest technology, the gamut was covered. Riderswith triple cranks were thankful on the hills, but not all double cranks were disadvantaged (Russ, who merelystood up to pedal.) One rider was on a hand-powered bike, slow but steady. A tandem rider had a mannequin as



his stoker, and a recumbent cyclist had a bug shield.

Music - KOOL 105 sent along a music van blaring greatest hits from the sixties. This caused Becky toconstantly morph the music running through her head into ABBA's "Dancing Queen." Katy and Lizzy sang "Do-Re-Mi" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" while negotiating the Air Force Academy hills.

Iron Legs award: To Missy, with a Day 1 time of 7 hrs. 50 mins. for the century route, and a Day 2 time of 6:15 forthe Royal Gorge route.

Fundraiser award: To Margaret, for raising more than $3000 for MS.

--Becky Ruttenberg, RAP

Safely back at UCAR, the group gathers with their medals for completing the ride and red pins for climbing tothe Royal Gorge bridge.Front row: Missy Petty, Lynne Davis, Becky Ruttenberg.Back row: Jack Fellows, Andy Heymsfield, Russ Rew, Katy Ginger, Stick Ware, Joe VanAndel, Rick Anthes.

In this issue...

Note: The August issue will be posted by the first week of August 1999.


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Edited by Bob Henson, [email protected]

Prepared for the Web by Jacque Marshall









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Peter Fox. (Photos by Carlye Calvin.)


August 1999

Information technology: Where do westand?

How to make your voice heard Key points from the IT Strategic Plan Get up to speed on desktop issues with DSAC sessions

Computer upgrades. Enormous data sets. New software. Ubiquitous networking at unprecedented speeds. Each yearbrings more-complex applications and more systems to interface. At UCAR, our division- and program-centeredculture has produced a multitude of approaches to information technology (IT). Not all of them are compatible, though.How do we learn from each other and make sure our machines and programs can talk to each other?

In September 1997 UCAR held a pivotal workshop, organized by UOP's Information Infrastructure Technology andApplications (IITA) program, to consider institution-wide issues surrounding present and anticipated advances in IT atUCAR. As a result, the Information Technology Council was formed and a strategic plan developed ( UCARInformation Technology Strategic Plan ; see highlights in the sidebar .) Below is an update on some of the topicsaddressed by the IT plan.

Can standards and autonomy coexist?

"UCAR is a pretty diverse organization with regard to IT. We developedthe strategic plan to reflect that diversity as much as possible," saysPeter Fox. Peter, chief computational scientist for HAO, led part of the1997 workshop, which brought 120 staff together to discuss IT.Afterward, he and fellow members of the IT Council developed the ITStrategic Plan.

"There are a lot of things happening that reflect suggestions in thestrategic plan, but it's going to take a while for some of those to becomevisible," says Peter. "One goal of the IT Council was to identify needsin high-visibility areas like e-mail, desktop systems, the Web, and a fewothers. People should be seeing changes in those things over the nextfew months."

For example, following a recent survey of UCAR's Web site users, thetop-level pages of the site are now being redesigned in an effort headedby Susan Friberg (Corporate Affairs). The goal is to produce a moreconsistent look and feel and to make the site easier for users to navigate.Next will come "a very strong effort to coordinate and systematize the

indexing and searching capabilities for the entire Web site, not just the [front pages]," says Peter.

The new site is expected to debut toward the end of this summer. According to Susan, "The redesign is just the firststep to help the user find information more easily at UCAR, NCAR, and UOP. The survey told us that a good searchengine is sorely needed, as well as a site map and more sophisticated and helpful data and software sites. There's a lotof work ahead to respond to user needs."






http://www.fin.ucar.edu/itc/ITCStrategicPlan.html





Left to right: Vance Howard,Rebecca Oliva, and Steve Hinson ofF&A's IT office.

E-mail is another area where IT strategy will be making a difference. Until very recently, attachments to e-mail werehandled inconsistently by different mail readers, even within the institution. Soon, according to Peter, "You're going tobe able to exchange a wider variety of documents more transparently. This will happen largely through changes at theserver level, but also by having e-mail clients conform to open standards rather than proprietary standards."

Open standards, such as the World Wide Web, reduce dependence on a single vendor and allow for moreinteroperability. IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) aretwo open standards for e-mail. Running behind the scenes on desktops or servers, these protocols facilitate the way e-mail is handled by a variety of clients.

Through all these efforts, the IT Council has refrained from dictating which hardware or software a division orprogram ought to use. Instead, it has encouraged groups to take IT factors into account when making upgrades orbuying hardware. "Balancing autonomy and standardization" is one of the key themes that emerged from the ITworkshop. This approach has gradually brought the institution more internal compatibility of systems withoutfomenting rebellion. For example, UCAR has maintained a basic level of support for Macintosh computers, and therehas been no institutionally mandated phaseout of Macs, although some groups have chosen to replace their Macs withPCs when the time has come for new hardware.

F&A's new approach

A key effort to improve the usefulness of systems across the institution is under way in Finance and Administration.The Bi-Tech system has been the core package for UCAR's financial accounting since 1994. While it meets UCAR'sday-to-day accounting needs, Bi-Tech's terminal-style interface is difficult to learn and use. Thus, a group in F&A isnow writing user-friendly Web-based applications that hook into Bi-Tech.

"We don't have a lot of leeway with Bi-Tech without violating our maintenance and support agreements with thevendor," says Rebecca Oliva, head of F&A's IT office. "We're developing ways of collecting data that ultimately willinterface with Bi-Tech. In essence, we're creating a 'wrapper' around Bi-Tech that embraces some of the newertechnologies available to us."

One of the top priorities is putting time cards on line. Before the end of 1999, F&A hopes to have a Web-basedinterface allowing all staff to key in and their supervisors to authorize their biweekly hours on line. Further in thefuture are two projects of greater complexity: the creation of interactive, Web-based forms for purchase requisitionsand for travel-related documents. To make sure they're on the right track with these projects, "we've been spending alot of time talking to end users," Rebecca says.

Rebecca's group has hired two new developers, Kristian Woyna (broughton board only last month) and Vance Howard. Vance, who joined thegroup last fall, is using Sapphire/Web from Bluestone Software to createJava applications that enable Bi-Tech to interface with the Web.

The new cluster of software engineers emerging in F&A is an example ofsomething strongly recommended by the IT Council: the formation ofnew engineering groups to create essential services needed by the wholeinstitution. In a related effort, the UCAR-wide Desktop Systems AdvisoryCommittee has increased the visibility of desktop services that span theinstitution.

According to Peter, "The DSAC was doing some really good,groundbreaking work, finding some new technologies to solve problemssuch as e-mail and calendars, but they had no one to implement [theirfindings]. The IT Council recommended that not only should we have

advisory groups, but we should have engineering groups that would actually go and do the work." Funding for aDSAC-oriented engineering group failed to go through for fiscal year 2000 but will be considered for FY 01.



Dave Fulker (left) and Steve Emmerson.

Meanwhile, the DSAC is proceeding with analyses of desktop-computing issues and seeking staff input (see sidebar).

Getting what you need (and skipping what you don't)

UCAR's IT strategy looks outward as well as inward. Several groups are working on community initiatives that willbring a new face to our traditional role of providing large data sets and facilitating their use.

In collaboration with the University of Rhode Island and other partners, Peter is working on DODS, an initiative wellmatched to UCAR's IT strategy. The Distributed Oceanographic Data System will allow for small pieces of giant datasets to be accessed through the Web with maximum efficiency. "Instead of FTP-ing a 2- or 3-gigabyte data set andthen using only 10 or 20 megabytes, it will be possible to extract that 10 or 20 MB directly over the network," saysPeter. Through DODS, network-savvy versions of common data analysis packages such as Ferret and MatLab arebeing created. Users will then be able to bring data from a server through the Web and directly into the analysispackage, regardless of the data format on the server end.

DODS is funded by NASA, with additional support from NOAA and NSF. It is one of 24 initiatives beneath a NASAumbrella called the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). The group was formed as a way to diversify strategiesfor processing data from the Earth Observing System. NASA's array of EOS satellites will be launched beginning laterthis year, with the number of launches accelerating over the next few years.

A number of universities and laboratories are working on portions of DODS. At UCAR, Unidata is developing usersupport services, while HAO is working on filters for its solar physics data set formats. Lawrence Buja (CGD) has putsome of the most frequently sought output from the division's climate system model onto a DODS-friendly Webserver. As for SCD, although DODS does not yet support all of the data formats in SCD's archives, the division plansto eventually use DODS to provide interactive access to many of its most popular data sets.

Richard Chinman is project manager for the DODS/ESIP effort. More information on DODS is available at DODSDistributed Oceanographic Data System .

The emerging world of O-O

Unidata is among the groups exploring the leading edge of UCAR'sIT strategy: object-oriented (O-O) software design. Although thebenefits of O-O software are already evident in spreadsheets andmodern graphical user interfaces, we're only beginning to learn howmuch O-O can do for us in the scientific and business arenas,according to Unidata director Dave Fulker. "If you look at the bestdesigns for modern software, they almost all employ O-Oprinciples," says Dave.

How does O-O work? "Object orientation is jargon," admits Dave."It's hard to come up with a really clean explanation." He gives it ashot anyway: "An object is like a little virtual computer. The wayyou interact with objects is by sending messages to them." Insteadof data being static and completely distinct from software, dataelements and code elements are integrated into organic softwarecomponents called "objects." The emphasis in O-O design is on thebehavior of these objects as they respond to messages, change theirinternal states, and issue new messages.

For instance, a satellite image is typically stored in a computer as a two-dimensional array of numerical values. Todisplay the satellite image on a monitor, these values are translated into points of varying brightness. Additionalinformation, known as metadata, specifies the size of the array and how its numerical values relate to brightness and

http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/dods





color. To overlay a geographic map on the satellite image, you need metadata that provides the latitude and longitudeof each point in the image. These metadata change continuously and depend on the satellite's orbit. Metadata may bestored with the image or elsewhere.

In O-O design, the satellite image is stored as an object that contains its numerical values, its metadata, and softwareprocedures known as methods. Together, these allow the image to

display itselfchange its contrast and colorationsdraw a map on itselftransform itself onto an entirely different map projection.

This set of data, metadata, and methods may be overkill for a single satellite image. However, explains Dave, the O-Oemphasis on behavior (gained by joining data with software) can simplify the handling of a variety of satellite images.For example, the images from polar-orbiting and geosynchronous satellites behave similarly as O-O objects, eventhough they require very different codes to compute their geographic locations.

"I like to think of the objects as people," says Unidata programmer Steve Emmerson. "You can imagine all theseobjects being connected in a network and exchanging messages back and forth." Steve and fellow programmers JohnCaron and Don Murray are exploring Java-based O-O techniques for displaying weather and climate data in threedimensions. Their work will help serve the display and analysis needs of Unidata's 150 member universities.

Steve has already created an interactive version of the standard thermodynamic sounding. In it, you can move around avirtual column of winds plotted in three dimensions rather than the usual stack of 2-D wind vectors. Is this part of thefuture of weather visualization? One might say that's the object. •BH

How to make your voice heardThe IT Council continues to meet monthly and to oversee a number of subgroups working on aspects ofthe IT strategic plan. Jack Fellows, UCAR vice president for corporate affairs, was recently succeededas the council chair by Katy Schmoll, UCAR vice president for finance and administration. The groupinvites your inquiries and suggestions. The IT Council's home page, which lists members and otherinformation, is at Information Technology Council (ITC).

Key points from the IT Strategic PlanHere are the eight recommendations from the 1997-98 IT Strategic Plan. The full plan is at UCARInformation Technology Strategic Plan .

UCAR IT should move toward distributed, object-oriented methodologies.

Software systems in UCAR should be designed around a three-tier architecture, with emphasis onstandardized interfaces in the middle (service) tier.

UCAR should continue to operate and support a leading-edge network and associated services.

UCAR should employ open standards whenever feasible.

http://www.fin.ucar.edu/itc

http://www.fin.ucar.edu/itc






Continued innovation at the division/program level should be encouraged and supported.

Continued emphasis must be placed on technical training for staff.

A standing committee should be formed to coordinate IT efforts in UCAR.

UCAR should consider creating new funded engineering groups to design and implement essentialservice-layer functions.

Get up to speed on desktop issues with DSAC sessionsThe Desktop Systems Advisory Committee (DSAC) is holding a set of all-staff meetings in mid-Augustto relay results from two years of fact finding and to get your input on desktop-computing issues. Theseinclude e-mail attachments, document formats, and a possible institution-wide set of calendars on theWeb. "We've done all this work to investigate these problems," says DSAC cochair Mike Daniels. "Nowwe're trying to communicate the solutions we've found and involve staff at large in those solutions."

The meetings will take place on Tuesday, 17 August, in the ML Main Seminar Room and on Thursday,19 August, in the FL auditorium. Both sessions will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The first half hourwill serve as an introduction for people who can't attend for the whole morning. Brief Q&A periods willclose out each topic throughout the morning. Below is a summary of the agenda. For more details, checkthe DSAC Web page.

9:00 What is DSAC?9:30 E-mail issues

10:00 E-mail attachments10:30 Document formats11:00 Hardware/software acquisitions11:20 Organization-wide calendars11:45 The future12:00 General discussion

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It's Delphi election time

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/delphi.html[4/19/2013 1:28:28 PM]

Janet Evans.(Photos byCarlye Calvin.)

Jo Hansen.


August 1999 It's Delphi election time

Two staff members, Janet Evans and Jo Hansen, have been nominated by employees as candidates for this month'selection of a new coordinator for the Delphi Service. The Delphi coordinator oversees the operation of the service,which allows staff to ask questions of management in a confidential manner. Questions and answers of general interestare published in Staff Notes Monthly (though few general-interest questions have been submitted in recent years).Candidates must have been at the institution at least four years and may not hold a management-level position (salaryranges 9110-9127). Other qualifications include high personal integrity, detailed knowledge of UCAR, and the abilityto maintain the trust and confidence of employees. The new coordinator will be appointed to a four-year term and iseligible to run for a second term in 2003.

Ballots will be distributed to all staff around 8 August, to be returned by 18 August to Susan Montgomery-Hodge. Formore details on the election process, contact Susan, ext. 1653, [email protected]. The Delphi Service's Web pageincludes details on the service, a list of all recent question topics, and links to questions and answers published in StaffNotes Monthly. Below are statements from each nominee for coordinator. •Bob Henson

Janet Evans

I was the first accountant that UCAR hired, back in 1986, and I worked in the finance officeuntil late 1996. Since then, I've worked in the NCAR Director's Office as a budget analyst. Ithink of UCAR/NCAR as part of my extended family.

My present work at NCAR allows access to information that must also be kept confidential; it'spart of my job every day. Also, as a CPA, I adhere to a strict code of professional conduct aspart of the state licensing process.

The Delphi Service is something that sets UCAR apart from other employers; it's such a greatidea. I would be pleased to be part of a process that fosters communication among employees. If elected ascoordinator, I would like to spend time cross-training with Rene Munoz [the current Delphi coordinator] and seekingher advice. I'd also like to increase communication of the Delphi policy to staff, so that more people could becomeaware of this service.

Jo Hansen

I have been a UCAR/NCAR employee since April 1990, beginning with an appointment in theMMM Director's Office. There I met and interacted with employees at all organizational andpersonnel levels throughout the corporation. My next two appointments have been atUOP/Unidata.

Duties and responsibilities pertaining to personnel, financial, scientific, and technical aspects ofthe organization have been the common thread in each position, providing me a wide range ofknowledge about UCAR and its policies and procedures.

During my tenure at MMM I served on the Divisional Equity Committee, which addressed and sought to resolveissues potentially relevant and interesting to staff who send queries through the Delphi process as well. Service as aSOARS writing mentor (for the past three years) and as a member of the UCAR Wellness Committee (since its






http://www.ucar.edu/internal/delphi

http://www.ucar.edu/internal/delphi

It's Delphi election time

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inception in 1991) have provided other venues for viewing organizational activity.

The Delphi process gives employees the opportunity to acquire information in a highly confidential and comprehensivemanner. Despite its confidentiality, the process is free-flowing and strengthens the organization. I would approach theposition in the spirit of service and confidentiality.


UCAR | NCAR | UOP









RTD comes to Jeffco

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/jeffco.html[4/19/2013 1:28:41 PM]


August 1999 RTD comes to Jeffco

Shown here (dashed line) is the extension of RTD route 228 that will serve RAF and Colorado AeroTech.Stop locations will be announced before the extension begins on 1 September. (Illustration courtesy U.S. 36Transportation Management Organization.)

After years of being off the beaten path, employees of the Research Aviation Facility at Jefferson County Airport willsoon be on a main bus route. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has revised its route 228 to serve the airportmore directly beginning on 1 September. Route 228 includes northwest and southeast routes connecting Broomfieldand Louisville in both directions each half hour between 6:35 and 8:35 a.m. and again between 3:35 and 5:35 p.m. Thenorthwest-bound morning runs and the southeast-bound evening runs will stop on 120th Street near Jeffco.

The route change occurred in part because of UCAR/NCAR. George Nichol, an instrument technician at RAF,combines biking and busing to get to work; his was one of the most ardent voices asking to bring RTD closer to Jeffcoand RAF. At George's urging, Karl Hanzel (COMET), one of the lead volunteers for the UCAR/NCAR TransportationAlternatives Program, joined with airport manager Bob Lohne and Colorado AeroTech president Dean Gowen inwriting to RTD on 18 February. Their letter noted that "alternatives to automobile transport are badly needed here atthe airport." RTD responded with an agreement to revise route 228.

With rapid growth occurring at the Interlocken business park and the upcoming FlatIron Crossing mall, more RTDservice to this area may be in the cards--eventually. "RTD would like to oblige," says Adam Krom, of the U.S. 36Transportation Management Organization, which works to increase mobility on the U.S. 36 corridor. However, henotes, "RTD has been over 100 bus operators short recently," so any new routes will have to wait. •Bob Henson










RTD comes to Jeffco

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/jeffco.html[4/19/2013 1:28:41 PM]

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Science Briefing

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/scibrief.html[4/19/2013 1:28:55 PM]

Bob Harriss.

Elliot Atlas.

Jim Hack.


August 1999

Three NCAR researchers and the incoming director of ESIG were appointed senior scientists at the July meeting of theUCAR Board of Trustees. Chosen to provide the center with long-term scientific leadership, senior scientists areselected on the basis of individual competence in research and in other activities that enhance NCAR's interaction withscientists elsewhere. The position is analogous to that of full professor at a tenure-granting university.

Bob Harriss arrives this month to begin his tenure as director of ESIG. He joins NCAR after twoyears at Texas A&M University, where he held joint appointments in the Departments ofMeteorology and Agricultural Engineering as well as the A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair in CivilEngineering. Bob directed the science division of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth office from 1994to 1997 and served as a senior scientist at NASA Langley Research Center from 1978 to 1988.Between those stints, he was a professor of earth system science and natural resources at theUniversity of New Hampshire. He also served as a mission scientist for NASA on threeAtmospheric Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) in the tropical Atlantic, the Amazon, and theArctic.

Bob received his doctoral degree in geochemistry from Rice University in 1965 after earning a bachelor's in earthsciences from Florida State University. He is a contributing editor of Environment and associate editor ofChemosphere. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Bob has served on a wide rangeof science committees, including more than a half dozen organized by the National Academy of Sciences. In 1997, Bobreceived a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. "I am especially pleased to be joining NCAR at a time when therewill be an increasing emphasis on the human dimensions of global change. The fundamental atmospheric research atNCAR is crucial to the design of a sustainable future for America and the world," says Bob.

Elliot Atlas has served as head of ACD's Stratospheric/Tropospheric Measurements Section since1992. He joined ACD as a visiting scientist in 1989. He was a co-principal investigator for thesecond Mauna Loa Observatory Photochemistry Experiment, and he also holds that role for theTropospheric Ozone Production about the Spring Equinox project, whose field phase is slated fornext year. Elliot has been a member of several NASA science teams over the past five yearsdealing with stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry. He was the convenor of the GlobalAtmospheric Chemistry Survey, conducted from 1994 to 1997 under the auspices of theInternational Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program. Elliot completed his bachelor's degree inchemistry from Antioch College in 1970 and his master's and Ph.D. in chemical oceanographyfrom Oregon State University.

An NCAR scientist since 1984, Jim Hack is a member of CGD's Climate Modeling Section,where he has served as co-lead in developing the atmospheric component of CGD's climatesystem model. Jim earned his master's and doctorate degrees at Colorado State University inatmospheric dynamics after receiving his bachelor's in meteorology at Lyndon State College in1974. Prior to joining NCAR, Jim was a research scientist at IBM's Thomas J. Watson ResearchCenter. His work has included research on tropical vortex dynamics, physical parameterization,and numerical methods. Jim is co-chair of the NCAR Clouds and Climate Program, an editor ofthe Journal of Climate, and a member of the science teams for the Atmospheric RadiationMeasurement program, the Climate Change Prediction Program, and the International SatelliteLand-Surface Climatology Project, Regional Experiment III. He organized NCAR workshops onthe community climate model in 1985, 1987, 1990, and 1993 and has served on numerous internal and externaladvisory and review panels pertaining to global climate modeling and high-performance computing.






Science Briefing

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Doug Nychka.

Doug Nychka joined NCAR in 1997 as leader of the Geophysical Statistics Project, aninterdivisional group funded by NSF to advance the use of mathematical and statisticaltechniques in atmospheric and related research. From 1983 to 1997, he was a professor ofstatistics at North Carolina State University. Doug earned his doctorate in statistics in 1983 at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison after completing his bachelor's degree in mathematics andphysics at Duke University. Doug's research interests include statistical computing for large datasets, the analysis of spatial data, and the use of statistical tools to characterize nonlinearproperties of a system in the presence of noise. Doug organized last summer's ASP colloquium,Statistics for Understanding the Atmosphere and Ocean. He has served as an associate editor for

Technometrics, the Journal of Nonparametric Statistics, and the International Statistical Review and was recentlyelected program chair of statistical computing for the American Statistical Association.

The Board of Trustees also approved the promotion of five NCAR researchers to the Scientist III level. They are ScottDoney (CGD), Chris Davis (MMM), Phil Judge (HAO), Maura Hagan (HAO), and Bill Skamarock (MMM).


UCAR | NCAR | UOP









Tornadic testimony: Mr. Weisman goes to Washington

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/testimony.html[4/19/2013 1:29:10 PM]

Morris Weisman. (Photoby Carlye Calvin.)


August 1999

Tornadic testimony: Mr. Weisman goes toWashington

Pushing the warning envelope OGA's briefings on the Hill

Two trips to the nation's capital weren't on Morris Weisman's calendar for thisspring--that is, until Oklahoma and Kansas were hit by killer tornadoes on 3 May.The disastrous twisters launched a chain reaction of events that brought the MMMscientist to Capitol Hill for a congressional briefing on 26 May. The briefing wasfollowed on 16 June by formal testimony before a joint meeting of the subcommitteesof the House Science Committee dealing with energy and environment and withbasic research.

Although the journeys were unexpected and the preparations hectic, Morris considersit all worthwhile. "I went there thinking 'Why do we need to do this?', and I cameback really impressed. It's invaluable to understand where the questions and theissues are coming from. . . . You really feel like you're doing something of value."

The logistics for both trips were arranged largely by UCAR's Office of GovernmentAffairs. OGA, headed by Cindy Schmidt, helps keep the institution in touch with developments in Washington thataffect atmospheric research in general and our funding in particular. The office also brings NCAR and UOP expertiseto the Hill through panels held for congressional staffers. Topics are chosen based on high-profile news events and onlegislation making its way through the House and Senate. Through the work of Laura Curtis and Gloria Kelly, OGAhas organized nine panels since 1997 (see sidebar).

Oklahoma's devastating tornado outbreak brought to light the progress made in warnings and awareness while raisingquestions about what more can be done to reduce deaths and damage. After OGA decided to do a Hill briefing in lateMay, the office tapped Morris along with Harold Brooks (National Severe Storms Laboratory) and the University ofOklahoma's Kelvin Droegemeier and John Snow. The panel was hosted by J.C. Watts (R-Okla.). Coloradorepresentative Mark Udall was on hand as well, "which was nice," says Morris.

"A couple of days later," he adds, "we got word from Steve Eule [staff director, subcommittee on basic research] thathe wanted to bring this to the House." That gave Morris only a few days to prepare not only a brief oral presentationbut more formal (and lengthy) written testimony that would go into the Congressional Record.

"It was all very rushed," he says. Nevertheless, "I took it upon myself to get peer review [from MMM's Rit Carbone,Bob Gall, and Joe Klemp]. There's no requirement--you're giving testimony as an individual--but I felt it was myobligation to get input." For his panel appearance as well as his testimony, Morris called on the help of COMET'sWendy Abshire, Will Piper, and Jason Romero: "They helped me put together a high-tech presentation that got thepoints across effectively."

Morris received guidance on the testimony process from Mark Burnham of Lewis-Burke Associates, a D.C. firmretained by UCAR for legislative consultation. Burnham was "wonderful in terms of support," says Morris.

After Morris and colleagues Howie Bluestein (University of Oklahoma), Dennis McCarthy (NWS Norman), and RogerWakimoto (University of California, Los Angeles) gave their oral statements at the hearing, they spent roughly an hour








This shatterd billboard is on I-240, one of three interstatehighways in Oklahoma Citystruck by the 3 May 1999tornadoes. (Photo by BobHenson.)

answering questions from members of the science committee. A few queries came from left field--such as whethertornadoes could be modified by adding chemicals--but on the whole Morris found the inquiry thoughtful andconstructive. "They wanted to hear about how basic research is producing success and about how we're makingprogress in terms of day-to-day weather--and how we could go further."

Morris joins a small group of UCAR and NCAR scientists who have made the trek to Washington to delivertestimony. During the Bush administration, for example, Kevin Trenberth (CGD) appeared before then-senator AlGore to address water vapor and climate change. Kevin has also made frequent trips to the Hill for less formal talksand panels.

This year, on 24 February, UCAR president Rick Anthes appeared before the energy and environment subcommittee toaddress NWS modernization. "The questions were friendly and fairly routine," says Rick. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) askedwhether the nation's atmospheric scientists were getting the computer power they needed. "I told him that we werepretty much limited to U.S. computers and that there were computers made by other countries that were more suitablefor numerical weather prediction." However, Rick noted in his response, the National Centers for EnvironmentalPrediction were forging ahead with a new set of IBM machines. A similar move is now in the works at NCAR: watchfor details in the next issue of Staff Notes Monthly.

In his own testimony, Morris raised the possibility of three- to six-hour predictions of the locations of supercell stormsthat could produce twisters. However, in order to generate such outlooks, more number-crunching power is essential,he added. (See excerpt.)

Morris and his colleagues also put in a good word for NOAA's experimental network of wind profilers, which arescattered across the nation's heartland. These sensors were the only source of hourly data on strong upper-level windsthat were spreading across the plains just before the Oklahoma outbreak. Despite these and other successes, thenetwork is a perennial candidate for the fiscal chopping block. "You seldom get an opportunity to push for systemslike the profiler network," says Morris.

"Maybe it shouldn't take an event like these tornadoes to get the attention [of people in Washington], but you do haveto take advantage of the opportunity." •BH

Pushing the warning envelopeBelow is an excerpt from Morris Weisman's testimony before the U.S.House Subcommittees on Energy and Environment and BasicResearch on 16 June. The complete transcript is available on theWeb site of the U.S. House of Representatives . Other testimonyfrom this hearing can be reviewed by scrolling to "Tornadoes:Understanding, Modeling, and Forecasting Supercell Storms" atCommittee Hearings - 106th Congress.

Our knowledge of the environments that can produce severe weatheroutbreaks, and the use of the modernized observing systems, allowedfor an almost unprecedented lead time (up to 60 minutes in somecases) for the public to prepare for the 3 May event. The timing andlocation of development of the Oklahoma City storm, about 1.5 hoursupstream of the city, was quite fortuitous, permitting a longer leadtime for warnings than is usually possible. The ultimate question,though, is how far can we extend such lead times? Is three hourspossible? Six hours? A day?

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The research models that can help answer this very question are just coming on line, and are alreadyoffering hope that significant advances can still be made. An example is the experimental ARPS(Advanced Regional Prediction System) model, produced by the Center for Analysis and Prediction ofStorms at the University of Oklahoma. A two-hour forecast, using WSR-88D data and profiler data toinitiate and update the atmospheric conditions, was able to identify the Oklahoma City region, and muchof north-central Oklahoma, as potentially in the path of developing storms. The current NWS, coarser-resolution, 12-hour forecast, however, produced only a broad region of precipitation, mostly overnorthern Texas.

Producing the above forecast in real time required the use of a 256-node Origin 2000 computer (thelargest such machine available), which ran at about 12 gigaflops of sustained performance. Incomparison, current [NCEP] and NCAR computers run at about 5 to 6 gigaflops. In order to provideuniformity of service nationwide, it will require more than 100 times the computer power currentlyavailable.

OGA's briefings on the HillSpeakers are from NCAR unless otherwise noted.

17 July 1997"Disasters, Death, and Destruction Related to U.S. Weather: What are the Facts?"--Roger Pielke, Jr.

17 September 1997"Extreme Weather and the Insurance Industry"--Roger Pielke, Jr.; Frank Nutter (Reinsurance Association of America); Stanley Changnon (ChangnonClimatologists), Bob Sheets (consultant, former director of the National Hurricane Center)

20 October 1997"Climate Change--What the Models Tell Us"--Warren Washington, Kevin Trenberth

26 February 1998"From Montreal to Kyoto: How Can International ProtocolsProtect the Atmosphere and Climate?"--William Moomaw (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University), Robert Stavins (John F.Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University)

10 February 1999"Coastal Disasters: America's Risk and America's Choices"--Roger Pielke, Jr.; Betty Hearn Morrow (International Hurricane Center and Florida InternationalUniversity); John Snow (University of Oklahoma)

11 March 1999"How Aerosols and Satellites Affect and Monitor Climate Change"--Glenn Shaw (University of Alaska), Otis Brown (University of Miami)"Tools of the Trade: New Technologies Improve Climate and Weather Observations"--Dave Carlson



26 May 1999"The May 3 Tornadoes: What We Know, What We Learned, and What the Future Holds"--Kelvin Droegemeier and John Snow (University of Oklahoma), Harold Brooks (National Severe StormsLaboratory), Morris Weisman

9 June 1999"Floodplain Management: Options in the U.S."--Roger Pielke, Jr.; Mary Fran Myers (University of Colorado); Harry Lins (U.S. Geological Survey)


UCAR | NCAR | UOP










http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/SOARS.html[4/19/2013 1:29:44 PM]

Stephanie Rivale.(Photo by CarlyeCalvin.)


August 1999

SOARing beyond Boulder: Protégés moveinto off-site research

Video brings SOARS to classrooms nationwide

The SOARS program has entered a new phase in this, its fourth summer of training undergraduate and graduatestudents. Several of the 31 protégés participating in the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Scienceprogram are carrying out their summer's work beyond the confines of Boulder. This shift is occurring thanks to newinstitutional partners that include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NASA, NOAA, and the UniversidadAutónoma de México (UNAM). See the July 1999 Staff Notes Monthly for an overview of SOARS.

Stephanie Rivale and Monica Rivera have been in Mexico City working on a prelude tonext year's Megacity Impact on Regional and Global Environment (MIRAGE) fieldproject. Their challenges have been more than scientific. For instance, UNAM, theircampus home, has been embroiled in a student strike over a new tuition plan at theformerly free university. "So far the strike has just been a little bit of a hassle," reportsStephanie. "We have to show ID to get in, and there aren't any students on campus."

Stephanie is a doctoral student in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado.She's launching into her thesis-to-be by using the tropospheric ultraviolet model built bySasha Madronich (ACD) to analyze photolysis rates for nitrogen dioxide and ozone andcompare them to surface measurements. She is also analyzing pollution levels asmeasured by local monitoring stations, an extension of research she's done since 1997through her participation in SOARS in Boulder and at her undergraduate school, theUniversity of Rochester.

"It's been great to be able to observe first hand the pollution that I've been studying for the last three summers," shesays. "It has also made me aware of the frustrations international research can bring"--extra paperwork, for example.

Monica, an undergraduate in chemical engineering (also at Rochester), is in her second SOARS summer. She'smeasuring the size distribution of airborne particles in Mexico City as they evolve over time. She and a UNAMstudent are monitoring an in-town location as well as a mountaintop laboratory where much of the field work relatedto MIRAGE has been taking place. The lab is at an ecological park a few kilometers southwest of Mexico City andabout 1,500 feet (450 meters) above the city.

For both Stephanie and Monica, this is their first time working in Mexico. They're often reminded that they areAmericans at heart. On the way home from the market one evening, the two were caught in the rain without umbrellas--unthinkable for a local during the rainy season. According to Stephanie, "they had to know we were Americans, sincewe were the only ones in the entire city with shorts and T-shirts and Nikes. They were all wearing sweaters, and it ishot!"

Sharon Perez-Suarez, who grew up in Puerto Rico, is having a different kind of cross-cultural experience. After twosummers at NCAR and two years of graduate work at the University of Florida in geological sciences, she's now atNASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She's found the big-city culture of the Eastern Seaboard takes some adaptation:she maintains that "there are no courteous drivers" in the D.C. area.

Sharon is working with Arlin Krueger, director of NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer project. "His






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experience and knowledge are outstanding," says Sharon, "and his recent studies about remote sensing of volcanicactivities using TOMS are very important toward understanding global climate change."

Sharon is using TOMS data to examine sulfur dioxide clouds from the most violent volcanic eruptions, those thatpenetrate the stratosphere. She's comparing these data with pre-eruption measurements of temperature, pressure, andother aspects of the volcanoes in question. The goal is to strengthen a recent hypothesis that the amount of SO2 emittedduring major eruptions is related to the oxygen fugacity (evanescence), temperature, pressure, and composition of themagma. "TOMS can only see volcanic clouds that make it to the stratosphere," notes Sharon, "so the number ofvolcanic eruptions being studied is limited." Among the biggies she's looking at are Shishaldin (in the Aleutians), 19April 1999; Nyamuragira (Zaire), 18 October 1998; and Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), 19 September 1994.

Like the other off-site protégés, Sharon finds herself missing the camaraderie of the SOARS group in Boulder. "Iknow I had to sacrifice some things, like being in such a great place as Boulder, in order to gain other things, likehaving the experience of doing research at NASA. But it has been my dream since I was a little girl to be an astronautand to work at NASA." At-a-distance support has come from SOARS colleague Preston Heard and writing mentorJanine Goldstein. And Sharon knows the Front Range may be in her future once more. After completing her master'snext May, she hopes to return for a doctorate in geoenvironmental engineering at either the University of Colorado orthe Colorado School of Mines.

Cherelle Blazer is navigating the world of DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, where she's been working sinceJanuary. This gave the second-year SOARS participant a head start on some of the writing and presentation tasks thatface each protégé during the summer writing workshop. (All off-site protégés participate in the workshop.)

Cherelle is putting a new instrument through its paces: a real-time monitor that detects alkenes at room temperatures.Alkenes are natural hydrocarbons that react with nitrogen oxide and the hydroxyl radical to form ozone and otherpollutants in the lower troposphere. The monitor records photons that are emitted when alkenes from sampled airinteract with ozone inside a reaction chamber. These photons serve as an index to the amount of alkenes present.

"If we can measure these alkenes," says Cherelle, "we can trace a precursor to very important photochemical reactionsand perhaps cut down on air pollutants. At the very least, we can understand these processes better and come up withbetter clean-air policies." Cherelle's immediate goal is to get the alkene detector ready for field testing as part of theNortheastern Ozone and Aerosol Study, planned for the Philadelphia area. This fall she begins a doctoral program inphysics at Hampton University.

The Argonne project is in tune with Cherelle's professional interests and has put her on an accelerated track. "I've beenon my project twice as long" as some of her Boulder counterparts, she notes. She's already made presentations atArgonne on her work similar to the one she'll be presenting in Boulder this month.

"All in all, it has been a very rewarding experience," she says. "My only regret is that I don't get to spend more timewith my friends in Boulder." •Bob Henson

A table of SOARS protégés and their research topics is at 1999 SOARS Program -- Research Topics.

Video brings SOARS to classrooms nationwideThe SOARS vision of diversity in atmospheric science will reach middle- and high-school studentsbeginning next year through a videotape made in Boulder. High Hopes: Careers in the AtmosphericSciences is being produced by UCAR and the Foundation for Advancement in Science and Education(FASE) through an NSF grant. Earlier this decade, FASE spotlighted NCAR scientists as part of theOPTIONS series hosted by Jaime Escalante. Like OPTIONS, High Hopes seeks to motivate youngscientists and increase the field's diversity.

http://www.fin.ucar.edu/soars/researchtopics.html

http://www.fin.ucar.edu/soars/researchtopics.html



A FASE production crew visited NCAR at the end of July to tape interviews with SOARS protégés andmentors. The resulting video should be ready by January for use by teachers, career counselors, anduniversity admissions departments. Supplemental materials are being developed with guidance fromteachers in the LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers program (see article elsewhere in this issue.)

The goal, as stated in the proposal, is "to help every student understand that, if they work hard and seekeffective support, they too can pursue the opportunities of the students who are featured in the video."UCAR member institutions will assist with science reviews of the video and supplemental materials andwith testing and distribution. Lesson plans will span the range of sciences related to atmosphericresearch. For more on High Hopes, consult the FASE Web site . •BH


UCAR | NCAR | UOP


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Frostfire: Prescribed burn holds clues to wildfires

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/frostfire.html[4/19/2013 1:30:25 PM]

Fire whips up Helmer's Ridge betweenCaribou and Poker Creeks during theFrostfire controlled burn northeast ofFairbanks, Alaska. (Photo courtesy U.S.Forest Service Research.)


August 1999

Frostfire: Prescribed burn holds clues towildfires

These days, where there's fire, there's Larry Radke (ATD), TerryClark, and Janice Coen (both of MMM). The team headed to Alaskain early July to participate in Frostfire, a controlled burn of 2,200acres (880 hectares) approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers)northeast of Fairbanks. Frostfire is described as the first landscape-scale research burn in terrain dominated by permafrost.

The multiagency experiment in the Bonanza Creek/Caribou-PokerCreeks Research Watershed began on 8 July with "blacklining" toburn a protective 100-meter (330-foot) perimeter around the fire.Interior aerial ignition began the next evening about 7:00 and endedabout 9:00 p.m. when the relative humidity got too high and "manyof the 'starts' went out like a bad match," Larry reports. The 10 Julyplan called for more firing from the helicopter, but with the sunrising, the wind was blowing in just the right direction to spread thefire to most of the targeted plots. Stands of black spruce caught fire"in a rather amazing fashion," and spread rapidly. By 13 July theNCAR team was headed for home.

Larry and Terry flew over the fire, collecting data with NCAR's Thermacam imager, in a U.S. Forest Service PiperNavajo aircraft. The Piper's home base is the NASA Ames Research Center in California. The Thermacam is a digital,high-resolution infrared imager with a sensing range between -10° and 1,500° Celsius ( 14° and 2,732° Fahrenheit).The instrument, built by Inframetrics, produces color video images of hot, swirling air and flames, detailing theirmotion, size, structure, and temperature. Complementing the Thermacam was a fire-imaging spectrometer operated byNASA investigator Robert Higgins. The Forest Service sponsored NCAR's participation in Frostfire.

"I personally dislike flying in small aircraft, but they make great observing platforms for fires," says Terry. "The datawe collected with the Piper Navajo are exciting. We were able to get quite close to the fire."

On a low mountaintop a bit less than two kilometers from the fire, Janice operated a second Thermacam with atelephoto lens for a CU research team. Co-principal investigators Shankar Mahalingam and John Daily (CU JointCenter for Combustion and Environmental Research) and graduate student Yottana Khunatorn staffed the groundoperation. They will collaborate on data analysis and model refinement with Terry, who is co-PI on their NSF-fundedproject. Co-PIs Jana Milford (CU) and Don Latham (Forest Service) round out the modeling team. "The combinationof the CU ground-based observing perspective along with our airborne data will allow us to document importantaspects of the morphology of fire wind vortices for the first time," Terry says.

The unexpected 10 July flare-ups were a boon to the wildfire study team. "We got several crown-fire runs of ratherconsiderable intensity that burned several hundred acres in just a few minutes," Larry says. "Even though this was aprescribed fire, we got some elegant fire dynamics for free." In all, there were three good observing periods for themountaintop team, and the aircraft team was in the air for two of those.

The Frostfire observations will augment data gathered last fall during the Wildfire Experiment (WiFE, see the August1998 Staff Notes Monthly and the 20 August 1998 news release). In the modeling work, Terry and colleagues havebeen reproducing many of the fine-scale structures frequently observed in explosive fires. Both radiation and the






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Frostfire: Prescribed burn holds clues to wildfires

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/frostfire.html[4/19/2013 1:30:25 PM]

convection that results from fire-atmosphere interactions affect fire spread. To understand those effects, the team hassought out wildfires and the Frostfire controlled burn to observe fire fronts lapping at, or "fingering," unburned fuel.Quantifying fire-finger structures may hold an important key. "We're increasingly convinced that as fires become moreviolent, the nonlinear vortex motions we see that look like fire fingers become more important," says Larry.

The Frostfire observations are "exactly the sort of data sets we need" to validate the atmosphere-fire model, says Larry.Right now NCAR's supercomputers run the calculations, but "ultimately we'd like to fit the model on a high-poweredlaptop that firefighters can take with them to the fire. That's not practical today, but with the current pace of computertechnology we foresee more practical applications of this work in the early 21st century."

While the NCAR observations are over, the Frostfire experiment is not. Firing may continue within the watershed thissummer, next summer, and beyond. About 60 researchers are involved in ongoing experiments.

Long-term impacts on wildlife, soil erosion, regional carbon and nitrogen budgets, and other ecosystem componentsare all part of the agenda at this Long Term Ecological Research site. Frostfire is coordinated by the Forest Service andthe University of Alaska, Fairbanks. •Zhenya Gallon

To view an animation of the atmosphere-fire model, go to Simulating Forest Fires. See the Frostfire Web site.


UCAR | NCAR | UOP


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Middle-school teachers bid Boulder adieu

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/teachers.html[4/19/2013 1:31:04 PM]

Montrose teacher Mike Nadiakprepares a sample of his breathfor isoprene analysis, part of afield visit with Peter Harley(ACD). (Photo courtesy ofLEARN.)


August 1999 Middle-school teachers bid Boulder adieu

What can you LEARN in one day? Staff participants in LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers

It's been a summer of summation and celebration for the 37 middle- and elementary-school science teachers who spentmost of June at UCAR. This marked the third and final summer institute for the participants in LEARN: AtmosphericScience Explorers. Judging from the evaluations, this summer's program was a hit. One teacher commented, "I havelearned an amazing amount," and another wrote, "The project has increased my knowledge base immensely."

"We've seen the mercury vapor light."

--Visitors to the ACD lab of Barry Lefer and Teresa Campos

Says LEARN director Carol McLaren, "It feels to me like this was our most successful summer. A lot of the contentand learning has fallen into place."

LEARN isn't quite over yet. During the coming school year, LEARN staff will join NCAR and UOP scientists onmultiday road trips to the outlying Colorado schools where LEARN teachers teach.

Weather lends itself nicely to multidisciplinary teaching, in which a number ofsubjects (language arts, social studies, science) are woven together and taught ina unified way--by following a ship's voyage, for instance. "That's one of thetrends, to integrate across the content areas," says Carol. When the atmosphereis followed over a semester or a school year, rather than just for a week or two,the sweep of the seasons can be observed and analyzed by students in real time.Weather and climate instruction is furthered through print modules and hands-on exercises developed and brought to the teachers by LEARN staff andscientists within NCAR and UOP.

"We always follow the speed limit and we don't drivethrough cornfields."

--José Meitín, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (now visitingJOSS), referring to his lab's renowned storm chasers

Each summer in Boulder, the LEARN teachers have spent one or two days"shadowing" a scientist or a support group. This year more than 20 staff were

directly involved as shadowees. Since this summer's theme was atmospheric chemistry, many of these in-house hostswere from ACD (see sidebar). Over a dozen more scientists gave presentations during the three-week institute.

"I think it was an eye-opening experience for [the teachers] to see what happens behind the scenes of a field project,"says Steve Williams (JOSS), who hosted five teachers. "They never imagined the tremendous level of effort required,








Nancy Smith (Montrose) takesair samples while shadowingJim Greenberg (ACD). (Photocourtesy of LEARN.)

from planning to setting up the project infrastructure, particularly in a foreign country." Joan Berryman, a teacher fromMontrose, summed up JOSS's efforts this way: "They are neurotic about details!"

According to Sandra Henderson, LEARN co-investigator, this kind of in-person contact helps make research more realto the participants--one reason why LEARN is such a hit with them. "I think it's imperative that national institutionslike NCAR be involved in teacher enhancement, in large part because there's so much here to share and the demand isout there," says Sandra. "Our job is to package and communicate it in a way that's accessible."

That access isn't taken for granted in distant towns like Joes, Akron, and Bayfield.Some rural schools have state-of-the-art equipment, but others are still relying onApple IIs. Satellite connections and modem links remain vulnerable to failure inrural areas.

"It's always someone or something."

--Karyn Sawyer, JOSS, on the complexities of organizing field campaigns

Carol and Sandra are already working with collaborators on ideas for a follow-upto LEARN, including a World Wide Web component as well as other ways ofreaching far-flung teachers. "We want to continue K-12 outreach at NCAR," saysCarol. As with LEARN, the results could make more of a difference than weperceive from Boulder. "I wish you could come to my classroom and watch meteach," wrote one teacher as this summer came to a close. "You would see howexcited I am about what I learned." •Bob Henson

What can you LEARN in one day?Teachers became interns for a day on 10 June as participants in LEARN scattered across the institutionto follow UOP and NCAR staff through a typical, or not so typical, day. It hailed buckets in the foothills,where several teachers joined ACD's Lee Klinger near Buckingham Park to collect data on vegetationand view the forest through Lee's Gaia-based successional theories. Hail itself was the topic for theteachers who shadowed MMM alumna Nancy Knight. Other participants learned the lingo of weatherforecasting at COMET, measured emissions from pine trees and mango leaves in ACD, or learnedabout the intricacies of research logistics in JOSS. The teachers summarized their day afield in a postersession that closed out the summer institute on 24 June. Shown here are a few quotes and scenes fromthe posters. •BH

Staff participants in LEARN: Atmospheric Science ExplorersGuy Brasseur, Teresa Campos, Chris Cantrell, Jim Greenberg, Peter Harley, Beth Holland, Lee Klinger,Barry Lefer, Sasha Madronich, Bill Mankin, Steve Massie (ACD)

Wendy Abshire, Rich Cianflone (COMET)

Tim Brown, Joan Burkepile, Paul Charbonneau, Tom Holzer (HAO)



John Gille (HIRDLS)

Steve Williams (JOSS)

Charlie Knight, Nancy Knight (retired), Peggy LeMone, Raj Pandya (MMM)

Katy Ginger (PAGE)

Kevin Petty (RAP)

Jeff Boote, Tim Scheitlin (SCD)

Bob Henson, Zhenya Gallon (UCAR Communications)


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Barry White: One of the mesa's originals heads out

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/white.html[4/19/2013 1:31:30 PM]

Barry White. (Photo by CarlyeCalvin.)


August 1999

Barry White: One of the mesa's originalsheads out

There aren't many staff who remember first hand how the NCAR mesalooked in 1965 as I.M. Pei's design began taking shape. Barry Whiteremembers: he worked on the construction. But Barry's memory goes backeven further, to a time when cattle instead of scientists roamed the mesa.

"We used to go up there and horseback ride on the trails from the mesa toEldorado Springs. You used to be able to hunt deer up here before itbecame the greenbelt," recalls Barry.

A native of the Boulder Valley, Barry is also the senior member of theNCAR maintenance team. After going on long-term disability due torespiratory problems in December, Barry was honored with a party on 24June at ML.

Clad in painter's whites, Barry was a fixture on the mesa. "We figure in his34 years, he's probably painted every interior wall in this place at least six

times," says John Pereira, head of Physical Plant Services. "He's the walking memory of how often things need to bepainted."

Barry's brio with a paintbrush is legendary. At the party, colleague Bruce Kovalski told of an instance where Barrywas working on one side of a wooden wall when a sledgehammer came through from the other side. "They told thecarpenter to tear it down before they told me to stop painting," explains Barry. "They knocked it down before the paintwas even dry." Former UCAR vice president Bill Rawson sent a note, read at the party, recalling that Barry's "courageand work ethic were unsurpassed." In 1983, Barry received the Outstanding Performance Award for AdministrativeSupport for his upkeep of the ML walls.

Along with painting, Barry was often the one who scaled the Mesa Lab's exterior walls to repair windows and carry outother tasks at altitude. It was Barry's skill in a swing stage that landed him a job at NCAR. "I was working on theengineering center at CU, doing the high work on the building. A contractor came by one day blowing the horn on histruck. He asked me, 'Who are you working for? Do you have a job when you're done? I've got a building calledNCAR and we need high work done on it.' " Shortly after starting on the mesa, Barry joined the maintenance crew.

Barry admits that he never expected his new job would last 34 years. "When I first started to work, I was wonderinghow long NCAR would be in business--if they'd get enough money to keep it operating. All it's done is grow by leapsand bounds since then."

Like most retirees, Barry says he'll miss the people of the mesa more than anything else. However, he now has moretime to spend with his wife and with his uncommonly extended family. "My uncle was a farmer in Louisville on SouthBoulder Road--they owned the whole top of the hill [Davidson Mesa]. They were one of the old-time pioneer familiesof the Boulder Valley." He adds, "It's amazing to see what Boulder was then and what it is now. I guess [the growth]is all right, but I liked it the way it was before it got too big." •BH

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Barry White: One of the mesa's originals heads out

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/white.html[4/19/2013 1:31:30 PM]


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Fiber and foot power: Two new agreements make for happy trails

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/trails.html[4/19/2013 1:31:42 PM]


August 1999

Fiber and foot power: Two new agreementsmake for happy trails

A city employee takes the wraps off Boulder's newlypurchased SWECO Trail Dozer on the Walter Orr RobertsTrail. (Photos by Carlye Calvin.)

The NCAR mesa has hosted thousands of hikers and shipped out billions of bytes of data for years. The future of bothactivities was enhanced last month. In a Mesa Lab ceremony on 1 July, UCAR cemented a long-time but previouslyinformal arrangement with the city of Boulder. The pact assures public access to the network of trails behind thebuilding, including links to city open space, and establishes city maintenance of some UCAR trails.

UCAR president Rick Anthes and Boulder citymanager Ron Secrist (right) put pen to paper toguarantee public access to the mesa trails.

One week later, officials from UCAR, NCAR, the city, the University of Colorado, NOAA, and the National Instituteof Standards and Technology (NIST) met on the mesa to celebrate the formal initiation of the Boulder Research and






Fiber and foot power: Two new agreements make for happy trails

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9908/trails.html[4/19/2013 1:31:42 PM]

Administrative Network. By next spring, BRAN will be one of the world's few fiber-optic highways shared, financed,and maintained by a citywide consortium. (See the June 1999 Staff Notes Monthly for a full report on BRAN.)

Although in some senses a formality, the trails agreement clarifies the relationship between UCAR and the city's OpenSpace Department in a way that satisfies all parties involved and minimizes the potential for future misunderstanding.The city used the event, which took place at the head of the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail, to unveil its new trail-clearing machine. The SWECO Trail Dozer was purchased last month after a similar model had been leased by the cityfor four years. It's a mini-bulldozer that can do more trail work in two weeks than a five-member crew can accomplishin a year, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Speed was also a key theme at the BRAN kickoff. "Today we can transfer about 100 megabits in one second from theMesa Lab to the Foothills Lab," said UCAR president Rick Anthes. "By next year, we hope to transfer at 9,000 times[that rate]." Originally named BARN (Boulder Area Research Network), the vision for BRAN originated with NOAA'sKent Groninger and was fleshed out in less than two years by a multi-institutional task force. Construction began inJuly.

"To get something done [involving all these sectors] in one year is just incredible," noted Rick. "It shows you thepower of the idea." David Norcross, director of the Boulder branch of NIST, expressed excitement at the prospect oflinking NIST's state-of-the-art time and frequency facilities on Broadway with laser facilities at JILA, the CU-NISTfacility on campus formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics.

According to Boulder city manager Ron Secrist, "BRAN is representative of community at its best . . . poolingresources and talking about the greater good." And in contrast to Denver International Airport and the upcomingBroncos stadium, the projected cost for BRAN is holding steady. NCAR director Bob Serafin gave high marks to theproject's technical committee. "Their detailed technical planning and advice has been outstanding and essential to theproject," Bob commented after the ceremony. "They were able to answer every technical question posed. Their budgetestimates from two years ago are still accurate today." •BH


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volume 34, number 8 -- august 1999

Documents