Author: Travis Swaim

ESSIC assistant research scientist Sheekela Baker-Yeboah has won a NOAA Bronze Medal.  The Bronze Medal is the highest honor award granted by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.  It recognizes federal employees for superior performance.  Baker-Yeboah is part of a team at NESDIS being honored for the early deployment of the NOAA Jason-3 Ground System, avoiding additional cost and reducing risks to operations and forecasting. …

ESSIC / AOSC professor Raghu Murtugudde published a recent op-ed piece on the India Science Wire about climate indications for monsoon “recovery.”  In the piece, Murtugudde cautions that although monsoon “recovery” is possible there are no guarantees of a lasting trend and that extreme weather challenges will likely remain.  Multiple news organizations published “Indian monsoon recovering after decades of decline” including The Hindu Business …

ESSIC faculty specialist Michael Folmer published an article in Results in Physics titled “Utility of CrIS/ATMS profiles to diagnose extratropical transition.” It investigates the potential for using the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Cross-track Infrared Sounder/Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder to profile approaching hurricanes and their intensity. The JPSS Proving Ground ran tests using Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Hurricane Arthur in 2014 and Typhoon Atsani in …

ESSIC associate research professor Melissa Kenney and Anne Jefferson of Kent State University wrote a letter to Science magazine in response to an opinion piece it published in March. The original piece was critical of female scientists who devote time to publicizing their scientific involvement on social media. Kenney and Jefferson argue that such individual efforts that can draw people into the sciences – as well as larger-scale initiatives – are critical for increasing diversity in the …

ESSIC researcher Ariana Sutton-Grier has published a new article titled “Wetlands In a Changing Climate: Science, Policy and Management.” The piece includes the importance of wetlands in absorbing carbon as well as how they are impacted by climate change. The introduction notes that “wetlands sequester some of the largest stores of carbon on the planet.” The article also evaluates policies that apply to wetland management and provides recommendations for wetland …

ESSIC Interim Director Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm is a co-author of a new working paper published by the World Bank. The article examines the intersection of water and energy in China, a country that relies heavily on water to support its coal-based energy production. Such production has boomed with China’s economic development. The Chinese government has taken initiatives to conserve water and to create more water-efficient coal-fired plants. The report is part of the World …

ESSIC/AOSC professor Raghu Murtugudde has a new article published on the India Science Wire called “How microscopic marine algae impact global climate and Indian monsoon.” Murtugudde discusses how phytoplankton influence sea surface temperatures, especially because they can block sunlight. They are also a good way to predict changes in temperature and climate. The article was published in The Hindu Business Line and Firstpost….