NOAA/ATDD is collaborating with the University of Tennessee Space Institute's (UTSI) Aviation Systems and Flight Research Department in Tullahoma, TN, to utilize aircraft for performing measurements of Earth's skin temperature over selected U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) sites in the continental U.S. The goal is to provide data to quantify the spatial variability and representativeness of the single-point skin temperature measurement being recorded at USCRN sites.

LaToya Myles participated in "Communicating Science: Tools for Scientists and Engineers,” a skill-building workshop sponsored by NOAA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The workshop was held on October 27 at the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, NJ, and included over 50 participants from various NOAA laboratories and divisions.

Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) scientists are collaborating with researchers from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) to investigate the evolution of the urban daytime planetary boundary layer (PBL). The PBL is the mixed layer of the atmosphere closest to the ground that is influenced by many factors, including local topographical features, surface heating and surface type, large-scale weather patterns, and cloud cover. The study will run between September 14-22.

Congratulations to Tilden P. Meyers for being recognized as a 2009 NOAA Administrator’s Award recipient. The NOAA Administrator’s Award recognizes significant contributions to NOAA programs in many areas, including scientific research and environmental conservation.

Dr. Meyers received this honor “for exemplary leadership and implementation of scientific strategies while serving as acting director for the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD).” Award recipients will be honored during a ceremony at the NOAA Auditorium in Silver Spring, MD on Thursday, October 1.

The National Association of Counties’ (NACo) annual convention and expo in Nashville, TN, July 24-28, proved a good venue to showcase NOAA’s local and regional services to county officials from at least 30 states. County officials from California to Florida gathered at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center where 3,300 were registered for the 2009 NACo annual conference, taking part in educational sessions on health, homeland security, public lands, and transportation, as well as workshops covering energy and climate issues.

A recent article in Nature Geoscience describes how satellite data can be used to identify global ammonia hotspots. Ammonia emissions are difficult to measure and model, leading to large uncertainties in global and regional inventories. ARL scientist LaToya Myles penned a News & Views article explaining the contributions that satellite measurements of ammonia can make to air quality research and international policy development.

Here is the article:

Underestimating ammonia

The Air Resources Laboratory hosted an important workshop: Measurement of Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature from March 3-5, 2009 at ARL's Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD)in Oak Ridge, TN. This workshop is being supported by ATDD and NESDIS's National Climatic Data Center. The workshop will focus on advances in surface climate monitoring and research facilities located throughout the United States. Participants include experts from NOAA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.