Built on the Earth sciences, the “Weather Enterprise” exists to observe, model, forecast, and communicate data and information about weather, water, and climate for the benefit of society. The entire weather information process extends past the activities of the weather enterprise to the communication, reception, comprehension, use, and value of weather information. Over the last several decades there have been numerous calls from the hydro-meteorological community, from policy makers, and organizations and individuals concerned with societal impacts of weather, water, and climate events to develop a better understanding of the societal aspects of hydro-meteorological events and forecasts of these events. A focus on economics comes from a desire to use economic information to justify programs or to use economics to prioritize investments in the weather enterprise. A broader understanding of economics sees the potential of economics as a study of human behavior and the general misunderstanding that social sciences entail a broad set of disciplines, methods, and applications that are important in meeting the needs of the Earth science and weather community and society.
We propose a series of sessions somewhat different from a standard presentation format. Papers will be solicited in a general call a well as elicited from other disciplinary groups that would not normally be aware of or participate in AMS conferences. We will also seek funding to support conference participation from presenters who would not normally come to an AMS meeting. Each accepted paper will be submitted to the organizers in advance and distributed to a small panel of reviewers / commentators in advance. At the meeting each paper will be presented in detail with more time than a “normal” session talk (e.g., 20-25 minutes). Commentators will subsequently provide responses, input, feedback, and lead discussion. Paper authors may then be provided this feedback and requested to revise their manuscripts for submission for an edited volume to be developed following the conference. We propose four such sessions across one day. Each session will be 1.5 hours long and each with 2-3 presentations followed by reviewer feedback and discussion.
We will reach out to organizers of other AMS topical conferences to develop joint sessions using the model describe above for each session. Likely linkages could be to the conferences on energy, hydrology, climate, air pollution, aviation, space weather, environment and health – but could be made with virtually any other AMS annual conference to discuss societal values from an economic perspective.
Proposed by: Jeffrey K. Lazo and William Hooke (hooke@ametsoc.org)