Launched on Oct. 28, 2011, the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) ushered in a new generation of space-based weather monitoring technology as the primary data instrument on NOAA’s Suomi-NPP satellite. VIIRS has now provided more than a year’s worth of data, and its promise of improved ability to track global storm patterns, ocean color changes, surface temperatures and other natural phenomenon key to our understanding of Earth’s climate seems to have been fulfilled. This session brings together forecasters, meteorologists and other end users to discuss how they are utilizing the new VIIRS data stream and the critical role it can play in improving emergency preparedness and disaster response efforts in the future. VIIRS’ 22 visible and infrared bands support the acquisition of high-resolution imagery over a very broad 3,000 km swath for a variety of applied data products, including civilian night-time visible imaging for the first time. Learn how this groundbreaking instrument can change the way we forecast weather.

The overarching mission of the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division within the U.S. Department of Energy is to advance a robust predictive understanding of Earth’s climate and environmental systems, including the interactions of human and natural systems and the implications for energy systems. A rapidly growing area of research interest at DOE is the integrated regional water cycle encompassing atmospheric, ground, and surface water; projected energy and other human and natural demands under future possible climate states; and land-use and hydro-climate feedbacks. This town hall will serve as a means for discussing DOE’s research priorities on the regional integrated water cycle. For additional information, please contact Patrick Horan (e-mail: patrick.horan@science.doe.gov).

Rapid advances in computing, communications, and observational technologies in the last decade have resulted in a dramatic proliferation of data from diverse sources, data that are consumed and by an ever broadening community of users and shared across the world for myriad applications. As a result of the changing information technology landscape, there has been a revolution in the data services that are provided, including changes in how data are accessed, analyzed, managed, shared, and archived. The 2002 AMS Statement on Free and Open Exchange of Environmental Data does not reflect many of the recent advances and needs to be revised. For example, concepts such as data transparency, re-use, provenance, stewardship, preservation, citation, standards and conventions are not mentioned. At its September 2012 meeting, the AMS Council approved the proposal for the revision of the Policy Statement on Free and Open Exchange of Environmental Data. The purpose of this town hall is to seek input for that revision from the members in attendance at the AMS Annual Meeting. For additional information, please contact Mohan Ramamurthy (mohan@ucar.edu).

An important goal of weather forecasting is to communicate useful information that enhances a person’s decision-making to reduce the risk of loss of life and property. All individuals are affected by weather and, thus, weather forecasts, but how does the public respond to predictions issued by meteorologists and how can the meteorological community better communicate impending impacts during significant weather events? In order to realize the potential benefits associated with improved weather prediction, understanding how individuals and socioeconomic sectors use different types of weather information is essential. The AMS Board for Operational Government Meteorologists and AMS Board on Societal Impacts is co-sponsoring this Town Hall Meeting to explore the human dimension of forecast products. In particular the partnership of the meteorological and social science communities will be stressed through discussion of initiatives and success stories in the application of social science within various meteorological sectors. The Town Hall will foster exchange of established best practices in the social sciences with the practical challenges in the meteorological community. Members of the meteorological and social science communities who have forged an active partnership will serve as panelist, and will be available to share best practices from their experiences via a question and answer period. For additional information, please contact Amy Godsey (Amy.Godsey@em.myflorida.com), David Novak (David.Novak@noaa.gov), or Sheldon Drobot (drobot@rap.ucar.edu).

Recent high impact weather events, ongoing community dialogue, conclusions drawn from last summer's AMS community meeting, and the recently released National Academy of Sciences report, Weather Services for the Nation: Becoming Second to None, have all highlighted the need to assess the current state of our national weather enterprise and for stronger, more effective, advocacy on behalf of that enterprise. Even with the tremendous improvements of the last three decades, high impact weather events such as Hurricane Sandy and the 2011 tornadoes remain a major national concern. In addition, we currently face serious observing gaps and other challenges that put much of that progress at risk. However, given the correct priorities, we are perched on new discoveries and enhancements that will better protect lives and the nation’s economy even as high impact weather becomes more frequent. This panel presentation and audience discussion will address the future of the national weather enterprise, and in particular, will focus on the call for the creation of the first U.S. Weather Commission. Such a Commission could help sort top-level priorities, identify opportunities in a challenging time, and enhance our message to Congress and the Executive Branch. In a time of tightening federal funding and political gridlock, such a commission could be a voice for advocacy, informing elected officials and the public of the value of our community to this country. Recognizing that our country faces some difficult decisions in the months and years ahead, the commission approach provides a very natural and transparent venue to establish where we go next and what is most important to the nation. The purpose of this Town Hall Meeting, sponsored by the Weather Coalition and by the nation’s universities through UCAR, is to gather input on this important topic from the weather community via a conversation with participants from the private, academic, and public sectors. We seek your opinions and strongly encourage your participation at this early point in the effort. For additional information, please contact Pam Emch (e-mail: pam.emch@ngc.com).

What is Python? Perhaps you've heard about this modern, open-source programming language but are wondering what it's all about and how does it relate to the atmospheric and oceanic sciences (AOS). If so, this Town Hall meeting is for you! At this meeting, we'll describe what Python can do for AOS users and have a time where you can ask questions about implementing and supporting Python for AOS modeling and analysis. While anyone interested in learning about Python is welcome, the Town Hall meeting will be geared for non-programmers and decision-makers and will focus on how Python can help your institution be more productive. For additional information, please contact Johnny Lin (e-mail: jlin@northpark.edu).

The nation’s electric grid, which is comprised of electricity generation, transmission and distribution, is one of the more stable in the world, however, it is not without its’ challenges. One of the largest challenges for the nation’s grid is weather variability and predictability. The questions this Town Hall Meeting will address are broadly: 1) What is the current state of weather data and forecasts 2) How are they being integrated across the system and 3) What is expected to be provided by the meteorological community, including research, government agencies, private commercial weather services and in-house meteorologists over the next decade. Some of the topics that will be discussed are: •Wind and solar integration •Emergency Preparedness/Storm-following ◦Outages relating to weather events i.e. extreme temperatures, fires, hurricanes, severe weather, drought, floods, etc. •Load balancing •Demand response and smart metering •Outage modeling (emergency crew placement) •Weather integration into decision support systems This Town Hall Meeting is held in conjunction with the AMS Energy Committee and the AMS Renewable Energy Sub-committees’ Fourth Conference on Weather, Climate and the New Energy Economy. Immediately following this Town Hall Meeting, joins us for an "Energizing" Happy Hour reception. Kick off the night's activities with snacks and drinks. Full details on the reception will be posted at the town hall meeting. For additional information, please contact Stephen Bennett (stephen.bennett@earthrisktech.com), Heidi Centola (Heidi.Centola@cmegroup.com), Julie Lundquist (Julie.Lundquist@colorado.edu), Melinda Marquis (Melinda.Marquis@noaa.gov), Manda Adams (Manda.Adams@uncc.edu), or Kevin Stenson (kevin.stenson@meteogroup.com).

This Town Hall Meeting will look at the weather related societal impacts caused by Hurricane and Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy. The invited speakers will discuss storm evolution and prediction; the emerging research topics that are resulting from this event, how information regarding the storm was communicated to the public through broadcast and social media; how lives, property and infrastructure were impacted; and how the local, state and federal communities prepared to and responded to the storm. Guest presenters include: Louis Ucellini, NOAA/NWS/National Centers for Environmental Prediction, “Introduction to Sandy and the Major Impacts’”; Richard Knabb, NOAA/NWS/National Hurricane Center, “Hurricane Sandy: Hurricane Wind and Storm Surge Impacts.”; David Novak, NOAA/NWS/Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, “Post-Tropical Cyclone: Rain, Snow and Inland Wind Impacts,”; Mel Shapiro, UCAR, “Emerging Research Issues Due to Sandy,”; Bryan Norcross, The Weather Channel, “Communicating the Threat to the Public through Broadcast Media,”; Jason Samenow and Andrew Freedman, Capital Weather Gang/The Washington Post/Climate Central, “Following the Storm through Social Media.”; and Eric Holthaus, The Wall Street Journal, “Storm Response in New York and New Jersey.” A Q&A Session is being planned, please bring your questions regarding this event, written on paper. Moderators will collect them and have them ready for the panel at 915 pm. This Town Hall will be a launch point for the many discussions, research and presentations that will occur at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. The theme for that conference, “ Extreme Weather – Climate and the Built Environment: New Perspectives, Opportunities and Tools” was developed well before Sandy hit, but perfectly encompasses the many aspects of what occurred with Hurricane/Post-Tropical Storm Sandy. For additional information, please contact Tanja Fransen (tanja.fransen@noaa.gov), Randy Peppler (rpeppler@ou.edu) or Kim Klockow (kklockow@ou.edu).

Environmental prediction systems such as numerical weather prediction increasingly depend on satellite data for forecast skill. Recently the satellite programs have come under increased scrutiny due to their relatively high cost combined with the general budget pressure facing the federal agencies. The purpose of this town hall meeting is to highlight the need for agencies such as NOAA to continue to optimize their observing systems – both conventional and space-based – thereby maximizing the benefit to the users while minimizing the cost, and to discuss how quantitative assessment methods applied by organizations like the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation can help with this process by vetting requirements and documenting the impact. For additional information, please contact Lars Peter Riishojgaard (Lars.P.Riishojgaard@nasa.gov)

This is an open forum for the AMS membership to learn about and discuss the potential for a dialogue between people of science and people of spirituality and faith. It is also the opportunity for members of AMS to express how they may personally see the roles of science and faith in their own lives. In October 2011, the United Nations Subcommittee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns held a forum to discuss the future role of spirituality to promote environment and ecological concerns. People of science were invited to help educate religious communities and organizations about the future of the planet. Eco-ministry is now are growing field in spiritual organizations. What will be the role of AMS in this dialogue? How can AMS help educate people of faith about the state of the environment? How do we feel about our individual spirituality when we come to AMS meetings? The facilitator for this discussion is Tim Miner OUnI. Tim is a retired Colonel, USAFR, who served as the Senior Reserve Officer in the USAF Weather Program and is currently on the AMS ARAM Committee. He is also currently a Captain for American Airlines on the Boeing 737 aircraft, and he is ordained clergy serving as a volunteer chaplain. For more information, please contact Timothy Miner (e-mail: thminer@aol.com, tel: 571-212-0804).

DOE’s climate research investments focus on advancing predictability and projections using community models. During recent years, a major priority has been to develop the human component within an integrated climate and earth system modeling framework, one that combines economics, technology, land use, and climate change. During the Town Hall, DOE will describe its recent investments and success stories. Furthermore, DOE intends to use the Town Hall as a means for community engagement to discuss future strategies and priorities. For additional information, please contact Patrick Horan (patrick.horan@science.doe.gov).

The United States inaugurated a new era in environmental satellite monitoring capability with the launch of the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite on 28 October 2011. S-NPP provides risk reduction for new and improved sensors, data retrieval algorithms, and ground system technologies for NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) whose first launch is scheduled for 2017. In preparation for NPP and JPSS, NOAA has developed new and improved data applications that can fully exploit the new capabilities of these satellites. During this Town Hall you will have the opportunity to learn how several of these new applications have already been successfully demonstrated and to better understand the impacts of their improved performance. For additional information, please contact Gary McWilliams (gary.mcwilliams@noaa.gov), 240-684-0597(office).

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is soliciting community input to revisions of the 5-year strategic plan. This Town Hall is an opportunity for members of the atmospheric sciences and meteorological communities to help identity NCAR’s future high-priority science and research areas. Public input is being sought now to ensure a broad range of views and perspectives will be considered and incorporated from the earliest planning stages. This open forum is one in a series being conducted over the next few months with various stakeholders. For reference, the current strategic plan, 2009-2014, can be accessed online at: http://ncar.ucar.edu/documents/strategic-plan/2009 For additional information, please contact Greg Guibert (e-mail: Guibert@ucar.edu).

This Town Hall session will provide an opportunity for the earth science community to interact with members of the leadership team and staff of the Earth Science Division (ESD) of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Brief presentations by the ESD leadership will precede a longer opportunity for audience questions. Topics to be addressed in the Town Hall session include scientific accomplishments and programmatic milestones from the past year, current programmatic directions, and NASA’s progress towards implementing the missions identified in the June 2010 report "Responding to the Challenge of Climate and Environmental Change: NASA’s Plan for a Climate-Centric Architecture for Earth Observations and Applications from Space" which incorporates recommendations from the National Research Council’s 2007 Decadal Survey for Earth Science, “Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond.” Recent developments in the Venture Class program and the non-flight parts of the NASA program (research and analysis, applied sciences, technology) and NASA's involvement in interagency and international programs will also be reviewed. For additional information, please contact Jack Kaye (e-mail: Jack.A.Kaye@nasa.gov; tel: 202-329-7389).

Open initiatives and new applications for “Big Data” constitute a genuine opportunity to provide decision makers with powerful new tools for tracking and predicting hazardous events, protecting vulnerable communities, understanding human factors and targeting where to optimize programs and policies. For many "data poor" countries and communities accessing “Big Data” can expand credibility and usefulness of meteorological forecasts and warnings. Turning big data sets – satellite images, in situ and mobile sensor observations, online user-generated content, environmental data archives, weather and water forecasts, and climate model results, etc. – into useful and actionable information and integrating this complex information into decision support requires subject matter expertise, automated data retrieval, and analytical and computational techniques, and visualization, mapping and decision tools to unveil trends and patters within and between these extremely large environmental and socio-economic datasets. The significance of "big Data" is growing and expected to close both information and timeliness gaps that limit capabilities to plan, mitigate, or adapt to environmental hazards and change. Yet many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and other stakeholders have no means to analyze and utilize effectively the new Big Data load that is present today and will continue to grow rapidly in the future. With the promise come questions about the value, competitiveness and costs of different strategies and thus technical and policy relevance of Big Data. Join our presenters who will share their “Big Data” approaches and expertise to learn more about the practical and tactical side for crisis management and capacity development while exploring key questions: •Who will identify the various user needs and establish strategies and solutions to get the huge value of Big Data sets? •Who will be responsible for acquiring, processing, integrating, and delivering data and information of Big Data sets? •How can Big Data be used for “real-time” risk and crisis management? •What are good practices for integrating data sets for users and delivering tools needed for decision making? •What role will the government, academic institutions and the private sector have in connecting users with the data and information they need? For additional information, please contact David Green (301.580.3517, david.green@noaa.gov ) Curt Barrett (301.252.9189, cbarrett@ofda.gov ) or Tom Fahy (202.375.4696 tfahy@capitalgr.com )

THORPEX, an international research and development program to accelerate the improvements in the accuracy of one-day to two-week high impact weather forecasts for the benefit of society, the economy, and the environment, is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2014. The World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) is currently considering priorities of international collaboration in post-THORPEX research on predictability, dynamical processes, numerical weather prediction, ensemble prediction systems, and societal impacts. In this regard, the US THORPEX Science Steering Committee (USTSSC) would like to solicit views and comments from the US weather research and operations community. In this town hall meeting, research priorities will be discussed, with the goal of compiling a set of recommendations to be shared with the broader international community. Those who are interested in attending, please email Edmund Chang, Chair of USTSSC (Kar.Chang@stonybrook.edu). Those who are unable to attend this town hall meeting are also encouraged to submit comments by email. For additional information, please contact Edmund Chang (Kar.Chang@stonybrook.edu).

NASA has eight (8) Earth observing space missions currently in formulation and development, all scheduled to launch before the end of 2017. These include LDCM (2013), GPM, SMAP, SAGE III, and OCO-2 (all in 2014), ICESat-2 and CYGNSS (2016), and GRACE FO (2017). These eight will join the pantheon of existing US and international fleet of weather, climate and research satellites. But what is next? NASA’s Earth Science Division is working now, in collaboration with NOAA, the USGS, DOE and international partners, on science studies, technology investments, and mission definition studies to prepare the next generation of satellites and observations for launch in 2019 and soon thereafter. At this Town Hall meeting we will present the progress and plans for these next generation missions, including mission concepts from the 2007 NRC Decadal Survey (http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/decadal-surveys/) and from the 2010 NASA Climate Plan (http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/). We will identify opportunities for greater interaction with the NASA missions already in formulation and development, as well as opportunities for future collaboration as we move forward with thisnext generation of missions and measurements. For further information, please contact Stephen Volz (svolz@nasa.gov).

As a follow on to the National Climate Assessment Special Session, a lunchtime panel discussion will be organized to address defining “actionable” climate information around the various Assessment themes. The panel will also address how such information can be delivered to the public to better manage risk and guide adaptation. This panel discussion will build upon the 2011 WCRP Open Science Conference session, Climate Science in Service to Society: Private Sector Needs and Opportunities. Antonio Busalacchi, Chair, University of Maryland Council on Environment and Nancy Colleton, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies will organize the panel and include several public and private sector representatives. For additional information, please contact Nancy Colleton (e-mail: nancy_colleton@strategies.org; tel: 703-312-0824).

The sun is not a quiet place; it is stormy and ever-changing and affects the Earths environment in many places. It is the source the Northern lights - a stunning phenomenon embedded in the mythology of many cultures and has been characterized as everything from dancing spirits to God’s anger. However, solar storm can also be harmful. Until about 100 years ago, solar storms could pass by without humans noticing the damage these storms do. Today it’s a different story. They can cause power outages and disrupt radio communications. More than 1,000 satellites are operating in space and the loss of a signal from any one of them can have serious consequences on weather forecasts, communication, navigation, mapping, search and rescue, research, and military surveillance. Furthermore, over many years, numerous attempts have been made to link various aspects of solar variability to changes in the Earth’s climate. there are several ways the Sun may impact the climate: through the electromagnetic radiation (Total Solar Irradiance), through the direct solar wind via magnetosphere/atmospheric coupling, and/or through galactic cosmic radiation, which is modulated by solar shielding and possibly influences cloud formation. Thus, a good knowledge of our changing Sun and the Sun-Earth connection is extremely important. The lunch time speaker will be Pål Brekke, Norwegian Space Centre. A limited number of box lunches will be provided. For additional information, please contact: Susan Baltuch (e-mail: sbaltuch@ucar.edu).

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is partnered with US federal agencies such as the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to assist developing countries to develop capacity to produce climate forecasts that will benefit the various country economic sectors. Projects and workshops have resulted in successful adoption of climate forecasts to improve decision making in countries such as Kenya and in western Africa. A panel consisting of meteorologists from Africa (Senegal and Kenya) as well as a Climate forecaster with the Climate prediction center will discuss the gains and challenges of linking climate forecast products to user decisions. For additional information, please contact Sezin Tokar (e-mail: stokar@USAID.GOV).