The AMS has experienced substantial growth and shifts in terms of its membership, since its inception in 1919. Over the past few decades, the Society has made great strides towards increased representation and higher status of women and underrepresented minorities in atmospheric science and related fields. As the AMS inches closer to its Centennial Celebration, it revisits the shifting characteristics of its membership in order to explore ways in which the Society must change to best serve the needs of its diverse membership and clarify the Society’s objectives in the next century. Led by the Board on Women and Minorities (BWM), the purpose of this Town Hall is to discuss ways in which the weather, water, and climate enterprise can reap the full benefits of an environment in which biases are minimized, and the principles of inclusion, diversity, and equity are interwoven seamlessly with scientific excellence.

The NASA Earth science flight program is a dynamic undertaking consisting of a large fleet of operating satellites, an array of satellite and instrument projects, a robust airborne science program which advances the use of satellite data, and a massive data archiving and distribution system. NASA’s fleet of 20 operating missions provides a wide range of scientific measurements obtained from dedicated Earth science satellites and the ISS. Projects in development are divided into categories: 1. Earth Systematic Missions (ESM), 2. Earth System Science Pathfinders (ESSP). The Earth Science Flight Program benefits from investments by the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) to develop and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies that can be applied to future NASA Earth science measurements/missions. As the NASA program evolves it will leverage the lessons learned from the current missions and plan for adjustments to future objectives. A limited number of boxed lunches will be provided by Orbital ATK.

The Weather Research and Forecasting Act of 2017 authorizes NOAA’s Subseasonal and Seasonal (S2S) forecast responsibilities.  Congress’s policy is “that it is in the public interest to maintain an active Federal involvement in providing and improving the use of weather and climate information...”  Congress has asked NOAA, in consultation with partners and stakeholders, to provide it with a report that includes:  (i) an analysis of how NOAA’s S2S forecasts are used for public planning and preparedness; (ii) NOAA’s plans for the continued improvement of an S2S forecasting capability, including products to meet the needs described in number ‘i’; and (iii) an identification of the needed research, monitoring, observing and forecasting requirements for number ‘ii’. This AMS Town Hall will review the contents of Section 201 of ‘The Weather Act’, describe what has been done through the present, and seek input from the community through active and lively dialogue.

The National Science Foundation’s EarthCube program is a community-driven activity aimed at transforming the conduct of geosciences research by creating a well-connected cyberinfrastructure for sharing and integrating data and knowledge across all geoscience disciplines in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner and to accelerate our ability to understand and predict the Earth system. EarthCube is now transitioning into an implementation phase. In the first phase of implementing the EarthCube architecture, the project leadership has identified the following architectural components as the top three priorities, focused on technologies, interfaces and interoperability elements that will address: a) Resource Discovery; b) Resource Registry; and c) Resource Distribution and Access.   We will present the progress of EarthCube on a number of fronts and engage geoscientists and data scientists in the future steps toward the development of EarthCube. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the AMS community to provide input to the EarthCube project.

Infrastructure and the built environment, a crucial sector of the Nation’s economy, is designed, engineered and constructed using weather, climate, and environmental information. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has been serving this sector for many years.  NCEI engages with this sector to better understand the implications of climate for infrastructure, how different establishments are building resilience and adaptation in planning, how environmental data provides value, and general challenges and opportunities for the infrastructure sector. This Town Hall dialogue will provide an opportunity for further interaction with sector experts along with scientific experts to discuss current techniques, data sets and challenges, and identify requirements to support the sector. The intent is to foster and reinforce the lines of communication and to ensure NCEI is providing information that can lead to improved infrastructure resilience

NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) leadership team will present an update of status and plans, with significant time for discussion with the audience, which is expected to comprise current and potential investigators in ESD’s programs and/or those of its partner agencies, as well as current and potential users of its data and models. Highlighted items include status of operating and future satellite missions; implementation of Venture Class activities; evolution of and plans for the research, applied sciences, and technology elements; contribution to interagency and international Earth observation and global change programs, and response to and preparation for community-based guiding documents.  Panelists:  Michael H. Freilich, Sandra Cauffman; Jack Kaye; Lawrence Friedl ,Patricia Jacobberger-Jellison, Eric Ianson, and Robert Bauer

Numerical models in the NCEP Production Suite (NPS) form the foundation of all forecasting for the National Weather Service (NWS).  NWS needs to remain at the cutting-edge and continuously transition science from the research community to operations.  A key element in modernizing the NPS is external review by the UCAR Community Advisory Committee for NCEP (UCACN) Model Advisory Committee (UMAC) and the NOAA Unified Modeling Task Force / Committee.  Key recommendations were simplification and better governance of NPS, and a closer working relationship between NWS and the research community. A second key element is the Next Generation Global Prediction System project, where NWS has adopted a more project-oriented approach to improving NPS.  This project is now addressing regional mesoscale modeling in the NPS.  This town hall is designed to communicate progress on model development and the response to UMAC recommendations, and to provide a forum for feedback from our customers.

Evidence-based decision-making depends on: 1) the availability of evidence such as that provided by scientific research and observations, 2) a well-educated public that can access and use evidence, 3) a media that accurately and effectively informs the public, and 4) a policy process that encourages and rewards good-faith efforts to advance societal interests.The discussion will feature perspectives on public engagement from leaders in policy engagement and public communication. Please come share your insights and questions.

The weather value chain continues to be rapidly transformed by new commercial data sources; advances in cloud computing and machine learning; the emergence of private-sector weather modeling; and an insatiable desire for more granular forecasts at longer lead times. This panel will showcase key players in the weather value chain of the future, and discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the convergence of accelerating technology innovation, alternative business models, and the release of the Decadal Survey and NOAA’s future architecture study. For additional information, please contact Dan Stillman (email: dan.stillman@harris.com). Harris will provide beverages and light snacks.

The USAF Weather Systems Program Office (Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Weather Systems Branch) will present a systems roadmap for USAF weather capabilities and programs to interested industry, academia, and government research organizations, as part of general market research and awareness outreach.  Addressed will be likely research and procurement opportunities of weather systems with meteorological in-situ and remote sensing, modeling and high-performance computing, large-scale processing and dissemination, and forecaster applications.

During the first 9 months (Jan-Sept) of 2017, the U.S. experienced 15 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. 2017 ties the record year of 2011 for the most (15) billion-dollar disasters for the year to date. The record number of billion-dollar disasters for a calendar year is 16 events set in 2011. The 2017 events include two floods, a freeze, seven severe storms, three tropical cyclones, a drought and wildfire. In 2017, we have seen the rare combination of high disaster frequency, disaster cost and diversity of weather and climate extreme events.   We can't say yet that 2017 will eclipse 2005 in terms of total cost since we are still assessing the hurricane costs.  However, 2017 is more historic than 2005 in terms of event frequency and diversity, aside from the comparative hurricane impacts.

Decision makers are demanding​ more​ timely and reliable ​environmental ​predictions and information ​days to months in the future. ​W​eather events ​t​hat have significant consequences for society and the economy​ are of particular interest​. It is incumbent on the weather and climate community to accelerate improvements to the building blocks that advance understanding and improve forecasts of these events, including observational networks, data assimilation systems and statistical/dynamical models.  Emphasis is placed on the extent to which the ocean observing system is meeting the needs of the weather and climate community to develop and deliver improved data, products and knowledge required by decision makers. This Town Hall will discuss the ability of the current observing systems, data, and information needed to meet requirements for weather research and services; identify data gaps in observing capabilities; and approaches to integrated system of global ocean observations for ​addressing these new ​challenges.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is increasing its focus on providing Impact-based decision support services, as called for in the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.  To help ensure its analyses and short-term forecasts are meeting forecast service needs, NWS' new Analysis and Nowcast Branch of the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office is convening a Town Hall meeting with the broader weather community to discuss service requirements for the 0-18 hour forecasts.  Preliminary input from NWS field forecasters (including NWS WFOs and RFCs, Regional Offices and National Centers) will be reviewed as a basis for broader community input and discussion of basic user and partner requirements.

The Ninth Conference on Weather, Climate, Water, and the New Energy Economy (9ENERGY) presents a Town Hall Meeting featuring the topic of communication in the utilities sector. Panelists will discuss the importance of proper communication within and external to Independent System Operators (ISOs) and utility companies. The session focuses on communication challenges faced by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), their market participants, and other utilities organizations in the State of Texas. Discussion points include the use of social media to communicate with utilities customers, communications internal to utility organizations, communication of unplanned outages, weather outlooks and associated planning, and communication successes and areas for improvement. The session format encourages an active panel discussion and audience participation.

NOAA generates tens of terabytes of data daily from various sources. While this data is publicly available, these data can be difficult to download and analyze.  NOAA's Big Data Project (BDP) was created to explore the potential benefits of storing copies of some key observations and model outputs to the Cloud to allow users to access and analyze these data without requiring further data distribution.  This approach could create new lines of business and economic growth while making data more accessible to users. This project combines NOAA's collection of high quality environmental data, the vast infrastructure and scalable computing capabilities of NOAA's industry partners and the innovative energy of the American economy.  This town hall will feature the Big Data Project staff, collaborators and others who will share their successes and their lessons learned.

The report from the steering committee for the 2017-2027 National Academies’ decadal survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (“ESAS 2017”) is scheduled for release by December 31, 2017.  Like the inaugural survey, which published its final report in 2007, ESAS 2017 was requested by NASA, NOAA, and the USGS.  The survey's overarching objective is to develop consensus recommendations from the environmental monitoring and Earth science and applications communities for an integrated and sustainable approach to the conduct of the U.S. government’s civilian space-based Earth-system science programs.  Survey members will be present to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations and to engage the community in a discussion about report implementation.  A PDF of the report is posted at www.nas.edu/esas2017 where details about the survey's organization may also be found.

The American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and World War II are among the major wars whose winners may have been determined by weather events. The creation of Stradivarius violins, the painting The Scream, the novel Frankenstein, The Salem Witch Trials, the invention of the bicycle, and the development of Houston as a major city are among the events that may have been inspired or made possible by weather events.  And, Bubonic Plague epidemics, the decline and disappearance of the Mayan Empire, and the three centuries of dominance of the British Empire may have been caused by weather events. Many weather and short-term climate events have transformed history –  changing the results of wars, elections, culture, and human advancement. In this presentation I will examine about two dozen of the most important of these events – briefly discussing each and the impact they have had.

Open discussion with Mary Erickson, the Deputy Assistant Administrator of the National Weather Service, on advances in water resources modeling and the future integration of enhanced modeling capabilities -- including estuary and coastal models, a hyper-resolution nest, groundwater modeling, and water quality models -- into the National Water Model. This follows the inaugural Annual NOAA Water Meeting which was comprised of all NOAA offices involved in the implementation plan for the NOAA Water Initiative Five-Year Vision and Plan, which was published in 2016. This session includes a panel discussion comprised of additional experts who will discuss the path forward on water science and services for the agency.