The increasing pace of science and technology continues to accelerate capabilities in the atmospheric and hydrologic disciplines. As an outgrowth of public and private-sector investment in weather, climate, and hydrology, new and innovative means have evolved to acquire, integrate, and communicate critical weather, water, climate knowledge and warning information to the public based on these technological achievements. Like the Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services report that was published in 2003, recent studies by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the National Academy for Public Administration, and the NOAA-commissioned JPSS Gap Mitigation: Analysis of Alternatives report, provide insights on the health and vitality of the Enterprise. These reports show that federal agencies working with their Enterprise partners can produce well-formulated strategies to directly return societal benefits. The greatest national good is achieved when all parts of the Enterprise function to serve business, industry and the public. Building on these reports, the 2014 AMS Washington Forum highlights the Enterprise’s considerable advances in shared research, technology development, observations, data sources, social science research and improved end-user access of shared resources and their benefit to society.

Weather and climate observations provide critical information that supports both the research and operational communities. Traditionally, the Federal Government has acted as the primary source for weather and climate data; however, over the past few decades, private sector companies have increasingly played a role in the production and dissemination of these data. The current economic landscape has resulted in an increased focus on more effective, targeted use of available Federal resources. As a result, the Federal Government is under pressure to closely examine and optimize its investment in weather- and climate-related activities, including those associated with development, deployment and operation of observing networks. This may manifest itself in an evolving paradigm where there is more reliance on the private sector for weather and climate data and information. This session will build on previous sessions that have examined the topic of the commercialization of weather and climate data, with a focus on the following: the expansion of commercial data providers, the future role of the government in the deployment and operation of observing systems, and challenges associated with the commercialization of weather and climate data.

The future of the Arctic involves less ice, more access, and new fisheries, tourism, and shipping as well as oil, gas, and minerals commerce. The AMS Arctic panel will explore the new Arctic regime and speculate on the needs that will arise at the intersection of policy and the weather, water, and climate enterprise. What tools can AMS partnerships offer that people will use to design and operate facilities in the changing weather and climate patterns of the Arctic? What ocean, weather, and climate and environmental observations and monitoring will forecasters and modelers need to predict future arctic conditions and to foresee the Arctic’s impact on the global future? What critical questions do policy-makers need answers for as the United States prepares to chair the Arctic Council in 2015?

Panel discussion about legislative and policy directions that affect the US Weather, Water & Climate Enterprise.

The extent of human health risks from extreme weather and climate events depends not just on exposure to these events, but also on the status of the public health and health care systems, built environment, and natural environment, and on the capacity of individuals and communities to understand the risk, and avoid, prepare for, cope with, and recover from extreme events. The panelists will explore how recent scientific understanding of the magnitude and pattern of possible impacts, and of the effectiveness of measures to communicate and manage risks, can inform local to national policy development.

The Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe Space Weather Events by the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council published its last Workshop Report in 2008. They said: “The adverse effects of extreme space weather on modern technology -- power grid outages, high-frequency communication blackouts, GPS disruptions of aircraft flight systems, spacecraft anomalies -- are well known and well documented, and the physical processes underlying space weather are also generally well understood. Less well documented and understood, however, are the potential economic and societal impacts of the disruption of critical technological systems by severe space weather,” like having a re-occurrence of the 1859 Carrington Event. Today Americans are familiar with all types of natural hazards and understand how to prepare and mitigate their disastrous effects. The question must be asked if the government exists to safeguard the people, why hasn’t the federal or state government done more to educate and prepare the public for the dangers of space weather that could potentially cripple electrical power systems on Earth? Why haven’t more studies been conducted to examine the socioeconomic impacts of extreme space weather events and develop risk assessment strategies to deal with severe space weather? It’s a matter of probability that we will experience another Carrington event. As today’s presenter, Lika Guhathakurta and her colleague Dan Baker of the University of Colorado asked in a June 17, 2011 New York Times op-ed: "What good are space weather alerts if people don’t understand them and won’t react to them?" This panel will focus not on solar physics or what is a Coronal Mass Ejection, but to have experts discuss how the nation can prepare for an event of this magnitude and what does society do afterwards. How do we recover from another Carrington Event?

Panelists from major federal agencies will each give a 10 minute opening statement that will look ahead, provide updates on current weather, water, and climate programs, and provide insights on new science initiatives and directions. The subsequent session discussion emphasizes topics related to future programs and initiatives that may lead to business or partnership opportunities for AMS Members.

Last year’s AWF Transportation Session focused on the need for and the importance of improved weather support for surface transportation, since weather usually causes greater overall human and economic impacts to the nation than all of the combined major meteorological events (e.g. hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, etc.), which receive most of the attention and resources; broadly outlined recent studies on developments and potential of new technologies; and described some ideas on future opportunities. In keeping with the theme for this year’s Forum, this session proposes to follow-up on these ideas with a concrete example of a very successful implementation of new mobile observations technology support by the private sector; a discussion of newly developed public sector plans for research, development, and application; and finally a perspective on how the federal government may be of assistance in integrating the new technologies from various sectors and accelerate their use to benefit society.

In the Water-Energy Nexus session panelists will discuss threats to our nation’s water resources, interagency coordination to address national outcomes for water and energy, advances in offshore renewable energy development, including the challenges and tradeoffs facing the country. Population growth, economic development and the increased demand for energy resources are stressing U.S. and international water supplies perilously to the breaking point. For these reasons, coupled with a changing climate and extreme weather events, there is a need for an integrated approach to science and services for water resources in the energy sector.

Typhoon Haiyan was an unprecedented storm. Making landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013 as a Category 5 typhoon, the storm left significant damage in its wake. Additional countries impacted included Vietnam and southern China, as well as Micronesia and Palau. It was the strongest cyclone to hit land in recorded history. While the storm’s 200 mph winds were devastating, it was the two-story-high storm surge that was most destructive - flooding homes, schools, and hospitals. Since 1969, only three storms have had sustained winds close to this magnitude — Hurricane Camille in 1969, Super Typhoon Tip in 1979, and Hurricane Allen in 1980. Typhoon predictions – and related technology – have improved substantially over this time, and the predictions for Haiyan were quite accurate. However, the impacts of this storm were still huge, especially in the Philippines. This panel will examine some of the technologies that assisted with the prediction and response to this storm, and how they compared to what was available in past storms – and explore what should happen next in planning for the next super typhoon like Haiyan. The panel discussion will also address the comparisons in prediction and response to Superstorm Sandy that hit the coast of New Jersey in October 2012.