FRD
Sudheer Bhimireddy, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas San Antonio, gave a GoToMeeting presentation this week on his research involving Large Eddy Simulations of tracer releases from Project Sagebrush. His initial work focuses on the daytime releases in Phase 1 of Project Sagebrush. Sudheer ultimately wants to add cloud buoyancy effects into the simulations as part of his thesis work. Rick Eckman has agreed to be a member of Sudheer’s Ph.D. committee.

The paper “Plume Dispersion in Low-Wind-Speed Conditions During Project Sagebrush Phase 2, with Emphasis on Concentration Variability” by D. Finn, R. G. Carter, R. M. Eckman, J. D. Rich, Z. Gao, and H. Liu has officially been published in the October 2018 issue of Boundary Layer Meteorology. It was first available online back in May. The online link to the paper is https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10546-018-0360-8.

The manuscript “Mechanisms for wind direction changes in the very stable boundary layer,” by D. Finn, R. M. Eckman, Z. Gao, and H. Liu, was accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology.

HQ
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC) leadership held its 13th annual feedback meeting September 27-28, 2018. The meeting was held at the headquarters of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), in the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, and was attended by representatives from 23 states and contributors from other governmental agencies and international operational institutes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada both presented significant progress in their respective contributions. ARL’s atmospheric scientists have led the research and implementation testing of NAQFC since the program’s inception in 2003. NAQFC is an air quality forecasting service to the nation that is particularly vital to the daily living of sensitive groups who should minimize their exposure to unhealthy ambient air. ARL had a strong presence at the meeting, presenting 2018 progress and previews of potential advancements to be recommended for 2019. Drs. Pius Lee, Daniel Tong, Barry Baker, and Patrick Campbell contributed to the presentations and the open forum discussion on the strengths and potential deficiencies to be tackled in the near term. The ARL team works closely with NCEP Environmental Modeling Centers to upgrade and realize NAQFC as a NOAA operational product.