ARL Scientists Among Leadership Attendees at National Air Quality Meeting

October 2018

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC) leadership held its 13th annual feedback meeting September 27-28, 2018. Dubbed the Air Quality Forecaster Focus Group, this workshop 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.

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, Youhua Tang, 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. 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.