Three ACCAP Webinars Available: Alaska Weather Symposia, March Alaska Climate Outlook, and Vulnerability of Alaska Villages

Date

16 March 2018

Three Webinars Available
Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP)

Virtual Alaska Weather Symposia Webinar: An Overview of NUCAPS Soundings Research to Operations Activities to Support Operational Forecasting Challenges
Emily Berndt, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. AKDT

March 2018 National Weather Service Alaska Climate Outlook Briefing
Rick Thoman, Climate Science and Services Manager, National Weather Service
Friday, 23 March 2018
12:00-1:00 p.m. AKDT

Alaska Climate Webinar Series: Assessing the Vulnerability of Alaska Villages
Bill Schnabel, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
10:00-11:00 a.m. AKDT

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) announces three webinars to take place during the month of March 2018. Registration is required to attend the webinars. All webinars will be available online or in-person in the Akasofu building, room 407 on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Cross-track Infrared Sounder/Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder soundings processed though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) are currently available in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)-II as vertical temperature and moisture profiles for forecasters to diagnose unique forecasting challenges. To further realize the potential of NUCAPS Soundings in the operational environment, a team of scientists and forecasters developed the capability to view 2-D gridded plan view and cross section displays of NUCAPS Soundings in AWIPS-II. The capability was initially developed in conjunction with the Anchorage, Alaska Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) to diagnose layers of cold air aloft which are hazardous to aviation activities. This presentation highlights the collaboration with the CWSU, outlines additional applications, and explains recent activities to decrease the latency of NUCAPS data and baseline the Gridded NUCAPS in AWIPS.

For more information and to register for this webinar, go to:
https://accap.uaf.edu/March2018_VAWS

For more information about NUCAPS Sounding products, go to:
http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/atmosphere/soundings/nucaps/

March 2018 National Weather Service Alaska Climate Outlook Briefing
Rick Thoman, Climate Science and Services Manager, National Weather Service
Friday, 23 March 2018
12:00-1:00 p.m. AKDT

The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. This webinar will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools, and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for April and the late spring/early summer season.

For more information and to register for this webinar, go to:
https://accap.uaf.edu/March_2018

Alaska Climate Webinar Series: Assessing the Vulnerability of Alaska Villages
Bill Schnabel, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
10:00-11:00 a.m. AKDT

Communities in Alaska's Arctic and Subarctic regions are at risk from environmental threats including flooding, erosion, and thawing permafrost. However, the character and relative magnitude of those risks can vary from community to community, and it is not always clear which environmental threats pose the greatest amount of risk. This presentation describes an ongoing project being conducted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District. The project is sponsored by the Denali Commission. The purpose of the project is to use existing data to better characterize the threats to Alaska's communities associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost thaw, and develop a system by which stakeholders can evaluate the combined threat. The presentation will focus primarily upon consideration of the threats imposed by permafrost thaw, as that is the main focus of the UAF/Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory component of the project.

For more information and to register for this webinar, go to:
https://accap.uaf.edu/Vul_AK_Villages