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TMN GLC chapter meeting WebEx
March 20, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
VMS opportunity: Administrative work: Chapter meeting
VMN opportunity: AT:TMN Chapter program (include the name of the program and presenter – CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge Network, Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon)
Our March chapter meeting will be held virtually on March 20, 2021 via WebEx. The link to join the meeting will be sent to all chapter members a week before.
AGENDA
Login Available at 9:45
Business Meeting 10:00 – 11:15 Note new time
Break 11:15 – 11:30
Advanced Training 11:30 – 1:00 with Dr John Nielsen-Gammon
See the 3/19/2021 email from the chapter president for Zoom meeting information
Do Something About The Weather: The CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge Network
Rainfall, or lack thereof, is a cause of droughts, floods, crop failures, and shifts and stresses in ecosystems. Official weather stations provide crucial information on local rainfall and, in combination with weather radar, can be used to estimate rainfall totals and rates across entire watersheds or other areas. But stations operated by the National Weather Service are dwindling, and automated stations operated by state or regional agencies are expensive. Meanwhile, many people measure and record their own rainfall totals. CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, is how backyard rainfall totals can become part of the official national weather records and provide early warning of intense rainfall and possible flooding. Using an inexpensive, standardized gauge, observers report rainfall (or lack thereof) every morning, submit urgent weather reports when appropriate, and also track hail and snow when they’re unlucky or lucky enough to experience them. CoCoRaHS is an opportunity to stay on top of the weather while providing reliable data to help public safety, environmental monitoring, and climate tracking.
Bio: John Nielsen-Gammon has been on the faculty at Texas A&M University since 1991. He is currently a Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and also serves as the Texas State Climatologist. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving a Ph.D. there in 1990. He does research on various types of extreme weather from droughts to floods, as well as air pollution and computer modeling. As Texas State Climatologist, he helps the State of Texas make the best possible use of weather and climate information, through applied research, outreach, and service on state-level committees, and wrote the Weather and Climate chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists Curriculum.
