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Many STEM disciplines rely on experiential or applied-learning courses, camps, workshops, etc. to recruit and engage students. Field-based experiences are particularly important for those disciplines focused on readily observable Earth [...]

To address complex geoscience questions, communities with a variety of experiences and perspectives are needed in local workplaces and institutions across academia and government. To achieve this goal, geoscience needs leaders who are champions of diversity and who have positive attitudes toward others and act upon these attitudes to become change agents in advancing diversity and creating inclusive environments. We established a professional development workshop, Geo Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity (GOLD) Institutes, to provide geoscience leaders with the tools and skills necessary to be self-reflective of their own ideas and to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their respective institutions. Our objective was to equip senior geoscientists, who are at the core of local communities of practice (CoPs), with knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion theories and practices to lead change across the discipline. In this preliminary report, we investigate institute participants' perceptions of "allophilia" (love of the other) and identify actions taken by senior geoscientists to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within local CoPs. Results indicate that senior geoscientists who participated in the institute had high scores on the allophilia scale and took steps to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their day-to-day activities, and in a few cases created new workplace support structures for diversity and inclusion. Future work will build on these results by refining professional development opportunities that target the needs of geoscience champions of diversity.

Here we present, for the first time, a glossary of biometeorological terms. The glossary aims to address the need for a reliable source of biometeorological definitions, thereby facilitating communication and mutual understanding in this rapidly expanding field. A total of 171 terms are defined, with reference to 234 citations. It is anticipated that the glossary will be revisited in coming years, updating terms and adding new terms, as appropriate. The glossary is intended to provide a useful resource to the biometeorology community, and to this end, readers are encouraged to contact the lead author to suggest additional terms for inclusion in later versions of the glossary as a result of new and emerging developments in the field.

ABSTRACT Previous tornado climatology research has relied primarily upon a mean value of tornadoes or tornado days fixed on one period to define regions of elevated tornado risk. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the climatological distribution of tornadoes is achieved by analysing the spatial and temporal variability of tornado days. Two methods of analysing tornado days for predefined areas across the continental United States using a refined version of the Storm Prediction Center's tornado data set for 1950-2011 are considered in this study. Statistical analyses of averages and return periods reveal the variability in the record, while consecutive tornado days present an alternative method to assess the seasonal repeatability and risk for historic, multi-day tornado outbreaks. The results of this research better define the climatological variability of tornado events in addition to offering insight regarding the spatial patterns of locations with the greatest tornado risks, especially those with higher interannual variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has had some success in predicting likely tracks of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin using North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) anomalies (above or below average values) during preceding months. This paper expands on this research by incorporating other surface pressure values as independent variables as alluded to by some of the earliest NAO research. We examine monthly sea-level-pressure (SLP) data from Reykjavik (Iceland), Cape Hatteras (North Carolina), and Nassau (Bahamas), along with NAO index anomalies, to see if they can be used to predict future paths and landfall locations of Atlantic tropical cyclones during the period 1970-2005. Average SLP from Nassau during the preceding May and June shows the strongest correlations with tropical cyclone tracks, with increased values correlated with more cyclones impacting the southeastern United States, but fewer landfalls along the Gulf of Mexico. Results also show virtually no relationship between the storm variables tested and the NAO index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]