Scientist I Search In FY-2003 eleven new Scientist I appointments were made across all of NCAR. In addition, another search began for appointments to be announced in 2004.
Summer Colloquium
ASP and the Data Assimilation Initiative hosted a summer colloquium in July 2003 entitled "Data Assimilation for Atmospheric and Climate System Prediction." Jeff Anderson (NOAA/GFDL), Chris Snyder (MMM) and Jenny Sun (MMM) coordinated the sessions, which were presented by 18 lecturers from 8 different universities or institutions and from NCAR. The 37 student participants represented 24 different universities. Overall, this colloquium brought together participants and lectures representing the US, Taiwan, Canada, France, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands to look at issues related to the fusion of observations with a forecast model, one of the most important and challenging aspects of prediction of the atmosphere and the larger climate system.Geophysical Turbulence Program
In addition to the regular workshops and seminar series and an active visitor program, the Geophysical Turbulence Program (GTP) hosted two workshops this year. In March 2003 GTP convened a three-day workshop on the burgeoning topic of Stochastic Modeling of Geophysical Flows. Thirty-one experts from 19 institutions in the US, Canada and Europe discussed the mathematical underpinnings and the application of stochastic modeling to physical parameterizations and closure in the atmosphere and ocean and the use of such techniques in dynamical models in climate and turbulence.
In July 2003, GTP co-sponsored a two week summer school entitled "Applications of Advanced Mathematical and Computational Methods to Atmospheric and Oceanic Problems" coordinated by Joe Tribbia (CGD) and Roger Temam and Shouhong Wang (Indiana University). The purpose of this interdisciplinary summer school was to bring together graduate students and young researchers and specialists of meteorology and oceanography, and applied mathematicians interested in geophysical fluid dynamics. The summer school consisted of pedagogical lectures in the mornings, invited lectures and informal discussions in the afternoons. Thirty-eight students and postdoctoral researchers from 25 universities and research institutes participated in the school. Fifteen lecturers presented both pedagogical and advanced seminars detailing mathematical methods and computational techniques while expositing a wide range of science problems in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
GTP members made substantial progress with the Geophysical and Astrophysical Spectral element Adaptive Refinement (GASPAR) code development. It is now about 60,000 lines, and is close to a beta-phase for its two-dimensional version, with a newly recruited project scientist testing the code, and also now participating in some of the development. FY-2003 work focused on testing the adaptive refinement, implementing time-stepping schemes, and on instituting tools for an automated analysis of the structure of the code to help new users understand its multi-layer object-oriented architecture. Moreover, a part-time graduate student began work to develop a server-client-based tool that will provide a GASpAR user with on-the-fly diagnostics, enabling the user to monitor run performance. The monitor is written in Java with a MySQL database on the server and client sides for playback. As a first step in validation, a series of computations using standard accurate pseudo-spectral methods will be performed as a base data set against which to compare GASpAR results. A suite of tests relevant to geophysical turbulent flows was implemented, and the code should enter production in two-space dimensions in FY-2004. Other adaptive methods using finite differences will also be used in an inter-comparison of methods for flows developing numerous small scales in collaboration with several teams (from France and possibly Germany).
The ASP Postdoctoral Fellowships
During FY-2003, 37 postdoctoral fellows conducted research at NCAR in the Advanced Study Program. These postdocs work in all divisions and programs at NCAR, so many of the details of their scientific achievements appear in the reports from those divisions and programs. We include brief examples of contributions to NCAR science in our section on Postdoctoral Research Summaries.A brief description of this program can also be found in the ASP Postdoctoral Fellowship Announcement.
The NCAR Graduate Fellowship Program
Four new graduate fellows were appointed in FY-2003 to mark the start of a new means of focus for this aspect of the ASP. In response to the NSF Review of 2001 graduate fellows were appointed with a common research interest, based on the summer colloquium topic of 2002. Examples of the research begun by these Fellows is included in our section on Graduate Research Summaries, and more information about this program can be found in the ASP NCAR Graduate Fellowship Announcement.Senior Research Associates
ASP's current Senior Research Associates (SRAs) are Guy Brasseur (Max Planck Institute), Hans Friedli (ACD), John Latham (University of Manchester) and Jerry Mahlman(NOAA/GFDL). In addition to providing an on-going resource for current postdocs and graduate fellows, these SRAs also represent NCAR in their community work. Highlights of their contributions to NCAR science and community service are included in the section on Research Summaries.Other NCAR-Wide Support
ASP took a more active role in supporting the NCAR Early Career Scientists Assembly (ECSA) as it coordinated regular poster sessions, hosted two visits of prominent scientists under the Scientific Leaders Forum, and coordinated and hosted the first national Junior Faculty Forum on Future Scientific Directions in June 2003. This three-day forum was well attended by 65 participants from 36 U.S. universities and institutions, and covered the areas of Water Cycle, Predictability and Interactions between Land Ecosystems and the Atmospheric Hydrologic Cycle. The ECSA also provided a small fund to assist early career scientists to participate in collaborative research trips beyond those funds allocated by each scientist's division. As part of the NCAR wide discussion of realignment, ASP worked with Peggy LeMone (MMM) and Roy Rasmussen (RAP), current chairs of the NCAR Scientist Assembly (NSA) to encourage discussion among the NCAR scientific staff. We also developed plans for more systematic mentoring of early-career scientists at NCAR.ASP supported the NCAR Aerosol Program (NAP) efforts as it hosted three seminar/poster sessions to centralize this area of research within NCAR divisions in a format similar to the GTP. Jim Smith (ACD) was appointed head of the NAP.