Weather Geeks

Guests:   Richard Henning & Kevin Doremus, Hurricane Hunters As we’ve highlighted nearly a hundred of times on this podcast, there is a lot more to meteorology than what you see on TV!  A meteorologist can work in insurance, they can work for NASA, and they can work for airlines just to name a few.  But one of the most important and dangerous jobs that is in the field of me...

Have you ever heard someone say that they know a storm is coming because their joints start aching or they have a migraine?  Well there is a scientific basis to that, but what about general pain receptors during common weather patterns?  In past decades, it was difficult to answer such a general science question...but it’s not anymore!  Today’s guest is Dr. David Schultz from the Un...

The racial injustices experienced by millions of Americans have been brought to greater attention in recent weeks.  Among those Americans are members of our scientific community who have endured their own instances of racial discrimination along their paths to success.  Many have felt marginalized, placated, and that they are often not being offered the same opportunities as many of thei...

Guest : Dr. Andrew Grundstein, UGA Introduction: Many of us have seen first-hand the impacts weather can have on our daily lives, and today we’re going to focus on the dangers associated with heat and thunderstorms. Heat related illnesses are often underrated and sadly, this can lead to many trips to the emergency room...or worse. Today’s guest, Dr. Andrew Grundstein of the University of Georgia,...

Guest:  Dr. Greg Dusek, NOAA Ocean Service The oceans hold more than 96% of the Earth’s water, and it’s the motions of those oceans we’re focusing on today!  As people hit the beaches, many are unaware of underlying dangers lurking close to shore, and we’re not talking about JAWS…  We’re talking about RIP CURRENTS, which lead to some 30,000 rescues EACH YEAR!  Today’s guest is...

Guest: Dr. Daniel Swain Introduction:  If you’re not from California, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of its weather?  Severe droughts?  Constant wildfires?  75 and sunny every single day?  In any given year, those could all be correct!  But what about over the past 30 years to create a climate normal?  That’s where our guest today comes...

Guest:  Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Harvard University Introduction:   We all know that climate change has been detrimental to the health of our Earth, with increased deforestation and melting ice caps. But what about our own health? Or our children’s health? My guest today is Dr. Aaron Bernstein from Harvard University, who focuses on the health impacts of the climate crisis on...

Guest:  Marc Collins Chen, Oceanix Introduction:   When a hurricane is fast approaching, experts always say that you have to fear the water, whether it’s rain coming down from the sky or the surge from the ocean or the flood from the rivers. What if I told you that my guest today has created a concept that would make you flock to the water and live a safer life from hurricanes?...

Guest:  Dr. Adam Sobel, Columbia University Introduction:   Most of the time when we bring someone on to Weather Geeks, they have a certain niche or a specific craft or an interesting line of research to discuss with us. But today, I have a guest with me who does it all! Dr. Adam Sobel is a professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics and of Earth and Environmental...

Guest:  Ryan Stauffer, NASA Introduction:   The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we all live our lives, both in the present and in the future. We’ve all been stuck in our homes and adopted teleworking techniques in order to reduce as much time as possible with other people that may be sick. With these changes, we have noticed some positive impacts to our environment, incl...

Guest:  Ivona Cetinic, NASA Oceanographer Introduction:  NASA does a lot more than mapping our solar system...they have also been mapping our oceans for over 20 years! The ocean is extremely important in our Earth’s health, circulation, and economy, so it is equally as important that our ocean is in good health too! In 2022, NASA will be launching the PACE mission, which stands...

Guest:  Bernadette Woods - Placky Introduction: The proper communication of climate science is just as important as communicating it at all! In an ever-changing world, keeping up with communication techniques is extremely important. The intersection of television and science has never been more vital than today! On this episode, we’re joined by Bernadette Woods Placky, Chief Meteorologis...

Guest:  Dr. Stephen Strader, Villanova University Introduction: Hurricane Harvey...Hurricane Dorian...the deadly Camp Fire...the devastating Super Tornado Outbreak of 2011… These disasters likely bring to mind the powerful images you saw from communities hardest hit by these extreme weather events. In a world with an increasing number of disasters, it’s becoming more apparent that w...

Guest:  Stephen Nesbitt, University of Illinois Introduction: Today we’re happy to welcome Professor Stephen Nesbitt from the University of Illinois. Dr. Nesbitt has his hands in a variety of projects & research interests, including mesoscale and cloud dynamics, radar and satellite meteorology, and tropical meteorology. His extensive field research has taken him to 5 continents...

Guest:  Dr. Marilyn Brown, Georgia Tech  Introduction:  The word “drawdown” is used in multiple fields, from banking to investing, but for today’s episode, the most important use of the word is in climatology. Climate drawdown is the point at which greenhouse gas concentrations begin to decline on a year-to-year basis in order to reach carbon neutrality. The United States still...

Guest:  Dr. Harold Brooks, NSSL Introduction:  The United States is known to produce some of nature’s most severe weather as it allows for just the right ingredients to come together.  As extreme weather becomes a more common occurrence, many have begged the question: Will we see more severe storms and even tornadoes as our world continues to warm?  Today’s guest is Dr. Harold...

Guest:  Dan Lindsey, GOES-R Program Scientist  Introduction:  While the debate of “model wars” continues into the new decade, the satellite technology that the United States has advanced over the years is second-to-none! Being able to see the atmosphere from a top-down view has changed the way that meteorologists around the world can forecast the daily weather. They can see whe...

Guest:  Michael Kane, Water Resources Engineer Introduction: Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution and management of water on Earth, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. Hydrologists work with other scientists to investigate how water impacts their respective fields, so meteorologists and hydrologists have a special relati...

Guest:  Dr. Peter Bauer, ECMWF Deputy Director of Research & Head of the Scalability Programme Introduction: I need more power…!! Computing power that is. This has been a major focus for numerical weather prediction in hopes of creating more accurate and detailed predictions of Earth’s systems. The highly touted European Model has long been one of the leaders in numerical weather pre...

Guests:  Greg Kopp & David Sills, Western University  Intro:  While severe weather prediction continues to improve here in the United States, a nearby neighbor is currently deep into their most comprehensive tornado study ever! As we travel north of the border to our neighbors in Canada, the team at Western University is conducting the Northern Tornadoes Project, or NTP. This pr...

Guest:  Kim Klockow-McClain Broadcast meteorologists are often the face of severe weather as they are the first people we see when severe weather is expected. However, there is a larger network of people from broadcasters, to emergency managers, law enforcement officers, and state and local officials who must work together to best serve the community before and after a disaster. Today’s guest...

Guest:  Dail St. Claire: Daughter of the June Bacon-Bercey, the 1st African-American Female TV Meteorologist Introduction: If I were to ask a room full of meteorologists who their role model was, I am sure that a handful of them would say the late June Bacon-Bercey. She was the first African-American female television meteorologist, and with that achievement, she broke MANY barriers.&nbs...

Introduction:  A lot of people choose to live in a certain place based on how the winters are. If you love wearing big comfy sweaters and playing out in the snow, odds are you live in the midwestern or northeastern United States. If you would rather turn on your heat for only a couple days in the season and enjoy the occasional chilly, rainy day, then you’d love the south! Rega...

Introduction:  As Weather Geeks, we know that the climate is changing and the Earth has needs that it wants to meet. As human beings, we are also changing and our bodies and minds have needs that they want met as well. Both of these sets of needs cannot be ignored or else there will be ramifications down the line. Scientists who are tasked with tackling and researching climate chang...