WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Welcome to Meteorology Matters. Great to be here. 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:05.759 Today, we're stepping into something, well, pretty 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.240 unique, I think. Definitely. A massive online 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:11.099 gathering, right? Yeah. Of weather and climate 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:13.240 experts. Exactly. We've been looking at the details 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:17.899 on this. It's basically a huge multi -day live 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:20.280 stream. Uh -huh. Scientists talking directly 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.960 about what they do, their work. Yeah. So in this 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:26.519 Meteorology Matters discussion, we want to sort 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:29.980 of unpack what makes this event Tick right like 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:33.100 its purpose when exactly it's all happening the 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:35.979 format who you're gonna hear from and I mean 00:00:35.979 --> 00:00:38.219 the sheer range of science they're planning to 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:40.979 cover it's huge it really is and why does this 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:43.520 matter to you listening well because the science 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:45.439 these folks work on I mean it touches everything 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:47.479 doesn't it absolutely from the weather you check 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.140 on your phone each morning to you know the big 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:52.399 long -term climate shifts that affect our future 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.679 planning and this event seems like a very specific 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:59.219 almost deliberate effort by scientists to connect 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:01.799 directly with the public about it all. Yeah, 00:01:01.939 --> 00:01:03.820 cutting through the noise, maybe. OK, so let's 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:05.700 get into the specifics. Well, the first thing 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:07.379 that jumps out is just the scale and the format. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.500 It's kind of a live stream marathon. Marathon 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:13.079 is right. When does it kick off? It starts Wednesday, 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:17.060 May 28th. That's 1 p .m. Eastern time. OK, so 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:18.939 10 a .m. out on the West Coast Pacific time. 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.739 Right. And it's not just, you know, an afternoon 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:24.250 thing. No. Definitely not. This thing is scheduled 00:01:24.250 --> 00:01:27.250 to run for a hundred hours straight. A hundred 00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:30.950 hours. Non -stop. Yeah, all the way through Sunday, 00:01:31.090 --> 00:01:35.549 June 1st. Wow. Expected to wrap up around 5 30 00:01:35.549 --> 00:01:38.390 p .m. Eastern. So that's 2 30 p .m. Pacific. 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:40.930 And people can just tune in. Yep. Streaming live 00:01:40.930 --> 00:01:43.489 on YouTube. OK. And the basic idea behind these 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:45.890 hundred hours? Well, it seems pretty straightforward. 00:01:46.170 --> 00:01:48.049 Participating scientists, they each get about 00:01:48.660 --> 00:01:51.180 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes to talk about their 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:53.420 specific research. Exactly. Explain what they 00:01:53.420 --> 00:01:55.739 do and why it's valuable. It's really scientists 00:01:55.739 --> 00:01:58.340 in their own words. Yeah. Explaining their little 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.620 piece of the big puzzle. And the motivation behind 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:04.239 it all. Why do this? Well, the organizers, like 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.060 Mark Alessi from the Union of Concerned Scientists. 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:09.740 They state the purpose is really about sharing 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:12.800 weather and climate science directly with the 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:14.919 American public. Okay, so public outreach is 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.919 key. Definitely. They want to demonstrate just 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:21.939 how vital the work is and also, it seems, highlight 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:25.319 the impact of recent funding cuts. Ah, okay. 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.080 So there's that context too, funding reductions 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.580 for research. Yeah, across federal agencies and 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:34.340 academia as well. So if you connect those dots... 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:37.360 Yeah. while they might frame it as nonpartisan 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:39.860 science sharing. It definitely feels like a response, 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.840 doesn't it? Oh, absolutely. A response to policy 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:45.939 decisions that have, well, cut funding pretty 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:48.099 significantly for climate and weather research. 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:50.979 Right. You hear about agencies like the National 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:53.800 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, 00:02:53.979 --> 00:02:56.319 or NASA, the Department of Energy. And universities, 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:58.780 too, apparently having research funding withheld. 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:01.780 It sounds like an action born out of necessity 00:03:01.780 --> 00:03:04.080 almost. There was a quote from one scientist 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.539 involved, Kate Marvel. She called the talks the 00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:09.139 scientist -ese thing we could do. Hey, yeah. 00:03:09.379 --> 00:03:11.759 That kind of captures it. It really does. It's 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.180 like they're using their core strength, the science 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:18.099 itself, to communicate why it matters. And to 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:20.419 show the public, hey, look at the return you 00:03:20.419 --> 00:03:22.560 get on investment in this publicly funded research. 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:26.020 Exactly. And the timing adds another layer here, 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:29.110 doesn't it? How so? Well, the event happens to 00:03:29.110 --> 00:03:32.169 coincide with the end of NASA's lease at Columbia 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:35.310 University for the Goddard Institute for Space 00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:39.050 Studies, GISS. Oh, right, the big climate lab. 00:03:39.150 --> 00:03:40.969 I heard about that lease cancellation back in 00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:42.930 April. Yeah, forcing those scientists to work 00:03:42.930 --> 00:03:45.129 remotely now. Yeah. So there's that backdrop. 00:03:45.169 --> 00:03:48.090 And it's also happening right as hurricane season 00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:51.870 officially begins. Good point. A time when accurate 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:54.310 weather forecasting and understanding the atmosphere 00:03:54.310 --> 00:03:56.370 are just critically important. Absolutely critical. 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:58.919 So, okay, who are these folks? Who is actually 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:02.360 showing up to talk for a hundred hours? It seems 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:04.639 like a really broad mix. Scientists from all 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.099 over the country. Your agencies, universities? 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:08.419 Former government officials, too. Yeah. Looking 00:04:08.419 --> 00:04:10.159 through the schedule, you see quite a variety. 00:04:10.379 --> 00:04:14.080 Any examples jump out? Sure. Like, the very start, 00:04:14.300 --> 00:04:17.560 Wednesday afternoon, features talks live from 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.699 that NASA GS lab during its final hours there. 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:23.839 Kate Marvel speaking then. Wow. That's symbolic. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:27.399 It is. And there are panels, too. one on Wednesday 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:31.139 afternoon with employees who were terminated 00:04:31.139 --> 00:04:33.579 from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 00:04:33.579 --> 00:04:37.120 Administration, sharing their stories. And you 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.579 mentioned former officials. Yeah, like there's 00:04:39.579 --> 00:04:41.899 a panel Wednesday evening with former directors 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:44.120 of the National Weather Service. Oh really? Like 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:48.529 who? Joe Friday, Louis W. Uccellini. Big name. 00:04:48.709 --> 00:04:51.129 Definitely. Plus, they've got these primetime 00:04:51.129 --> 00:04:53.430 talks scheduled each evening, highlighting different 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:55.389 researchers. Yeah, the speaker lists look pretty 00:04:55.389 --> 00:04:57.250 packed with prominent scientists throughout the 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:00.170 week, covering a really wide range of expertise. 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:03.290 It really seems to underscore the depth and breadth 00:05:03.290 --> 00:05:05.470 of the scientific community that's pulling together 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:07.610 for this. Absolutely. And that range is reflected 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:09.949 in the topics, too, right? I mean, the science 00:05:09.949 --> 00:05:12.689 itself. Oh, totally. It's incredibly diverse, 00:05:13.069 --> 00:05:14.589 mirroring all the different work that's being 00:05:14.589 --> 00:05:17.139 done. You can learn about... Well, pretty much 00:05:17.139 --> 00:05:19.139 anything weather and climate related. Like how 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:21.740 climate impacts agriculture. That involves work 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:25.560 from the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, 00:05:26.379 --> 00:05:29.839 and USDA. Right. Or you can get into really fundamental 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:33.199 atmospheric stuff. Clouds, thunderstorms, tornadoes. 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:35.480 That's a lot of Noah's area. And ocean dynamics, 00:05:35.660 --> 00:05:38.519 too, I saw. Like ocean heat, acidification. Yeah. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:41.540 and the carbon cycle. Yeah. Key areas for both 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:44.120 NOAA and NASA research. Plus things like the 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:47.399 water cycle, air quality. You see groups like 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.560 Ukar Sayed involved there in education and research. 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.379 Drought, floods, how we measure precipitation, 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:57.899 El Niño, La Niña patterns, all really crucial 00:05:57.899 --> 00:06:00.379 NOAA topics. Even glaciers are on the list. That's 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:03.399 often USGS work, right? The Geological Survey. 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:06.339 Correct. And sea level rise, which involves a 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.389 whole bunch of agencies and groups like UCAR 00:06:08.389 --> 00:06:10.529 site again. And even the basics like weather 00:06:10.529 --> 00:06:12.730 stations, how we measure co -uras in the atmosphere. 00:06:12.949 --> 00:06:14.689 Like the work at NOAA's global monitoring lab 00:06:14.689 --> 00:06:17.149 that's featured. Even water quality is included, 00:06:17.290 --> 00:06:19.970 linking back to the EPA. It's an incredibly long 00:06:19.970 --> 00:06:22.470 list. What it really highlights, I think, is 00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:25.810 how interconnected all this science is. Exactly. 00:06:25.870 --> 00:06:27.769 You can't really understand hurricanes without 00:06:27.769 --> 00:06:30.430 understanding ocean heat. Or climate change without 00:06:30.430 --> 00:06:32.850 understanding the carbon cycle. It all fits together. 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:36.480 And this event seems designed to showcase that 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.459 interconnectedness, that whole system. Yeah, 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:40.800 it's not just a random collection of talks. No, 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:43.980 it feels like a demonstration of the huge body 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:46.459 of work needed to understand our planet's complex 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:49.519 systems. That level of detail in both the speakers 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:52.600 and the topics really hammers home the event's 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:55.279 goal, doesn't it? It does. Showing the public 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.949 the specific valuable work that's actually happening, 00:06:59.129 --> 00:07:01.029 or maybe was happening at full capacity. OK, 00:07:01.129 --> 00:07:02.990 so we've covered quite a bit here. The sheer 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:06.329 scope of this Meteorology Matters event is pretty 00:07:06.329 --> 00:07:10.069 staggering. Yeah, from the long list of experts 00:07:10.069 --> 00:07:13.370 sharing what they know to that incredibly wide 00:07:13.370 --> 00:07:15.430 range of science topics they're presenting over 00:07:15.430 --> 00:07:18.629 100 hours. It's clear that this push, this effort 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:21.250 to connect complicated scientific work directly 00:07:21.250 --> 00:07:23.990 with the public, feels really crucial right now. 00:07:24.329 --> 00:07:25.829 Especially, yeah, when you think about the context 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:27.990 that sort of sparked it, the challenges around 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:29.930 funding and staffing in the science community. 00:07:30.149 --> 00:07:32.990 So reflecting on something like this, what does 00:07:32.990 --> 00:07:38.269 it maybe mean for you listening? Well, perhaps 00:07:38.269 --> 00:07:40.670 it's just a powerful reminder, you know, that 00:07:40.670 --> 00:07:43.490 the science behind weather prediction, climate 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:47.500 understanding, it's not abstract. Right. It really 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:49.800 does impact your daily life, and it shapes the 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:51.699 big decisions we have to make about the future. 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.480 And maybe it shows how engaging directly with 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.560 these experts, hearing it straight from them, 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.060 can actually deepen your own understanding. Cut 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:00.899 through some confusion, maybe. Definitely. So 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:02.480 here's maybe a final thought for you to chew 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.560 on. OK. In this age where there's so much information 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:08.000 flying around, and let's be honest, misinformation 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.519 too, how important is access to this kind of 00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:15.230 unfiltered direct communication from the scientists 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:17.750 themselves. Yeah. How does that potentially shape 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:20.269 public understanding? And maybe foster a deeper 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:22.470 appreciation for just how valuable this research 00:08:22.470 --> 00:08:24.730 really is. Something to think about. That's a 00:08:24.730 --> 00:08:27.569 great point to end on. If you found this Meteorology 00:08:27.569 --> 00:08:29.730 Matters discussion valuable, definitely make 00:08:29.730 --> 00:08:32.730 sure to follow meteorologist Rob Jones. He shares 00:08:32.730 --> 00:08:34.870 a lot more insights into weather and climate. 00:08:35.230 --> 00:08:37.019 Where can foes find him? You can find him on 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:39.059 Instagram. His handle is just meteorologist. 00:08:39.539 --> 00:08:42.799 On TikTok, he's TV meteorologist. And over on 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.759 YouTube, search for Rob Jones hurricane. OK. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:48.080 And on that YouTube channel, you can also find 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:50.340 the Meteorology Matters podcast playlist with 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:51.320 our other discussions.