NOAA HMT Program and Science On a Sphere at California State Fair
August 10, 2007
The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories (ESRL) in conjunction with the NOAA Hydrometeorological Testbed (HMT) program will showcase Science on a Sphere (SOS) at the California State Fair, August 17 - September 3, 2007, in Sacramento, CA. Staff from the ESRL Physical Sciences Laboratory and Global Systems Division, National Weather Service (NWS), and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will staff the exhibit. HMT contributors have provided new content on water resource-related issues to enhance the SOS show, including satellite data of the atmospheric rivers that produced flooding in CA during the 2005/2006 New Year's event. August 28th will feature HMT as a part of "California Flood Day," highlighting the work that NOAA and CA-DWR are doing to protect property and save lives in California. Approximately 1 million people are expected to attend the Fair this year.
Background:
HMT is a national testbed strategy being implemented regionally to aid
flood forecasting and water resource management. Studies have been
performed in Northern California since 1997, but the first actual HMT
demonstration is focused in the Sacramento region between 2005-2008. The
California Department of Water Resources, planned to exhibit at the CA
State Fair with the NWS CA-NV River Forecast Center (CNRFC). CNRFC
requested SOS be utilized as part of the exhibit, and HMT provided support
to make it possible.
Significance:
This public outreach event provides NOAA with an opportunity to educate a
large audience on our research and regional efforts to improve the
availability and quality of weather and water information. This activity
also serves to solidify a one-NOAA effort through cross line office
outreach (NWS & OAR) and supports an important HMT stakeholder in the
CA-DWR.
| Contact: Tim Schneider | More Information: |