Weather Geeks

Guest: Dr. Tracy FanaraToday’s topic may sound like something you would see in a Sci-Fi movie…  We’re talking about Dead Zones!  No, it doesn’t have anything to do with zombies, but these dead zones can be very harmful and even deadly to aquatic life. Dr. Tracy Fanara is a scientist and engineer who has been studying these and other types of phenomena to help educate the public and work to change our practices that contribute to them. Today we’ll be focusing on the Gulf of Mexico, but these events can occur in water bodies across the globe where conditions are right.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest: Dr. Andrew GrundsteinIntroduction:The summer season is upon us and with it the Olympic Games in Tokyo! Today we’re going to focus on how weather comes into play not only during the events themselves, but also how it factors into planning a large-scale international sports event. Today’s guest, Dr. Andrew Grundstein of the University of Georgia, is on the International Olympic Committee for his weather-climate expertise and has been on the podcast before, for his focus on one particular aspect of the heat: how it impacts athletes. So we’re going to focus on Dr. Grundstein’s experience with how weather and climate went into the planning for the Tokyo Games and how weather can affect the athletes competing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest: Dr. Kathryn SullivanIntroduction:“To boldly go where no man has gone before” has a great ring to it and it started many a Star Trek episode and movie, but breaking the glass ceiling to boldly go where no woman has gone before can describe our guest today who was: the 1st woman to walk in space, the 1st woman to go to deepest point in space, and the 1st woman to dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth's oceans. These are just a few of her many accomplishments. Today we’ll talk about breaking barriers and the amazing career of Dr. Kathryn Sullivan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest: Eric KlosIntroduction: If you suffer from ailments like asthma and allergies, you know how difficult it can be to manage your symptoms in everyday life. While there have been advancements in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, many people would prefer never having their conditions aggravated in the first place! Today we’re sitting down with the CEO and Founder of the DailyBreath app that seeks to serve as a warning system for people to manage and even avoid their triggers that can make them sick, and in the worst cases, send them to the emergency room. We’ll talk about his motivation behind this innovative application and his future plans to help keep people well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest: Eric KuhnIntroduction: Exceptional drought conditions across the West have continued to worsen over the years. In fact, the past year has been the driest or second driest in most Southwestern states since record-keeping began in 1895. The worsening drought and warming western climate has led to record low levels in the Colorado River, the main source of water for much of the Southwest. Because the water is shared and the supply is dwindling, it’s important to bring up water rights. Today we’ll explore the impacts of the drought on the Colorado River and water rights with Eric Kuhn.Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

Guest: John Jensenius Introduction:When thunder roars, go indoors… You’ve all probably heard the saying, and I’m sure many of you have had your own close calls with this fearsome flash. This week is Lightning Safety Awareness Week, and today, we’re talking to the person who created this annual event! John Jensenius has spent his career keeping people safe as a meteorologist in the National Weather Service, and one of his legacies has been his work to educate and protect people from the dangers of lightning. Each year, lightning kills 49 people on average, so we’ll talk about the ways you can stay safe and even debunk some myths about lightning that may be putting you at risk. Now let’s begin what is sure to be an electric discussion!Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

Guest: Dr. Greg PostelWe’re only through the first couple weeks of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and we’ve already had a named storm, a tropical depression, and we’re now eyeing the Gulf of Mexico for development heading into the weekend!  Tropical cyclone forecasting has come a long way in recent decades, and there are even long-range signals we can monitor well ahead of time that show us where tropical activity could pick up. Today’s guest is Weather Channel Expert, Dr. Greg Postel, who is well versed in medium and long-range forecasting, as well as tropical cyclones. Our discussion will highlight what these signals are and how we can leverage them to alert local residents before a storm arrives.

Guest: Jared RennieIntroduction:Just as we do with the census, every ten years it’s time to update some things in the weather world. Among those are the climate averages we use in our almanac data. Today's guest is here to talk about our climate’s “New Normals” and help us understand what does that actually mean for us? Jared Rennie is a research meteorologist at the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies and is here to provide some insight on the hows and whys on the need to update these averages.

Guest: Joe Moravsky, American Ninja WarriorTo become a meteorologist, it can take a lot of determination and strength with all of the math & science involved. One meteorologist has used this determination and strength to propel himself into a new career…..becoming an American Ninja Warrior! Today we’re joined by Joe Moravsky of the famed NBC TV series, and we’re going to discuss how he made this amazing leap from meteorologist to obstacle course champion. And it may come as no surprise to many of you, but on the show, he’s referred to as….The Weatherman!

Guest: Dr. Rick KnabbIntroduction:With a new year comes a new hurricane season! Following a record-setting Atlantic hurricane season, it’s understandable that many Americans, especially those living along our coastlines, are afraid of what might be on the horizon in 2021. Today, we’re talking with our Weather Channel Hurricane Expert & former director of the National Hurricane Center, Dr. Rick Knabb. We’ll discuss the latest projections for the upcoming season, the recent changes instituted by the National Hurricane Center, and we’ll also go more in depth on how climate change may be affecting the tropics. This is sure to be a great discussion so let’s get started...

Guest:  Ada MonzónIntroduction:The 2017 Hurricane Season was a memorable one for many in the Atlantic basin with 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes. But, for Puerto Rico, it was especially memorable because of Hurricane Maria. The category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph pushed ashore near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico and became the deadliest and costliest hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history. Chief Meteorologist Ada Monzon covered the storm’s progression, landfall, and the lasting aftermath. Today we’ll explore the communication challenges she and others faced during and after the storm.

Guest: Neil SahotaIntroduction:When we think about artificial intelligence, or A.I., what comes to mind for many folks are robots or even IBM’s Watson, which went head to head with some of Jeopardy’s greatest contestants on television among other things.. But what might not come to mind is how this branch of science and technology is being used to study weather and climate, and how these affect the global population. Our guest today is Neil Sahota, an IBM Master Inventor and United Nations Artificial Intelligence subject matter expert and we’re going to talk about how A.I. is being used to help study and better our planet.

Guest: Mike ChesterfieldIntroduction:Watch.. Warning… Advisory.. Special Weather Statement. For a lot of folks, especially the general public, weather alerts can get a bit confusing. In fact, an “Advisory” is cited as causing the most confusion among the public with a good portion thinking that an “advisory” is a downgrade from a “watch”, which isn’t the case. Our guest today is The Weather Channel’s own Senior Director of Weather Presentation, Mike Chesterfield. Mike’s been on the podcast before to discuss Immersive Realty and Weather Presentation at the Weather Channel, but today we’re going to dive into these changes that will be occurring with the National Weather Service’s alert system. 

Guest: Dr. Susan JaskoThe purpose of a weather alert, whether it be a watch or warning is to reach the most people and save the most lives; but what if the message of those alerts isn't clear or causes confusion? That has been a concern of Meteorologists and Communication experts, and what sparked the reason for updating our current system. Our guest today is Dr. Susan Jasko, Senior Research Scientist at The University of Alabama . Today Dr. Jasko is here to talk about the importance of the communication side of the changes to the National Weather Service’s alert system.

Guest: Mark TorregrossaIntroduction:    The Great Lakes account for 84% of North America’s surface freshwater, and millions of people across the region depend on these Lakes for water supplies, industry, travel, and recreation.  In recent years, these Lakes have seen a wide range of extremes from record high water levels to sudden, sharp declines, and it has been concerning local residents and officials.  Mark Terragrossa serves as the Chief Meteorologist for MLive.com in Michigan, and he’s been closely following the water levels in recent years.  We’ll discuss what factors may be at play here and how these changes could impact local communities and ecosystems.  

Guest: Manuel De La Torre JuarezOn February 18, 2021, the world watched in amazement as the next generation of Mars Rovers set foot on the Red Planet.  Mars Perseverance is the vehicle that will venture out into the Martian desert to help create “the first weather network on another planet.” To explore the mission details of NASA’s latest rover, we’re sitting down with one of the experts, Dr. Manuel De La Torre Juarez of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We’ll break down the suite of instruments on board that will help determine the day-today weather conditions and how those conditions may affect the future of human exploration. Get ready for an “out of this world” geek-out... 

Guest: Chris VagaskyIntroduction: The joy that fills sports fans' hearts as they loudly sing, “Take me out to the ballgame…” is almost palpable, but one thing that may not come to their mind is the threat lightning poses. We’ve seen the images of lighting bolts racing across the sky as fans hunker down in their seats, and this reminds us how deadly this phenomenon can be. Meteorologist Chris Vagasky, who is the Lightning Applications Manager at Vaisala, has dug through the data and found some shocking statistics for some of the league’s most popular stadiums. We’ll break down who’s most at risk for lighting and discuss how his research is being used to improve MLB’s weather safety policies. Get your peanuts & join us for the discussion...

Guest: Dr. Kerry EmanuelClimate science and threats from climate change have been hot topics of conversation among the public as well as business and political leaders. But there seems to be a disparity in how climate scientists view what’s causing this change and how the public understands and feels about the issue. This ultimately hampers efforts to improve the scientific field around climate and to develop effective solutions and policies to mitigate risks. Our guest today is working to bridge that gap in understanding. Kerry Emanual is the author of Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer. We’ll discuss what the motivation was for authoring this book on climate science as well as what he learned from the process and how we can help promote understanding on climate science and how it’s affecting our world.

Guest: Brian McNoldy, University of MiamiA lot of us have grown accustomed to extreme weather events after watching them occur year after year, like tornadoes and hurricanes. But underneath it all, we know our earth is changing. Our hurricanes may look and feel the same way they did 100 years ago, but our rising sea levels are making the impacts to human life and property much worse. Senior Research Associate at the University of Miami Brian McNoldy has been studying this relationship and how it will affect one of the country’s largest population centers in Miami, Florida.