September 05, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Dr. Rezaul Mahmood, associate director of the Kentucky Mesonet project and the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University, successfully organized a 2½-day climate workshop funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) last week.
The workshop, “Detecting the Atmospheric Response to the Changing Face of the Earth: A Focus on Human-Caused Regional Climate Forcings, Land-Cover/Land-Use Change, and Data Monitoring,” was held Aug. 27-29 at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. The co-organizers were from the University of Colorado and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Prominent scientists from the atmospheric science, climate and ecology fields participated in the workshop, Dr. Mahmood said. The workshop is a follow-up to the recently published “Global and Planetary Change” special issue on the impacts of land-use and land-cover change on climate and is the culmination of about a yearlong effort.
“Dr. Mahmood’s organization and participation in this important workshop that attracted national funding and international attendees is a testimony to the important research underway in the Department of Geography and Geology on what may well be the 21st century’s most important social issue -- climate change,” said Dr. David Keeling, head of WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology. “With the Kentucky Mesonet leading the way in developing local, regional and national relationships in climate analysis, WKU is well-positioned to build on its growing international reputation as an important location for climate-centered research.”
More than 50 papers were presented at the workshop, with participants from the United States, the Netherlands, China, Australia, Colombia and Turkey contributing to the research experience. The workshop members have made a series of recommendations to the NSF regarding future research and monitoring priorities.
WKU faculty member Scott Dobler, Kentucky State Climatologist Emeritus Glen Conner, geoscience graduate student Ronnie Leeper and post-doctoral researcher Arturo Quintana also traveled to Boulder to participate in the workshop.
Over the past few years, Dr. Mahmood has been conducting research on how land-use changes have impacted local and regional climates. The workshop highlighted land-use/land-cover change and its impacts on climate, and addressed issues associated with modeling and monitoring of these changes.
More information on the workshop is available online at http://www.joss.ucar.edu/joss_psg/meetings/Meetings_2007/Detecting/Index.html
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Rezaul Mahmood at (270) 745-5979.
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