Article Type:
Research Article

Restructuring of U.S. Federal Coordination to Advance Meteorological Services

Kelvin K. Droegemeier School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma;

Search for other papers by Kelvin K. Droegemeier in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
and
Neil A. Jacobs Durham, North Carolina

Search for other papers by Neil A. Jacobs in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Online Publication:
12 Feb 2022
Print Publication:
01 Feb 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0031.1
Page(s):
E230–E247
Restricted access

Abstract

For the first time in over 50 years, the United States has, at the direction of Congress, restructured the way in which federal departments and agencies coordinate to advance meteorological services. The new framework, known as the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS), encompasses activities spanning local weather to global climate using an Earth system approach. Compared to the previous structure, ICAMS provides a simplified, streamlined framework for coordination across all stakeholders in implementing policies and practices associated with the broad set of services needed by the United States now and into the future. ICAMS also provides improved pathways for research and services integration, as well as mechanisms to more effectively engage the broader community, including academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, and particularly the next generation of educators, researchers, and operational practitioners.

© 2022 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, kkd@ou.edu

Abstract

For the first time in over 50 years, the United States has, at the direction of Congress, restructured the way in which federal departments and agencies coordinate to advance meteorological services. The new framework, known as the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS), encompasses activities spanning local weather to global climate using an Earth system approach. Compared to the previous structure, ICAMS provides a simplified, streamlined framework for coordination across all stakeholders in implementing policies and practices associated with the broad set of services needed by the United States now and into the future. ICAMS also provides improved pathways for research and services integration, as well as mechanisms to more effectively engage the broader community, including academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, and particularly the next generation of educators, researchers, and operational practitioners.

© 2022 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).

Corresponding author: Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, kkd@ou.edu
Save
Cover Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

  • American Meteorological Society, 2020: Climatology. Glossary of Meteorology, http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/climatology.

  • Bell, J. , and Coauthors, 2018: Changes in extreme events and the potential impacts on human health. J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc., 68, 265– 287, https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2017.1401017.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Benjamin, S. , J. Brown , G. Brunet , P. Lynch , K. Saito , and T. Schlatter , 2019: 100 years of progress in forecasting and NWP applications. A Century of Progress in Atmospheric and Related Sciences, Meteor Monogr., No. 59, Amer. Meteor. Soc., https://doi.org/10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-18-0020.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Briggs, C. , 2020: The climate crisis as a national security risk. Georgetown J. Int. Aff., 21, 5– 11, https://doi.org/10.1353/gia.2020.0022.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Feith, D. , 2017: Climate change and the defense department: Adaptation is a better strategy than mitigation. Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, 37 pp., https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/AD1054568.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Fleming, J. , 2016: Inventing Atmospheric Science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the Foundations of Modern Meteorology. MIT Press, 306 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Fuller, J. , 1979: Air weather service support to the United States Army Tet and the decade after. Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, 311 pp., https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA123284.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Fuller, J. , 1990: Thor’s Legions: Weather Support to the US Air Force and Army, 1937–1987. Springer, 443 pp.

  • Government Accountability Office, 1977: Report to congress: Using aviation resources in the United States more efficiently. U.S. comptroller general, LCD-76-445; B-164497(1), 31 March 1977, 65 pp., www.gao.gov/assets/lcd-76-445.pdf.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Government Accountability Office, 1979: Report to congress: The federal weather program must have stronger central direction. LCD-80-10, 16 October 1979, 80 pp., www.gao.gov/assets/lcd-80-10.pdf.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Government Accountability Office, 2019: Climate resilience: DoD needs to assess risk and provide guidance on use of climate projections in installation master plans and facilities designs. GAO-19-453, 12 June 2019, 53 pp., www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-453.pdf.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Greenough, G. , M. McGeehin , S. Bernard , J. Trtanj , J. Riad , and D. Engelberg , 2001: The potential impacts of climate variability and change on health impacts of extreme weather events in the United States. Environ. Health Perspect., 109, 191– 198, https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.109-1240666.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hahn, W. , 1968: Providing environmental science services. Public Adm. Rev., 28, 326– 341, https://doi.org/10.2307/973514.

  • Hallgren, R. , 1980: The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, Fiscal Year 1980. U.S. Department of Commerce, 82 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Harper, K. , 2012: Weather by the Numbers: The Genesis of Modern Meteorology. MIT Press, 320 pp.

  • Harper, K. , L. Uccellini , E. Kalnay , K. Carey , and L. Morone , 2007: 50th anniversary of operational numerical weather prediction. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 88, 639– 650, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-88-5-639.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Harrison, J. , 1988: Coordination of meteorological services and supporting research in the federal government. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 69, 362– 367, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1988)069<0362:COMSAS>2.0.CO;2.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Houghton, D. , 1996: Meteorology education in the United States after 1945. Historical Essays on Meteorology 1919–1995, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 541– 553.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jacobs, N. , 2021: Open innovation and the case for community model development. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 102, E2002– E2011, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0030.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jensen, C. , 1975: A review of federal meteorological programs for fiscal years 1965–1975. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 56, 208– 225, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1975)056<0208:AROFMP>2.0.CO;2.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Komons, N. , 1978: Bonfires to Beacons: Federal Civil Aviation Policy under the Air Commerce Act, 1926–1938. U.S. Department of Transportation. 454 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kreitzberg, C. , 1969: Prospective applications of models to forecasting. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 50, 947– 956, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-50.12.947.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lapenta, W. , and D. Carlis , 2020: Coordinating the Giant: The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). 30th Conf. on Weather Analysis and Forecasting/26th Conf. on Numerical Weather Prediction, Boston, MA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 13B.3, https://ams.confex.com/ams/2020Annual/webprogram/Paper365990.html.

  • Lazo, J. , M. Lawson , P. Larsen , and D. Waldman , 2011: US economic sensitivity to weather variability. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 92, 709– 720, https://doi.org/10.1175/2011BAMS2928.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Markus, R. , N. Halbeisen , and J. Fuller , 1987: Air Weather Service: Our Heritage, 1937–1987. Military Airlift Command, U.S. Air Force, 168 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Moore, D. , 1964: Coordination of federal meteorological activities. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 45, 376– 381, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-45.7.376.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • National Research Council, 1995: Aviation Weather Services: A Call For Federal Leadership and Action. The National Academies Press, 120 pp., https://doi.org/10.17226/5037.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • National Research Council, 2003: Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services. The National Academies Press, 238 pp., https://doi.org/10.17226/10610.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • OSTP and NOAA , 2020: Charter of the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS). 6 pp., www.icams-portal.gov/resources/icams/signed_icams_charter.pdf.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Oustry, A. , B. Erkan , and R. Svartzman , 2020: Climate-related risks and Central Banks’ Collateral Policy: A methodological experiment (December 2020). Banque de France Working Paper 790, https://publications.banque-france.fr/en/climate-related-risks-and-central-banks-collateral-policy-methodological-experiment.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • PCAST, 2020: Industries of the Future: A New Model for American Science and Technology Leadership. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Washington, D.C., 34 pp., https://science.osti.gov/-/media/_/pdf/about/pcast/202012/PCAST---IOTFI-FINAL-Report.pdf?la=en&hash=0196EF02F8D3D49E1ACF221DA8E6B41F0D193F17.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schulten, A. , A. Bertolotti , P. Hayes , and A. Madaan , 2019: Getting physical: Assessing climate risks. BlackRock Solutions, www.blackrock.com/ch/individual/en/insights/physical-climate-risks.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Shuman, F. , 1972: The research and development program at the National Meteorological Center. Office Note 72, NOAA, 18 pp., https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/12442.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Smagorinsky, J. , 1983: The beginnings of numerical weather prediction and general circulation modeling: Early recollections. Advances in Geophysics, Vol. 25, Academic Press, 3– 37, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2687(08) 60170-3.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Stanley, A. , 1965: Environmental Science Services Administration. Eos, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 46, 643– 644, https://doi.org/10.1029/TR046i004p00643.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Svartzman, R. , P. Bolton , M. Despres , L. Pereira Da Silva , and F. Samama , 2021: Central banks, financial stability and policy coordination in the age of climate uncertainty: A three-layered analytical and operational framework. Climate Policy, 21, 563– 580, https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2020.1862743.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Tallapragada, V. , 2020: Unified Forecast System development and operational implementation plans at NCEP/EMC. 10th Conf. on Transition of Research to Operations, Boston, MA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 5A.2, https://ams.confex.com/ams/2020Annual/webprogram/Paper362787.html.

  • Thorpe, A. , and D. Rogers , 2018: The future of the global weather enterprise: Opportunities and risks. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 99, 2003– 2008, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0194.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Uccellini, L. , and J. Ten Hoeve , 2019: Evolving the National Weather Service to build a weather-ready nation. Part I: Connecting observations, forecasts, and warnings to decision makers through impact-based decision support services. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 100, 1923– 1942, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0159.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • United States Congress, 1965: Government Weather Programs (Military and Civilian Operations and Research) First Report. House Committee on Government Operations, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 203 pp.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • VanDervort, J. , 2020: Sea level rise and beyond: Is the US military prepared for climate change? Bull. At. Sci., 76, 145– 149, https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2020.1751971.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • White, R. , 1964: The organization of the environmental sciences in the Federal Government. Eos, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 45, 301– 306, https://doi.org/10.1029/TR045i002p00301.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Whitnah, D. , 1961: A History of the United States Weather Bureau. University of Illinois Press, 267 pp.

  • Zhang, Y. , P. Yang , Y. Gao , R. Leung , and M. Bell , 2020: Health and economic impacts of air pollution induced by weather extremes over the continental US. Environ. Int., 143, 105921, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105921.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 21 0 0
Full Text Views 4214 2478 94
PDF Downloads 1424 204 10