REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

• Published in: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 84; no. 10; pp. 1353 - 1366
• Main Authors: Mass, Clifford F., Albright, Mark, Ovens, David, Steed, Richard, MacIver, Mark, Grimit, Eric, Eckel, Tony, Lamb, Brian, Vaughan, Joseph, Westrick, Kenneth, Storck, Pascal, Colman, Brad, Hill, Chris, Maykut, Naydene, Gilroy, Mike, Ferguson, Sue A., Yetter, Joseph, Sierchio, John M., Bowman, Clint, Stender, Richard, Wilson, Robert, Brown, William
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 01-10-2003
• Subjects: Air quality; Applied sciences; Atmospheric models; Atmospheric pollution; Earth, ocean, space; Environment; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Forecasting models; Hydrological modeling; Meteorology; Modeling; Observational research; Pollution; Statistical weather forecasting; Weather; Weather analysis and prediction; Weather forecasting; Pacific Ocean; Northwest Pacific; United States; North America; America; Pacific Northwest; INE, Pacific; USA, Pacific Northwest; Weather forecast; Mesoscale; Regional scope; Atmospheric pollution forecasting; Natural hazard; Air quality; Numerical forecast; Risk management; Real time system; Coastal zone; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0003-0007; 1520-0477
• DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-84-10-1353

This paper examines the potential of regional environmental prediction by focusing on the local forecasting effort in the Pacific Northwest. A consortium of federal, state, and local agencies have funded the development and operation of a multifaceted numerical prediction system centered at the University of Washington that includes atmospheric, hydrologic, and air quality models, the collection of real-time regional weather data sources, and a number of realtime applications using both observations and model output. The manuscript reviews northwest modeling and data collection systems, describes the funding and management system established to support and guide the effort, provides some examples of regional real-time applications, and examines the national implications of regional environmental prediction.