Mountain Weather Research and Forecasting

Mountain weather research and forecasting: Recent progress and current challenges

Book available from Springer (online access free for subscribing libraries) or Amazon

book cover

A book on mountain meteorology is available from Springer, edited by Fotini K. Chow (UC Berkeley), Stephan De Wekker (University of Virginia), and Brad Snyder (Environment Canada), with chapters contributed by the presenters at the Mountain Weather Workshop (see below). This book provides readers with a broad understanding of the fundamental principles driving atmospheric flow over complex terrain and provides historical context for recent developments and future direction for researchers and forecasters. The book is intended to be suitable for use in graduate meteorology programs and has a focus on operations and forecasting.

(See also the online lectures from the 2008 Mountain Weather Workshop.)

Chow, F.K., De Wekker, S.F.J., and B. Snyder (eds). 2013. Mountain Weather Research and Forecasting: Recent Progress and Current Challenges, Berlin:Springer.

Table of contents

  1. 1 Mountain Weather Prediction: Phenomenological Challenges and Forecast Methodology (Michael P. Meyers and W. James Steenburgh)
  2. 2  Diurnal Mountain Wind Systems (Dino Zardi and C. David Whiteman)
  3. 3  Dynamically-Driven Winds (Peter L. Jackson, Georg Mayr, and Simon Vosper)
  4. 4  Understanding and Forecasting Alpine Foehn (Hans Richner and Patrick Ha ̈chler)
  5. 5  Boundary Layers and Air Quality in Mountainous Terrain (Douw G. Steyn, Stephan F.J. De Wekker, Meinolf Kossmann, and Alberto Martilli)
  6. 6  Theory, Observations, and Predictions of Orographic Precipitation (Brian A. Colle, Ronald B. Smith, and Douglas A. Wesley)
  7. 7  Microphysical Processes Within Winter Orographic Cloud and Precipitation Systems (Mark T. Stoelinga, Ronald E. Stewart, Gregory Thompson,
    and Julie M. The ́riault)
  8. 8  Observational Techniques: Sampling the Mountain Atmosphere (Robert M. Banta, C.M. Shun, Daniel C. Law, William Brown, Roger F. Reinking, R. Michael Hardesty, Christoph J. Senff, W. Alan Brewer, M.J. Post, and Lisa S. Darby)
  1. 9  Mesoscale Modeling over Complex Terrain: Numerical and Predictability Perspectives (James D. Doyle, Craig C. Epifanio, Anders Persson, Patrick A. Reinecke, and Gu ̈nther Za ̈ngl)
  2. 10  Meso- and Fine-Scale Modeling over Complex Terrain: Parameterizations and Applications (Shiyuan Zhong and Fotini Katopodes Chow)
  3. 11  Numerical Weather Prediction and Weather Forecasting
    in Complex Terrain     (Brad Colman, Kirby Cook, and Bradley J. Snyder)
  4. 12  Bridging the Gap Between Operations and Research to Improve Weather Prediction in Mountainous Regions (W. James Steenburgh, David M. Schultz, Bradley J. Snyder, and Michael P. Meyers)

This book was inspired by a 4-day Mountain Weather Workshop which was offered August 5-8, 2008 in Whistler, British Colombia, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The book project was partially supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and by COMET at UCAR. The workshop took place the week prior to the 2008 AMS Mountain Meteorology conference and provided a unique learning opportunity for faculty, forecasters, graduate students, and others interested in mountain meteorology. One of the main goals of the workshop was to bridge the gap between the research and forecasting communities by providing a forum for extended discussion and joint education. The workshop consisted of lectures given by 13 distinguished speakers, several group discussion opportunities, and concluded with a day of laboratory exercises designed for forecaster training for the Olympics.