Lectures and Events

How Weather Science Shapes Renewable Energy Development, Policy & Grid Integration

April 5, 2022 - 7 p.m.

Bruce Bailey, PhD, Business Executive & Atmospheric Sciences Research Center Faculty Emeritus, University at Albany

Weather science plays a remarkably large role in the renewable energy sector. It guides government policies and influences much of the project development process, including financing. It also enables the reliable integration of large quantities of renewables generation into the country’s electricity markets. An array of stakeholders—energy companies, manufacturers, banks, utilities—depend on weather information to make crucial decisions. This talk will illustrate essential linkages between weather science and components of the renewable energy industry and will discuss how uncertainty analysis plays a key role.

WINTRE-MIX: The Winter Precipitation Type Research Multi-scale Experiment

April 12, 2022 - 7 p.m.

Justin Minder, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany

The National Science Foundation-funded Winter Precipitation Type Research Multi-scale Experiment (WINTRE-MIX) took place from February– March 2022 in northern NY and southern Quebec. This region experiences plentiful near-freezing precipitation with interesting terrain influences and large societal impacts. The goal of WINTRE-MIX is to better understand processes that influence the variability and predictability of precipitation type (i.e., rain vs. sleet vs. freezing rain vs. snow) in storms with near-freezing surface conditions. WINTRE-MIX research leverages advanced NYS Mesonet sites, mobile radars, and instrumented aircraft. This talk will cover the motivation, strategy, and initial results of WINTRE-MIX.

The Science of Communicating about Weather Hazards

April 19, 2022 - 7 p.m.

Jeannette Sutton, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, University at Albany

Communicating weather hazards, the threats to life and property and what people can do to protect themselves, is a transdisciplinary science that harnesses strategies from several research disciplines, including sociology, behavioral change, and communication. Because humans are complex, environmental hazards are ever-present, and technologies are changing, we must constantly learn better ways to communicate and improve on current strategies. This talk provides an overview of research to improve the communication of alerts and warnings that is ongoing at the Emergency and Risk Communication Message Testing Laboratory at the University at Albany.

Monitoring and Characterization of Land Disturbance: Algorithms and Preliminary Results

April 26, 2022 - 7 p.m. (Zoom Only)

Zhe Zhu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut

Land disturbances such as temperature, wind, drought, landslide, fire, and human activities play a key role in terrestrial ecosystem health. Human activities, including deforestation, reforestation/afforestation, agricultural expansion/intensification, and urbanization, currently account for 60% of all disturbances. The remaining 40%, or natural disturbances, threaten human life and property, and can carry large socio-economic costs. Fast detection and characterization of land disturbance is extremely important to mitigating its negative impacts and informing adaptive management measures. This talk will overview applications of the satellite-based COLD algorithm for continuous monitoring of land disturbance and the ODACA algorithm for attributing the disturbance to its source.

Cities in a Warming Climate

May 3, 2022 - 7 p.m.

Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, PhD, Professor of Empire Innovation, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, University at Albany

Cities represent a next frontier scientific challenge in understanding and adapting to a warmer global environment as direct recipients of human impacts due to climate change. Urban environments interact with and often compound the effects of mean global-warming, particularly during extreme weather events. This Falconer Lecture conversation will highlight interactions between the local urban environment and global environment as they both undergo change. The future state of urban air quality, hydrology, human health, and energy demands, together with possible mitigation measures, will be discussed for several different cities.

Decommission and Removal of the Hogansburg Dam: Reconnecting Watersheds, Repatriating Tribal Lands

May 10, 2022 - 7 p.m.

Tony David, Director, Environment Division, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe

In 2016, after years of comprehensive environmental and legal efforts, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe removed the Hogansburg Hydroelectric Dam, thereby restoring approximately 555 miles of accessible river and stream habitat. This event marks the first successful decommission and removal of a hydroelectric dam in the State of New York, and the first of its kind by a Tribal Nation in the United States. This talk will provide an overview of the decommissioning and removal process, including federal policy and regulatory hurdles, costs, and lessons-learned. Sovereign Indian Tribes can play an important role as partners in achieving mutual resource management and restoration goals.

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