CIRCS
Professor Dan Wright (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nelson Institute) is adding his expertise in extreme storm prediction research in the new Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (CIRCS). Professor Wright is the UW–Madison site director for CIRCS, to be located in Northern Illinois University.
CIRCS research will aim to make society more resilient and better withstand the impacts of tornadoes, hail, and heavy rainfall. The National Science Foundation is providing $1.5 million in funding across five years to develop CIRCS.
PREFIRE
NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) mission has been extended through September 2026 and is broadening its focus from Earth’s poles to the entire globe. Professor Tristan L’Ecuyer, director of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), is the PREFIRE principal investigator.
PREFIRE’s CubeSats gauge the capacity of water vapor, clouds, and other elements of Earth’s system to trap heat and keep it from radiating into space. This information can help improve forecasts, including weather severity and storm frequency.
Professor L’Ecuyer stated, “We have the capacity to collect data for the whole world, not just the poles. What we’ll be able to do is look at the size of ice particles in clouds that affect energy exchange between Earth and space. We’ll be able to incorporate the data into weather prediction models to improve forecasts and improve our understanding of how moisture circulates, which affects where storms form and how precipitation moves around the world.”