Jerry Brotzge serves as the program manager for the New York State Mesonet. His work encompasses the field of surface instrumentation, radar and storm-scale meteorology. Brotzge is responsible for the deployment, operations and sustainability of the NYS Mesonet.
Jerry Brotzge serves as the program manager for the New York State Mesonet. His work encompasses the field of surface instrumentation, radar and storm-scale meteorology.
Brotzge is responsible for the deployment, operations and sustainability of the NYS Mesonet.
Learn more: http://www.nysmesonet.org/
The UAlbany News Podcast is hosted and produced by Sarah O'Carroll, a Communications Specialist at the University at Albany, State University of New York, with production assistance by Patrick Dodson and Scott Freedman.
Have a comment or question about one of our episodes? You can email us at mediarelations@albany.edu, and you can find us on Twitter @UAlbanyNews.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Welcome to the UAlbany News podcast. I'm your host, Sarah O'Carroll.
Sarah O'Carroll:
I have with me Jerry Brotzge, program manager for the New York State Mesonet Weather Network. The network, developed and maintained by atmospheric scientists on UAlbany's campus, helps its users make more informed weather-based decisions.
Speaker 2:
All right. So New York, get ready. A brand new monitoring and forecasting system is headed your way. This is supposed to give you better forecasting, better weather, more immediate response to the weather that's coming your way. Now, the state and Governor Cuomo started demanding an early warning system, an early warning weather detection system, if you will. And this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo is moving to make that a reality, announcing the system's first site.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Jerry, give us a sense of the scale of the Mesonet Network and about the kinds of information you gather and share.
Jerry Brotzge:
Sure. Thanks Sarah. The New York State Mesonet is the largest mesonet in the country. And one may ask the question, "Well, what's mesonet?" Well, it stands for a mesoscale network, and mesoscale in meteorology terms means we're measuring anything from a thunderstorm, which is a couple of miles wide, to a cold front, which is hundreds of miles wide. And we've designed a network that would capture that, that would observe that, in meteorology terms. And so we're the largest mesonet in really the world. We have a 192 stations that consist of something like 2,000 weather sensors, and we collect a million observations per day from all across the state.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Wow, that's really expansive. How does Mesonet enable state and local government officials to better plan for extreme weather events and other crises, and who are some common users of this data?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right. The mesonet collects data all the time, 24/7, and it does it in an automated way so that we always have a stream of data coming in, which a hundred years ago, you had to have people with pencil and paper writing that down and sending it in through telegraph or ... It would take a long time. Well, now it's real-time. It's coming in all the time. We have stations in every county and borough.
Jerry Brotzge:
So when you have what we call a high-impact system coming in, a severe weather event or a blizzard or a hurricane, all of our data is brought into UAlbany. It's processed in the data center, and then that data is quality controlled. And then we package that data into files, and then we send that data back out to users. And those users include the National Weather Service. We send our data to their system, which is called MADIS, and that gets it into their national operational forecast models.
Jerry Brotzge:
And so our data's improving the National Weather Service models all the time. So if you're just watching the TV weather, then our data is improving their forecast. Our data also goes to the state Department of Homeland Security, and so if they have emergency situations, they're monitoring our data. We also send our data to a lot of private company ... Well, we work with a lot of private companies and state agencies. For example, the DEC, the Environmental Conservation. They're using our data for monitoring air pollution and fire weather. So lots of different users.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Could you walk us through an example or two in which Mesonet made a material impact in a time of crisis or any significant weather-based decision? Maybe take the abstract and make it more real.
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. Well, two examples come to mind. About a year ago, we had a winter weather case where there was a lot of rainfall on top of ... There had been a snow event a few days before, and then we had a pretty strong, heavy rain event come into the state. And so one of the questions the hydrologists had was, "Well, how much water will come out of that snow pack that we have?" And we measure ... With the Mesonet, we have 20 what we call snow sites. And in fact, all of our 126 what we call standard stations also measure snow depth.
Jerry Brotzge:
And so with the snow sites, we measure how much water is in the snow pack and we also measure soil temperatures in all the stations. And so with all of that information, the Weather Service could look at our data and determine that because the soil was frozen, all of that rain that fell would run off into the rivers and lakes and streams. And so they were able to assess the situation a little more accurately because they had access to our data.
Jerry Brotzge:
And prior to the Mesonet, the Weather Service really only had 26 weather stations across the state. And well, now we have 126 standard stations, another 60 plus or 70 additional sites. So they just have a lot more information available.
Jerry Brotzge:
Now, a second situation that we had just a few days ago was we were able to detect some high-level smoke with our profiling system and-
Sarah O'Carroll:
From a wildfire, or from ... ? Where was it coming from?
Jerry Brotzge:
These fires were coming from Canada-
Sarah O'Carroll:
Wow.
Jerry Brotzge:
... and pretty far west in Canada, but we were able to see that smoke in the data, and we were also able to see that that smoke was transferring down to the ground. And so the DEC was able to modify their air pollution forecast because of what they were seeing in our data.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Wow, that's really interesting. So are there uses for the data you collect that aren't necessarily just weather-related? Terrorism, for example?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. So we do have a product that we've developed for Homeland Security where, if an incident should happen, then they're able to access our data and monitor where, if there was a ... Let's say there was a dirty bomb. Well, with our data, using our very local, high-frequency data, it's better able to predict where that radiation would go. And so we are able to work with Homeland on improving the situational awareness in events like that.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Now, Mesonet has 17 profiler sites throughout the state. So what do these measure specifically, and why is this significant?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right. So the New York State Mesonet's really different from other mesonets in the country because of this what we call profiler network. Each station was roughly a half million dollars, and the reason for that is they consist of three new but very, very complex systems. One of those systems is called a LIDAR, and that's basically a laser pointing up in the sky, and that tells us the wind speed and wind direction within the column of air above the ground.
Jerry Brotzge:
A second sensor is called a microwave radiometer, and that uses microwave radiation to determine the temperature and moisture profiles in the air. And why this is significant is currently the National Weather Service launches three weather balloons in, well, three different locations in New York State. And because of the expense, they only launch balloons twice per day. So over the entire state of New York, you have six what we call soundings.
Jerry Brotzge:
So we really don't have a whole lot of information about the weather happening above the ground except at these six balloon watch locations. Well, with the 17 profiler stations from the Mesonet, that gives us over 4,000 virtual soundings per day. So every five minutes, we take another virtual sounding at the 17 locations. So we're increasing these vertical soundings from six per day to over 4,000 across the state of New York. And so this is still a research area, but we expect within a few years we'll be able to ingest that data into the numerical models, and then we expect a pretty dramatic impact in the accuracy of the forecasts that you see today.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Okay. And I imagine that these sites also help with the costs because you mentioned that these balloons only go up so many times a day, and they only get so many soundings. So these can do similar forecasts but not as expensive. Is that right?
Jerry Brotzge:
When you break it down by the value-added cost per balloon launch versus the benefit you get in improved forecast, we expect that in the end, these will pay for themselves. You hear half a million dollars per site, and you think, "Wow, that's incredibly expensive." And it is. These are cutting-edge research tools, but this is the start of the process of creating the next-generation forecast. And you're absolutely right. In the longterm, this will be a cheaper way to observe the atmosphere.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Now, in addition to overseeing operations, I understand that you also are responsible for sustainability. So can you tell us something about what you and Mesonet are doing to save or renew energy resources as well as address other sustainability questions?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. So another aspect of the New York State Mesonet that's different from other mesonets in the country is that we're really striving to make this mesonet self-sufficient, meaning we're really looking to partner with businesses across the state in the private sector to help offset the operational cost of running the network. And there are expenses associated with running the Mesonet because you're continuously repairing sensors that break, and you're calibrating sensors to keep a high level of quality with the data.
Jerry Brotzge:
So we're really looking at private sector partners in a variety of sectors, including transportation, the renewable energy sector, both in solar energy as well as wind energy, as well as in the hydrological sector. And so we're looking in a lot of different areas, and there are a lot of meteorology companies in the state. We just finished building the system, and so you're right. We're now turning to looking to partner with businesses and state agencies for a variety of ways.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Very neat. Now I know you've been getting into this with talking about businesses and other entities that could use it. But what other information is available to locals that could just help them going about their daily lives, and where can they access this data?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. So let me answer the last question first. We're on the web. If you go to NYSMesonet.org or .com, either way, we'll get you there, .org. And we have one tab called MesoNow and that displays all of the data-
Sarah O'Carroll:
I'm guessing in real-time.
Jerry Brotzge:
In real-time. That's right. And I should say, each of our stations measures ... I don't know if I listed this, but every station, each of our standard stations, measures about a dozen different variables, air temperature, relative humidity, snow depth, precipitation, wind speed and direction, lots of variables. So if you go to the website, you can click on the dot nearest where you live. We have a station in every county and borough in New York. If you have a large county, you'll have more stations.
Jerry Brotzge:
So we have a station spacing around 20 miles and so we say, "Wherever you are in the state, you're within 10 miles of one of our stations." So you can click on your dot, and up will come all of the data from that station. We're also the only mesonet in the country with cameras. So you'll see an image from the station along with the data, and that helps a lot with quality control because you see what's happening. And if you have a rain gauge going on or something and it's raining in the photo, well, you know your gauge is bad. So it really helps with quality control, but it's also just a really fun thing to have.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Very neat. And how many are in Albany?
Jerry Brotzge:
Well, the closest one to here on campus is in Voorheesville, and that's the Albany County site. We also have sites at Duanesburg and, oh, gosh, Schuylerville, Ballston Spa. Those are some of the close ones.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Okay. Now can you share a little bit into how Mesonet came about and who was involved in its implementation?
Jerry Brotzge:
So we have two co-PIs that wrote the original grant here on campus, the chair of the department of atmospheric sciences, Christopher Thorncroft, and also the director of what's called the ASRC here on campus, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, Everette Joseph. And they co-wrote the original grant.
Jerry Brotzge:
And in 2011, we had several hurricanes that came into the state that led to a lot of Upstate flooding. And again, because the Weather Service didn't have but 26 stations across the state, there were a lot of areas where they just didn't have as much information as they would've liked. So there were some flooding that the Weather Service didn't recognize until it was already taking place. And so that prompted the two co-PIs to write down some ideas of a network like this. And then along came Superstorm Sandy, and that actually provided funding that the two co-PIs, sending the grant to the state government. The governor selected the mesonet as one of the winning proposals, and that's how we were funded. So we were funded in spring of 2014.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Very neat. Now Kentucky has a statewide drought warning system, and Oklahoma seems to have a similar mesonet in place as New York. So what can other states learn from these examples?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. About half of states have some kind of weather network, but like you said, there's only a couple of big ones even somewhat similar to ours, Kentucky, West Texas, Oklahoma. And I think the unique thing, again, about the New York State Mesonet is that we're cutting-edge in a lot of ways. We're the only mesonet with a camera network, for example. And that's really made possible because we're one of the few networks that communicate our data through the cellular system, and that just gives us a lot more bandwidth.
Jerry Brotzge:
We're also the only mesonet ... We're one of only two mesonets with the snow depth sensors, which is a tremendous benefit for transportation and even school districts are looking towards the Mesonet for, "Do we close school the next day?"
Sarah O'Carroll:
Sure.
Jerry Brotzge:
But we're also the only mesonet that's really focusing on the private sector to the extent that we are, and making the network sustainable financially is a really big achievement if we can ... when we get there. And a lot of different mesonets around the country are watching us on how we're doing that. And again, we're also the only mesonet with this profiler network. And that's really leading the National Weather Service in looking towards, "How do we collect data from the vertical, from above ground?"
Jerry Brotzge:
And one other thing we haven't talked about, but we're also the only mesonet with what we call a flux network. And we have 17 additional stations that measure the temperature, heat, and moisture coming off the ground. And that's important because that's a big part of the numerical models and how weather interacts with the ground. And, for example, if you have a really strong cold front coming in over a really warm ground, well, then ground temperatures will interact and modify that air mass, and that makes a big difference in your forecast.
Jerry Brotzge:
So we have the 17 flux stations that a lot of numerical modelers across the country are anxious to get their hands on to improve the numerical models. So we're leading in a lot of different ways, both on the technology as well as the sustainability side, that a lot of external reviewers are looking towards us for.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Well, that's a lot of exciting things happening right now. What about the future? Is it going to be advancing the technology with the cameras, or how will these collaborations advance Mesonet in the next couple years?
Jerry Brotzge:
Right, right. I think now that the instrumentation is in place, I think the hardware probably won't change much for awhile, but a lot of the new developments that you'll see is on the product development side. It's working with transportation on developing products specifically for them.
Jerry Brotzge:
And now that we're collecting data, we can take this and start writing algorithms that pull out things like road weather, icing or visibility prediction or fog. So there's a lot of things we can do with the data to add value to that data. Data by itself is important, but there's a lot more that you can do with that even by combining it with other data, such as weather radar data or satellite data. So there's a lot of value-added products to come.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Well, what seems one of the most cool parts of the mesonet system is just how many different entities it influences and both collaborates with.
Jerry Brotzge:
That's right. And another example is we're working with Cornell on ... Cornell runs a pest control model, and we're working with them on ... By ingesting our data, their products are that much more accurate and much more valuable to the farmers. So we have about half of our stations hosted by farmers across the state. And so agriculture is a big area, and we have lots of interest by farmers requesting data and interested in how to use that data to help them harvest or determine when to plant, or ... I have a good interaction with farmers across the state because of their love for weather, and it's useful for what they do.
Sarah O'Carroll:
That's terrific. Jerry, thank you so much.
Jerry Brotzge:
Thank you.
Sarah O'Carroll:
Thank you for listening to the UAlbany News podcast. I'm your host, Sarah O'Carroll, and that was Jerry Brotzge, the program manager for the New York State Mesonet. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by emailing us at mediarelations@albany.edu, and you can find us on Twitter @UAlbanyNews.