ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Agreement with Magee Scientific to sell Model 2015 carbon analyzer
DRI Hosts U. S. Drought Monitor Forum
IN
April
of 2015, the Desert Research Institute and the Western Regional Climate Center( WRCC) hosted the 2015 U. S. Drought Monitor( USDM) Forum in Reno, Nevada. This unique event included a keynote address from Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment( U. S. Department of Agriculture) and Connie Woodhouse, Ph. D., a paleo-climate researcher from the University of Arizona.
This biennial meeting brought together authors of the U. S. Drought Monitor as well as federal, state and local contributors to explore the drought situation across the Western U. S., drought impacts, and provided a forum for discussion and improvements to the USDM. The final day of the forum was dedicated to a special session related to the ongoing drought in California and Nevada. Both states are entering a fifth consecutive year of drought, with several areas experiencing Level D4 – Exceptional Drought.
This session included updates from Nevada State Climatologist, Doug Boyle and California State Climatologist, Mike Anderson; California Department of Water Resources Drought Emergency Program Manager, Bill Croyle; and a Great Basin Season Fire Outlook from the Bureau of Land Management Meteorologist, Gina McGuire. An afternoon panel discussion focused on improving inter-agency and stakeholder collaboration with the USDM.
In August 2015, DRI proudly announced it entered into agreement with Magee Scientific of Berkeley, California, and its European partner company Aerosol of Ljubljana, Slovenia, to manufacture and market the all-new DRI Model 2015 Multi-wavelength Laboratory Carbon Analyzer.
This cutting-edge instrument developed by Drs. Judy Chow and John Watson, internationally renowned DRI atmospheric scientists, provides advanced analysis of Black Carbon( a component of soot), and Brown Carbon( emitted from smoldering fires or biomass burning).
Black Carbon aerosol particles reduce visibility, adversely impact human health and are known to contribute to regional and global climate change. More recently, Brown Carbon( lightabsorbing organic carbon) has attracted interest as a possible cause of climate change.
Magee Scientific is the originator of the Aethalometer, the most widely used instrument for real-time measurement of Black Carbon aerosol particles in the atmosphere, and their instruments are installed on all continents. 11