An interdisciplinary team of scientists, including meteorologists from the Navy Research Laboratory's (NRL) Marine Meteorology Division, received the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) unique "Special Award," Jan. 10.

The team received the award for providing an innovative suite of satellite passive microwave products to the global tropical cyclone community via a tailored website, enabling enhanced storm monitoring.

"This honor marks a significant recognition for contributions to the meteorological sciences that fit outside the traditionally defined awards," said Joshua H. Cossuth, Ph.D., U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. "Providing real-time storm monitoring since 1997, the NRL tropical cyclone (TC) satellite analysis team were early adopters of storm centric processing and internet broadcast of satellite data through the creation of NRL TC Web."

Using information provided by operational TC forecast centers via NRL's Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecast (ATCF) system, near real-time processing of value-added products from satellite imagery were created for TC-centric analyses around the world. NRL TC Web has made these analyses of TC position, intensity and structure an indispensable part of the forecasting toolbox at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, National Hurricane Center, and Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Current and former members of the NRL Tropical Cyclone Satellite Analysis Team include Richard L. Bankert, Joshua H. Cossuth, Jeffrey D. Hawkins, Thomas F. Lee, Kim A. Richardson, Charles R. Sampson, Melinda L. Surratt, and Song Yang (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory - Monterey [NRL-MRY]); F. Joseph Turk (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL]); John E. Kent (Science Applications International Corporation [SAIC]); and Jeremy E. Solbrig (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere [CIRA]).

The AMS annual awards honor outstanding individuals and organizations of the weather, water and climate community. Special awards are presented to individuals, teams of individuals, or organizations not appropriately recognized by more specifically defined awards, who have made important contributions to the science or practice of meteorology, related aspects of oceanography or hydrology, or to the society.

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