American Meteorological Society

Harrison Gray Otis House on Beacon Street in Boston

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. Some members have attained the designation "Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM)", many of whom have expertise in the applied meteorology discipline of atmospheric dispersion modeling. To the general public, however, the AMS is best known for its "Seal of Approval" to television and radio meteorologists.

The AMS publishes nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals (in print and online), issues position statements on scientific topics that fall within the scope of their expertise, sponsors more than 12 conferences annually, and offers numerous programs and services. There is also an extensive network of local chapters.

The AMS headquarters are located at Boston, Massachusetts. It was built by the famous Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, as the third Harrison Gray Otis House in 1806 and was purchased and renovated by the AMS in 1958, with staff moving into the building in 1960. The AMS also maintains an office in Washington, D.C., at 1120 G Street NW.

Seal of Approval

The AMS Seal of Approval program was established in 1957 as a means of recognizing television and radio weather forecasters who display informative, well-communicated, and scientifically sound weather broadcast presentations. The awarding of a Seal of Approval was based on a demonstration tape submitted by the applicant to six members of a review panel after paying an application fee. Although a formal degree in meteorology was not a requirement to obtain the original Seal of Approval, either appropriate military training or the minimal requirements of undergraduate meteorology courses, including at least 20 semester college credits appropriate for a meteorology major, must have been taken before applying (ensuring that the forecaster has at least a minimal required education in the field). There was no minimum amount of experience required, but it was recommended that applicants had some previous experience in weather forecasting and broadcasting. It is worth noting that many broadcasters who obtained the Seal of Approval did in fact have formal degrees in meteorology or related sciences and/or certifications from accredited University programs. Upon meeting the core requirements, having the seal, and working in the field for 3 years that broadcaster may then be referred to as a meteorologist in the broadcast community.

As of February 2007, more than 1,600 Seals of Approval had been granted, of which more than 700 are considered "active." Seals become inactive when a sealholder's membership renewal and annual seal fees are not paid.

The original Seal of Approval program was phased out at the end of 2008.

Note: The NWA Seal of Approval is issued by the National Weather Association and is independent of the AMS.

Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Seal

The original Seal of Approval program was revamped in January 2005 with the introduction of the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Seal. This seal introduced a 100-question multiple choice closed-book examination as part of the evaluation process. The questions on the exam cover many aspects of the science of meteorology, forecasting, and related principles. Applicants must answer at least 75 of the questions correctly before being awarded the CBM Seal.

Persons who obtained or applied for the original Seal of Approval before December 31, 2004 and were not rejected are eligible for an upgrade of their Seal of Approval to the CBM Seal upon the successful completion of the CBM exam and payment of applicable fees. Upgrading from the original Seal of Approval is not required. New applicants for the CBM Seal must pay the application fee, pass the written examination, and have their work reviewed to assess technical competence, informational value, explanatory value, and communication skills, before being considered for the CBM Seal. While original sealholders do not have to have a degree in meteorology or a related field of study to be upgraded, brand new applicants for the CBM seal must hold at least a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology or a related field of study from an accredited college or university.

CBMs may retain their certification and display the CBM logo only so long as they pay their membership and renewal fees each year and show proof of completing certain professional development programs every five years (such as educational presentations at schools, involvement in local AMS chapter events, attendance at weather conferences, and other activities of the like). The only experience requirement is a nominal three consecutive days, for the purpose of filming demonstration tapes (this contrasts with the NWA's seal, which requires at least two years full-time experience, but allows those who do not have meteorology degrees to apply).

The first person to receive the CBM seal was WRAL's Greg Fishel. As of February 2007, nearly 200 CBM seals had been awarded to broadcast weather forecasters, either upgraded from the original Seal of Approval or granted to new applicants.

Awards

American Meteorological Society offers several awards in the fields of meteorology and oceanography.

Atmospheric Research Awards Committee

• The Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal
• The Jule G. Charney Award
• The Verner E. Suomi Award
• The Remote Sensing Prize
• The Clarence Leroy Meisinger
• The Henry G. Houghton

Oceanographic Research Awards Committee

• The Sverdrup Gold Medal
• The Henry Stommel Research Award
• The Verner E. Suomi
• The Nicholas P. Fofonoff Award

Publications

The American Meteorological Society publishes the following scientific journals:

• Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
• Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
• Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
• Journal of Physical Oceanography
• Monthly Weather Review
• Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
• Weather and Forecasting
• Journal of Climate
• Journal of Hydrometeorology
• Weather, Climate, and Society
• Earth Interactions
• Meteorological Monographs

The American Meteorological Society produces the following scientific databases:

• Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts

Policy statements

As a means of promoting "the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications", the AMS periodically publishes policy statements on issues related to its competence on subjects such as drought, ozone and acid deposition.

In 2007, the AMS issued the information statement "Climate Change: An Information Statement of the American Meteorological Society":

"...there is adequate evidence from observations and interpretations of climate simulations to conclude that the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface are warming; that humans have significantly contributed to this change; and that further climate change will continue to have important impacts on human societies, on economies, on ecosystems, and on wildlife through the 21st century and beyond... Important goals for future work include the need to understand the relation of climate at the state and regional level to the patterns of global climate and to reverse the decline in observational networks that are so critical to accurate climate monitoring and prediction."

External links

• Official website
  • List of AMS Television Seal Holders
  • AMS List of Certified Broadcast Meteorologists
• The Maury Project (a comprehensive national program of teacher enhancement based on studies of the physical foundations of oceanography)