With hurricane season in full swing, NOAA will host a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) about the Science of Hurricane Hunting to Improve Forecasts on September 22, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Hurricane scientist Frank Marks, Sc.D., Director of the Hurricane Research Division at AOML, and P-3 hurricane hunter pilot Commander Justin Kibbey of the NOAA Corps will answer questions. The first half of hurricane season has produced a significant number of storms in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. This AMA is a great opportunity to answer questions about how and why we study these storms.
Online chat details:
- Who: Frank Marks, Sc.D., NOAA Hurricane Researcher; Commander Justin Kibbey, P-3 Pilot
- What: Reddit Science “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) “The Science of Hurricane Hunting to Improve Forecasts”
- When: Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
- Where: Reddit Hurricane Hunter AMA
About Frank and Justin:
Frank Marks has been flying into tropical cyclones since 1980, and has since logged over 10,000 hours on the P-3 aircraft. He received his Sc.D. in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Along with being an expert in tropical cyclones (known as hurricanes here in the US), he also serves as the research lead of NOAA’s Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP).
Commander Justin Kibbey of the NOAA Corps is a veteran P-3 pilot. In March 2010, he was selected for an interservice transfer from the United States Navy to the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps at the Aircraft Operations Center in Tampa, Florida. He flew his first hurricane mission in September 2010, and he has flown approximately 20 flights per year since then. He helps scientists such as Dr. Marks gather data by piloting planes into hurricanes.
About Reddit Ask Me Anything Series:
Reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) series was created by the Reddit community as an opportunity for interesting and qualified individuals to answer questions from Reddit users about their profession and life. The science community of Reddit (reddit.com/r/science) decided to create an independent AMA series, known as the Science AMA Series. Their goal is to encourage discussion and facilitate outreach while generating an improved conversation between scientists and the general public.