yes, grover, there i a great pumpkin!

Vol. 13, No. 43

27 October 1978

NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

YES, GROVER, THERE I A GREAT PUMPKIN!

The G'Leat Pumpkin i6 allve and weti and tiving in G'wveA, CoZotado, undeAthe a66umed di6guLe o6 NCAR' ' zdome. By 6teath and dak o6 night, RonRinehwLt oa NCAR's Convective. Sto'wm IivtLion, managed to catch thi& gnimp-seoa6 the Geat Pumpkin in it, -VAue 6ow. Ron cAedit6 W-L suezz in thi.6 totime-apse. photog,-aphy and a poweAhwe 6ioahtighkt. Thank yoL, Ron, Ao'binging p'woA to the nonbeiieveu.h Happy Haoweeen! (Conceived, exec~uted,and photog'aphed by Ronatd Rinehavt.)

This Week in Sta6 Notes ..

The Great Pumpkin Announcements Job OpeningsAtmospheric Chemistry Workshop Visitors Calendar Notes

2/Staff Notes/27 October 1978

AIR CHEMISTS AND COLLEAGUES GAUGE STATE OF THE SCIENCE

A group o6 chemZLt6 watks frtom the FeischmannBuitding. From Zeft to tight: William Smith(Fede= Aviation Administration), C.S. Kiang (NCAR),George Dawson (University of Arizona), James6 Fiend(Dext Uvveusity), A'uthwt Schmebtekopf (NationatOceanic and Atnosphuic Admi~nittation), and AnthonyDetany (NCAR). (Photo by Robert Bumpa.)

"We can't keep sweeping up after each new kindof pollution. We have to understand the problemsthat exist and that might exist, and to do that, wehave to understand the chemistry of the atmosphere,"

said Jack Winchester of Florida State University, aparticipant in an NSF-sponsored workshop on atmo-spheric chemistry held at NCAR last week.

"The chemists here have a tendency to think ofthe atmosphere as an inert carrier for several inter-esting chemicals," he went on, "while the meteorolo-gists tend to think of the atmosphere in terms oflarge-scale weather--winds and waves in which chemi-cals are only incidental. Of course, we're bothwrong, which is why this workshop has served a goodpurpose in getting us to share our knowledge."

The workshop brought together about 110 scientistsfrom some 35 universities, NCAR, 18 government labora-tories, seven private corporations, and five foreign

Staff Notes is published weekly by the PublicationsOffice of the National Center for AtmosphericResearch, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307.

Editor: Sally BatesWriter: Merry MaiselProduction Assistants: Karen Gilleland, Reed Glenn

Copy deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday for publica-tion on Friday. Office: Mesa Laboratory room 259.Phone: (303) 494-5151, ext. 644.

institutions. "We are a very active research commu-nity," says Paul Crutzen, director of NCAR's Atmo-spheric Quality Division and one of the workshop'sorganizers. "Moreover, we're only now beginning toget answers to some of our questions about thechemistry of the atmosphere. We're talking abouttrace constituents whose concentrations range from100 parts per billion to less than one part pertrillion--over something like five orders of magni-tude. And we're finding that many of the assumptionsmade ten years ago, as well as many of the measure-ments, don't accord with our current findings.

"On top of all that, we're talking about anatmosphere that has been perturbed by humanity forhundreds of years. When we talk about 'backgroundlevels' of trace gases, or about 'clean air,' weare speaking only relatively. Right now, for example,I'm interested in what human activities have done tothe chemistry of the air over forests and overcultivated lands. Thousands of years ago, there werevast stretches of undisturbed forest. Today, thereare no regions where the forest has been untouched.In many places, human influences are of the same orderas 'natural' or background processes."

Workshop sessions concentrated first on thereaction cycles of several important chemical species.Small groups discussed the nitrogen cycle, the sulfurcycle, the carbon cycle, organics, halogens, andtrace metals. In plenary reports to the entire work-shop, group chairpersons stressed that none of thecycles could be understood without considering inter-actions with other cycles. For example, JenniferLogan of Harvard, a participant in the carbon-cyclesessions, reported that group's belief that questionsabout carbon species involve learning much more aboutthe sources and sinks of ozone in the troposphere.

Dian Hitchcock cha" a wotkshop 5esion on thesuLfur cyc e. (Photo by Robert Bumpas.) (

(continued)


Later in the week, the focus changed. Groupsmet to discuss sources and sinks for all tracechemicals, the transformation of chemicals (fromgases to particles, for example), the transport ofchemicals, and ways to get at the global concentrationand distribution of gases and aerosols.

"The transformation of chemicals from gases toparticles is a particularly difficult question,"Paul comments. "There are very few theories to goon, and still fewer measurements. Sessions likethe one on transformation, or the one on organics,gave us a good idea of how little we know. I wasparticularly struck by the modesty of the partici-pants; everyone seems to be aware that we are onlynow beginning to get reliable information aboutchemicals in the atmosphere."

"I really enjoyed the workshop," says MichaelMcIntyre of Cambridge, an applied mathematicianwho has worked in the area of dynamical meteorology."I attended the session on transports, and it gaveme a chance to learn something new about chemicalsas tracers of atmospheric motions."

McIntyre's attitude seemed typical of the scien-tists Staff Nota spoke to. "I've never been to ameeting of this size in which discussions were carriedon in so uniformly friendly a fashion," Paul Crutzensays. "It's a sign of the health of the field."

A publication of workshop proceedings will beissued next year, and the results of the workshopwill be used to guide the sponsor (NSF) and otheragencies in decisions affecting future research inatmospheric chemistry. o MM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

EAC PLANS CHRISTMAS SKIT

Performers and volunteers in all phases ofproduction are needed for "Rover, the Radar Reindeer,"a Christmas skit to be presented by the EmployeeActivities Committee (EAC). The skit will be heldon Friday, 15 December, before the adult ChristmasParty scheduled for the same day. If you are inter-ested, please plan to attend an organization meetingon Wednesday, 8 November, at 5:00 p.m. in the MainSeminar Room. For further information contact EACrepresentative Joan Wilkerson (ext. 465) or AnitaVejil-Martinez (ext. 556).

GREEN CARDS FOR HITCHHIKERS

Bright green cards marked NCAR are availablethrough Office Services (ML room 136) for peoplehitchhiking up or down Table Mesa Drive. Thesecards have been printed to facilitate connectionsbetween drivers and those needing rides. The cardsserve to identify NCAR employees and may be dis-played in car windows or held by hitchhikers.

BLOOD MOBILE REMINDER

Eileen Borleis would like to remind everyonethat the mobile unit from the Belle Bonfils MemorialBlood Bank will visit the Damon Room in the NCARMesa Lab on Wednesday, 8 November, between 9:00 a.m.and 3:00 p.m.

Employees wishing to donate blood should eithercall Eileen Borleis on ext. 77-633 or fill out andreturn to Eileen by 1 November the blood-donor formthat has been sent out. The entire process ofdonating blood takes less than an hour, includinga few minutes for refreshments after donating. AllNCAR employees, whether donors or not, are eligibleto use the NCAR blood bank. If blood is needed, thehospital or doctor in charge should get in touch withBlair Smallwood (ext. 341) or Vonda Giesey (ext. 222).

ROCKIES HOCKEY TICKETSThe Employees Activity Committee (EAC) tells us

that the Colorado Rockies are offering NCAR employees

discount tickets to this season's hockey games. Inorder to get the discount, however, a group of 20or more people must purchase tickets. The next gamewill be on Friday, 10 November, when the Rockies playthe Philadelphia Flyers. Gametime is 7:30 p.m. andticket prices are $6.00 for adults and $5.00 forchildren. Anyone interested in obtaining tickets

(and, again, a group of at least 20 is needed forthis discount) should call Bobbie Clapper, ext. 270,or Bill Kohri, ext. 252.

SKI CLUB NEWSRegistration for the NCAR Ski Club and the

various ski associations (available at a discountfor NCAR personnel) will be held Monday and Tuesday,30 and 31 October, at the ski booth by the entranceto the Mesa Lab cafeteria. The Ski Club urges you tosign up for the ski association of your choice by

Tuesday, 31 October. This will enable the membershipcards to be processed for early use in the ski season.

ZOT! VSN DELETION

Computing Facility tape librarian Mary Trembourannounces that all VSNs descended to the Ampex massstorage device before 30 April will be deleted on

1 November 1978. This includes all volumes now on:TBM tapes TLO107, TLOll4, TL0123, TLO198, TL0205,and TL0220, except SAVE VSNs designated beforeI November. VSNs may be saved by notifying Mary(ext. 450) or by moving them to the current produc-tion tape with a STAGEOUT=MD. Lists of affected VSNsare posted in the Computing Facility hallway, andwill be sent to all RJE sites.


NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Jeffrey Callander: Student assistant with the Convec-tive Storms Division. ML room 460, ext. 321.Edgardo Esparza: Dishwasher with the Mesa LaboratoryCafeteria. ML Cafe, ext. 267.Joseph Markham: Technician II with the MONEX Projectoffice. FL room 6, ext. 363.Laurence Prantner: Technician II with the MONEXProject office. FL room 6, ext. 363.

DEPARTURES

William Cobb

Aldo Gelpi

Joseph Rodriguez

Robert Rusk

10 November

20 October

13 September

20 October

CREF UNIT VALUE

The CREF unit value at the end of September was$41.86, down $.31 from August 1978.

VISITORS

LONG-TERM

Jans Oerlemans, Koninklijk Nederlands MeteorologischInstituut, The Netherlands. Field of interest:Climate and weather analysis. 18 October-18 December.ML room 314A, ext. 478.--Harry van Loon, Empirical Studies Group

Glenn White, University of Washington. Field ofinterest: General circulation. 23 October 1978 -1 April 1979. ML room 602, ext. 418.--Maurice Blackmon, Advanced Study Program

S

-25 October 1978

NCA R is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.Salary ranges are shown as minimum - midpoint - maximum.

NEW EMPLOYEE salary offers are normally within the minimum tothe midpoint range shown; CURRENT EMPLOYEES receiving

reassignment may be made salary offers from minimum to max-imum depending on a variety of factors.

Regular (Full-time)

MAINTENANCE ELECTRICIAN APPRENTICE - #2102Plant Maintenance DepartmentAssigned salary: $673.75/monthDUTIES: Participate in a 4-year apprenticeship pro-gram registered with the Colorado ApprenticeshipCouncil. Program will include on-the-job trainingunder supervision of a journeyman electrician,550 hours of home study coursework, and testing bythe Division of Occupational Education. Previousrelated experience in the trade will be evaluatedand, at NCAR's discretion, the term of the apprentice-ship shortened and the starting salary rate increased.REQUIRES:

--High School graduation or Colorado GED--numerical and mechanical aptitudes and

finger/manual dexterity as demonstratedby testing

--18-25 years of age (upper limit can beextended up to 4 years in the case ofan otherwise qualified veteran for creditfor a Ist enlistment)

--possession of a valid Colorado driver'slicense and ability to qualify for aGSA driver's license

--ability to perform all required workincluding standing on feet all day,heavy lifting and working on scaffold-ing and ladders as high as 40 feet

Tim Schick, X581

SENIOR MANAGER - #2090Atmospheric Quality DivisionAssigned salary range exempt 61: $24,612 - $31,380 -$38,148/yearDUTIES: Responsible for handling daily operationaland administrative functions in AQD, such aspects toinclude: personnel, staffing, budget, equipment,space, computer time, visitor functions, policy andprocedures. Will have direct responsibility forachieving results in meeting affirmative actionprogram goals and for managing his/her unit in waysconsistent with the Affirmative Action Program. Allactivities require continuous communication withdivision director, project leaders and their staff,as well as coordination among several offices inand outside of NCAR to accomplish complex actions

requiring input from several sources.REQUIRES: skills in--

--helping to prepare/monitor large budgets-- creating/maintaining effective workingrelationships

-- communicating-- initiating/facilitating administrative tasks

as liaison among divisions-- researching and solving administrative problems

--handling confidential material and exercisinggood judgment

ALSO DESIRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED:--working knowledge in atmospheric chemistry oroptics

Marsha Hanson, X517

SUPPORT SCIENTIST II (Palestine, Texas) - #2076

National Scientific Balloon FacilityAtmospheric Technology DivisionAssigned salary range exempt 56: $15,288 - $19,116 -$22,932/yearDUTIES: Provide meteorological support to the FlightOperations Department. Will make surface forecastsfor balloon flight launches and flight descent areas;forecasts of ascent, flight trajectory and descentwinds; conduct briefings with emphasis on 6, 12 and24-hour forecasts; prepare climatological summaries;conduct an operational development program in aneffort to improve ballooning forecasts; may performfield travel.REQUIRES:

--B.S. in meteorology plus 3 years in forecasting--some experience forecasting high altitude winds--willingness to travel on field projects if

necessaryTim Schick, X581

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CASUAL

SECURITY GUARD - #2101Safety/Security Department of ADMAssigned salary range non-exempt 18: $4.182 - $4.817 -$5.451/hourDUTIES: to monitor buildings and contents for pro-tection against loss by fire, theft, and illegalentry.REQUIRES:

--strength and stamina to make requiredrounds and move fire equipment

--ability to work alone in isolated areas--skill in communication and using goodjudgment

--possession of current, valid U. S. driver'slicense

--U. S. citizenship or immigrant alien status-- no prior felony conviction or current criminal

indictment status-- upon hiring, must qualify for and obtain Amer-

ican Red Cross Standard First Aid Certificateand GSA driver's license (to qualify one can-not have more than 2 moving violations in thelast 3 years)

--ability to work on-call-as-neededALSO DESIRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED:

--previous experience as a security guard, lawenforcement officer or military person

Marsha Hanson, X517

STUDENT ASSISTANT (Casual)

STUDENT ASSISTANTS (2) - #2095 & #2096High Altitude ObservatoryAssigned salary: $4.254/hourDUTIES: To assist members of the scientific staffin programming scientific problems in solar physics.Programming for NCAR 7600 or CRAY computers, withinput/output systems, under limited detailedsupervision.REQUIRES:

--current full-time student status, sophomoreor above, in physics, mathematics or computerscience

--interest, experience and skill in FORTRANprogramming

--ability to work 15-20/hours week duringacademic year and full-time during summerand breaks for an indefinite period of time(Flexible work schedule is encouraged)

Tim Schick, X581

STUDENT ASSISTANT - #2099Convective Storms DivisionAssigned salary: $3.502/hourDUTIES: Assist in the preparation and analysis ofsurface and upper air synoptic and mesoscale data.Duties include submitting programs for processing;organizing and plotting data for display; derivingdata from charts and tabulations; plotting scatterdiagrams, histograms; and preparing statisticalsummaries.REQUIRES:

-- current full-time student status-- physical science background which included

math and statistics

-- previous data handling experience-- basic knowledge of statistics and computer

programming-- ability to work 20 hours/week during

academic year and full-time during summerand breaks for an indefinite period of time

ALSO DESIRED, BUT NOT REQUIRED:-- some FORTRAN knowledge

Tim Schick, X581

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0October 30 through November 6, 1978

MONDAY, October 30

* Climate Club Meeting -- Historical Changes inTropical Cyclone Behaviour, Sarah Raper,Climate Research Unit, Norwich, England

3:30 p.m.NCAR Mesa Lab, Main Seminar Room

TUESDAY, October 31

* AAP Seminar Series -- Long-period Free Oscilla-tions of the Atmosphere, Akira Kasahara, AAP


WEDNESDAY, November 1

* Boulder Solar Energy Society Meeting -- PassiveSolar Energy Systems, Ron Judkoff, SERI

12:00 noonNCAR Mesa Lab, Main Seminar Room

* ATD Computing Facility Seminar -- Using BenaryLibraries on the 7600, David Kennison, ATD


* ASP Visitors' Educational Seminar Series --Climate Section, Robert Dickinson, AAP

3:30 p.m.Fleischmann Building, Roberts Seminar Room

THURSDAY, November 2

Open

FRIDAY, November 3

* ASP Visitors' Educational Seminar Series --Large Scale Dynamics Section, Akira Kasahara,AAP

1:30 p.m.Fleischmann Building, Roberts Seminar Room

FRIDAY, November 3 (continued)

e Special Joint HAO-AG/Plasma Physics Seminar --Tokamaks in the Next 10 Years, CliffordSinger, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab

3:00 p.m.HAO Classroom 138

MONDAY, November 6

* Special Seminar -- Overview of Goddard Labora-tory for Atmospheric Sciences, David Atlas,Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,Maryland


* Special AAP Seminar -- Use of the Leap-frogScheme with Large Time Steps for the Shallow-water Equations, Eli Turkel, Courant Instituteof Mathematical Sciences, New York University


Calendar Notes announcements may be mailed toVonda Giesey, ML 136. Wednesday at 12:00 noon isthe deadline for items to be included in theCalendar Notes.

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yes, grover, there i a great pumpkin!

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