Chuck Doswell's

Essays

If you are so inclined, send me e-mail comments on any of these. The essays include:

• A look at the term stratiform precipitation in convective systems
• How the NWS winds are calculated
• Some issues about tornadoes in light of some things I've seen during the two years of the VORTEX field observation program
• A discussion about my heartburn over the word "overrunning"
• The relationship between meteorologists (especially forecasters) and their users
• A look at how a tornado is defined, including a discussion about the observational component of our science
• A tutorial presentation on probability forecasting by me and Harold Brooks
• A discussion for forecasters about isentropic potential vorticity
• A discussion for forecasters about conditional symmetric instability
• A review of Richard Bedard's book, In the Shadow of the Tornado
• A review of Keay Davidson's book, TWISTER: The Science of Tornadoes and the Making of an Adventure Movie
• A statement by Roger Edwards and me about irresponsible media chasing practices
• A discussion of QG vertical motion and what's wrong with "PVA=upward motion"
• A scanned version of the Human element in weather forecasting" paper, originally published in the National Weather Digest in 1986. This one is a formal publication, as well as listed here as an essay.
• A discussion about what "normal" means when applied to the weather
• A tutorial presentation about vorticity with optional mathematics
• An analysis of a textbook problem and its implications about the Coriolis Force
• An expression of some of my pet peeves encountered reading scientific papers and Internet communications
• An essay about budget cutting and the value of forecasts by me and Harold Brooks. This one has become a formal publication.
• A discussion of communication skills for scientific presentations and papers
• A discussion of probability forecasting for convective storms that is more or less like a FAQ list
• A speculative development concerning the time-dependendent behavior of convection ... this is quite technical essay, not for the mathematically-challenged. It is sort of a "diary of an idea" that is as yet incomplete.
• A list of camping safety tips for dealing with the hazards of thunderstorms
• A discussion of my concerns about the application of conceptual models in forecasting and research
• A discussion of tornadoes, especially associated with "record-breaking" tornado events
• A mostly tutorial discussion about using the virtual temperature correction

And the latest addition (22 August 2001) is:

• A rejected publication about reduction in severe weather potential by mesoscale processes and an essay about some issues related to journal publications

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