Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Dr. Suppresso

Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 2:08 PM GMT on October 09, 2006

The tropical Atlantic remains quiet. A non-tropical low pressure system off the coast of North Carolina today is expected to intensify and move northeastward this week. This low should remain non-tropical, but could gain some tropical characteristics and give Nova Scotia heavy rain on Friday. None of the computer models are forecasting any tropical storm development in the Atlantic this week, and the flow pattern reminds me more of November than October.

Interview with Hurricane Specialist Dr. Jack Beven
With hurricane season winding down, it's time to pay tribute to the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center that have done such an excellent job over the years. You've seen the familiar signatures at the bottom of the National Hurricane Center advisories--Avila, Beven, Stewart, Franklin, Pasch, and Knabb (and this year, joined by five new names!) It's these hurricane specialists that form the bedrock of the superb NHC hurricane forecasts. They are fantastic at what they do, and I rely heavily on their expertise. I'll be doing profiles of two of the forecasters this hurricane season, so you can see the faces behind the names.

"Beven" is Dr. John L. Beven II, one of the six senior hurricane specialists at the NHC. Jack, 45, has been working at the Hurricane Center since 1988. He started then as an intern while working on his Ph.D., and landed one of the coveted hurricane specialist jobs in 1993.

Jack graduated in 1984 from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor's in Physics. He got his Masters degree in Meteorology in 1988 from Florida State, and continued on for his Ph.D. in 1994. His advisor was Dr. T.N. Krishnamurti, famous for his numerous research achievements in tropical meteorology, including development of the FSU Superensemble tracking model for hurricanes. Jack's Ph.D. thesis was titled, "Tropical Cyclone-Environmental Interactions During Recurvature - A Modeling and Observational Study".

I got a chance to catch up with Jack this April at a conference in Monterey, and asked him a few questions:

Q:What is your most memorable experience with a hurricane on the ground?

A: Well, back in 1985 while I was in graduate school at FSU, Hurricane Kate came ashore. A bunch of us grad students found a place by the west door of the Love Building sheltered from the wind, and took turns running into the wind.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

I like to go storm chasing! I take a yearly trip out to Oklahoma and chase tornadoes. I'm also a big Dr. Who fan, and enjoy sports, particularly college football, college basketball, and college baseball.

Q: Do you have any comments you'd like to make about the global warming issue?

A: I think there's a lot of room for both natural and man-made effects in the current way the climate is changing.

Jack has the nickname "Dr. Suppresso" among his storm chaser friends, thanks to the tendency for promising supercell thunderstorms to suddenly die out when he approaches--or for an expected outbreak of severe thunderstorms to completely fail, due to a strong capping inversion. With that kind of ability, we need to have him intercepting hurricanes at the coast, instead of writing advisories!

Jeff Masters

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351. nash28 11:54 AM GMT on October 10, 2006
Morning Crab. Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

352. sandcrab39565 11:57 AM GMT on October 10, 2006
Nash, hows tha ribs? Patrap, Ya might grt some rain on tha tin roof today I see. Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

353. Gatorx 11:58 AM GMT on October 10, 2006
Sandcrab... Please see my 7:00 am post and make a stab at the question. oh yea....Good Morning!

354. nash28 11:58 AM GMT on October 10, 2006
Ribs are sore. I feel like Rocky Balboa after blocking punches with his ribs:-) Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

355. sandcrab39565 11:58 AM GMT on October 10, 2006
Good mornin Gator Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

356. sandcrab39565 12:00 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Floating ball, mineral spirits = sticky ball.lol Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

357. Gatorx 12:02 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Morning humor...I like that!

358. Gatorx 12:03 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Pat...golf ball won't work.... while you watch for the rain on your tin roof today....weather weather weather

359. sandcrab39565 12:05 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
One of the strange tings that was found after Katrina here was hundreds of black rubber balls. As inquireing minds often drive ambition reasearch found that the pile of crushed concrete from our old grain elevator had these balls in it to help in the solidtation of the concrete when it was poured due to the Monolithic pour of its nature. Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

360. Patrap 12:06 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Wheres my mittens?..the FRONT,,is Coming..The Front is Coming!... Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

361. Gatorx 12:07 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Wow...I wonder if anyone else noticed that...I know after our two hurricanes the year before, we found all kinds of stuff that we never knew about.....thats the weather stuff for ya.

362. Patrap 12:07 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
..Get the salt ready sandcrab...LOL Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

363. sandcrab39565 12:08 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Mittens naw Mescal yes. Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

364. Gatorx 12:09 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
I noticed that Dr. Beven in Dr. Masters blog has his degree in Physics...I wonder if most meteorologist have that as an undergrad degree...for those of you that think physics is not weather related perhaps you would care to read Dr. Masters above post.

365. Patrap 12:10 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
This is for Sandcrab...from the Dome crew..Link Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

366. sandcrab39565 12:12 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Gotcha Pat. I talked to my friend yesterday he is suppose to get the disk to me so I can copy the other photos for us. Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

367. nash28 12:13 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Physics is essential for this field. Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

368. Patrap 12:14 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Winning..the BEST medicine for what ails us all..... Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

369. Gatorx 12:14 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Thank you Nash....my point exactly.

370. sandcrab39565 12:15 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Ok well I suppose I need to get some work done will sneak back later. All have a good morning. Member Since: June 25, 2006 Posts: 36 Comments: 9971

371. nash28 12:15 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Have a great day Crab:-) Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

372. Patrap 12:16 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
This morningLinks notes ... Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

373. Patrap 12:18 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Fermi Labs...Quark lines..Link Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

374. Gatorx 12:19 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Bye...Sandcrab

375. Patrap 12:21 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
My Physics Prof...Link Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

376. thelmores 12:21 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
mornin everybody! :) "Posted By: Randrewl Sorry...no squiggly lines!" And believe me.... been staring REAL hard!!! LOL Blob watchin just doesn't seem nearly as fun in the fall as vs. early summer..... oh well, as the seasons change, so do the days of our lives! :) Member Since: September 8, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 3754

377. weatherguy03 12:28 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Its been a long time Gatorx, but I will give you an answer after coffee..LOL Yes, for an undergraduate degree in Meteorology you have to take two semesters of Physics. Member Since: July 5, 2005 Posts: 581 Comments: 29681

378. GoofOff 12:41 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
They do accept an overnight stay at Holiday Inn Express in leu of the Physics minor. Member Since: August 2, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 438

379. Patrap 12:43 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Tornado watch boxes now in Central Texas... Member Since: July 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 113014

380. Gatorx 12:53 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Ricderr....correct answer and very great explanation.

385. Gatorx 1:15 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
OK gotto go to work now the correct answer is... The answer is (b); the ball will float higher out of the water after the mineral spirits is poured onto the water. The ball floats at a higher level because the mineral spirits in which the upper part of the ball is floating provide an additional buoyant force on the ball. If the ball is floating on water alone, the top part of the ball is immersed in air, which has a much smaller density. Thanks to all who participated... Nash and Ricderr and cbbeachbum got the correct answers...smarty pants.

386. nash28 1:20 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
My pants thank you Gator. :-) Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

387. Gatorx 1:21 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
no no no

388. nash28 1:22 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
Awww, c'mon you can go there:-) Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

389. Gatorx 1:24 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
No No No...weather weather weather...I will stick to weather.

390. nash28 1:25 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
I will stick to pants.... Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

391. Gatorx 1:27 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
.while watching the tropics...ULL...blobs ...highs..lows.

392. nash28 1:30 PM GMT on October 10, 2006
There ya go Gator:-) Member Since: July 11, 2005 Posts: 190 Comments: 16972

393. Nuriel22 11:36 AM GMT on January 31, 2011
Uhh.. old blog :D Member Since: July 18, 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 8

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