Wilder Weather

I recently returned from my annual week of pioneering spirit — hubby and I took to the roads of the Great Plains (and *gulp* a bit of the deep South) one day at a time, seeking interesting weather to experience, photograph, and (to use somewhat cliche terminology) chase.  Being something of a planner, I sacrifice 10 days of each year to going with the flow (literally… the flow of the atmosphere), not planning ahead where we’ll be any more than a few hours in advance, and finding roads less traveled.  It’s the rare chance to be free and explore, and I welcome it every spring as a break from… well… me!  The fruits of our labor are being added to the photo side of our page, courtesy of hubby; check out the additions at http://www.bousteadhill.net/2011.html.

This has been a terrible year for tornadoes, something that I’ll certainly discuss later.  For now, I’m just glad that my home and my city have been out of the path, and my heart goes out to those who have been affected.  Please, if you are able, take a moment to help your neighbors (near and far); so many of those who have been hit are starting again from nothing.

The heat and humidity of summer are here, and we’re doing our level best to turn on the air conditioning only when our sleep is at stake.  Hard to think of the pre-AC days of heat and humidity.  I can take a few nights, but a whole summer?  Makes me appreciate modern conveniences that help us adapt to (or, more specifically, avoid) the weather conditions around us.  It’s not the hot days that get to us humans; it’s the hot nights.  Medical research has shown that to be the case.  Should climate change scenarios pan out as most indicate, across much of the U.S., our summer nights will get warmer and stickier on average, even if the daytime temperatures don’t change much on average.  That’s worse for our health, as humans.  What are your favorite ways to cool down at night that don’t involve cranking up the AC?

Now that summer is here, my expectations for myself on this blog are high!  Look for more frequent posts as I develop a habit :).

Well, I certainly intended to update the site more than once a month!  Maybe that’s hoping for too much ;).  It’s February now, and as Pa astutely observed to Laura, “There’s only this month, then February is a short month, and March will be spring.”  In other words, spring is right around the corner!  It’s a regular Chinook outside my door in the last week, with temperatures kissing 60 degrees and snow melting away as fast as it can.  So far, this winter has been colder than average in eastern Nebraska, but a little warm weather to end February could nudge us back toward normal.  The winter has not been too intrusive this year.

I’ve made little new progress on my research, as I’ve been putting together a dissertation proposal to explain to everyone what I’ve done so far.  Things should get rolling in the next couple of months, though.  One of my specific goals in the next couple of months is to get in touch with teachers to talk curriculum.  I’d like their input into creating lesson plans that connect the English lesson of reading LIW books, and the history lesson of her story, with the science concepts of weather and climate.  The Laura books are a great way to introduce weather to children… Laura was a descriptive and rather accurate observer in her books!

I will be presenting an overview of the Long Winter to a group of mainly climate scientists in Des Moines, Iowa, in the first week of March, at the Climate Prediction Application Science Workshop.  I am hoping to show them how communicating about weather and climate through a story like Laura’s can get new audiences interested in our sciences!

Also, I’ll be making an appearance as a guest on the blog radio show “Trundlebedtales”, with Sarah Uthoff:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trundlebedtales

Stay in touch!

Hi!  I will be using this blog to give updates on the progress of my research into weather events from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  So many of us read these books as children, with their vivid descriptions of weather events ranging from drought and grasshoppers to terrible winters to tornadoes and hail.  As a child/teen/adult who was interested in both Laura’s life and the weather, I spent many years wondering how true those events were.  Now, as a meteorologist and a climatologist, I have the tools to get specific.

Over time, I will update this site with the latest in my research.  So far, my focus has been on The Long Winter, and most of my research likely will focus on that book and that winter.  But many fascinating events occurred in Laura’s books, and her descriptions of weather events provide insight into past climate of the Plains, historical responses to weather hazards, and the emotional responses to weather and climate events.  I hope to delve into all of these!

This work is connected to my Ph.D. research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the School of Natural Resources, with a specialization in Climate Assessment and Impacts.  I am also employed by a particular weather-related government agency, but this account is separate from that work, and any and all information posted here is the responsibility of me and not my employer.

I look forward to sharing the latest in my work and hearing from those who might be interested in the results.  I know you’re out there; I’ve met you at the Laurapalooza in 2010 in Mankato, at a presentation at the science museum in Sioux Falls, or perhaps through email contacts.  Please don’t hesitate to send your (appropriate and relevant) comments!

Many thanks!

–Barb