AMS journal editors play an important role in the process of communicating research ideas, accomplishments, and progress in the sciences covered by the AMS journals. To get to know a few editors, we asked:
“What is one exciting or emerging area in your field that you’re particularly interested in exploring?”
“The Arctic climate and environment are changing rapidly, no question. What those changes mean for Arctic Peoples is another matter. A prevailing narrative is one of gloom and doom: decline of fish and animals people depend on, loss of snow and ice making travel harder, damage to infrastructure from thawing permafrost, and more. All of this is occurring. And yet, ecosystems and societies also adjust. I do not dismiss climate change and its causes, nor excuse those responsible for deepening the global crisis, but the story is more complicated and more interesting when it comes to how people respond. Science is good at identifying how current systems can be disrupted, which is vitally important. We are not as good at figuring out what new configurations will arise and what they will mean for us. Looking into the unknown is what fascinates me about research and its applications to our world.”
—Henry P. Huntington, Weather, Climate, and Society editor-in-chief
“One area I am particularly excited about is the deep integration of machine learning with physics-based numerical weather prediction (NWP), extending toward coupled Earth system prediction. AI models such as GraphCast, FourCastNet, and Pangu-Weather have already demonstrated potential for rapid, high-resolution forecasts, while community-driven advances in data assimilation (DA)—including hybrid ensemble Kalman filter-variational methods, strongly coupled prototypes, and GPU-accelerated workflows—are expanding our ability to harness multi-sphere observations. Still, I believe that physics-based models remain the foundation of forecast credibility, ensuring consistency across scales and components. The most promising future lies in a hybrid framework: physics provides the bedrock of governing equations, while AI enhances efficiency and helps represent uncertainty. Together, they can drive progress in improving predictions of weather and extreme events, accelerating innovation cycles, and enabling NWP to evolve in ways that are scientifically rigorous, operationally ready, and responsive to society’s needs.”
—Zhaoxia Pu, Weather and Forecasting editor
“Dew points were persistently elevated in June and July in central North Carolina, increasing daily minimum temperatures. A record-high minimum temperature was recorded in Raleigh on 18 July (80°F, for the fifth time since 1887), and hour-specific, early morning record-high temperatures were recorded for 8 a.m. (87°F), 9 a.m. (91°F), and 10 a.m. (93°F) on 24 June. From 13 June to 18 July, there was one new record daily maximum temperature, but there were seven new record daily minimum temperatures. I want to examine sub-daily dew points—alongside temperatures—to see how they have evolved over the past several decades, then explore projected changes to both fields. Future projection data for sub-daily, near-surface moisture have been sparingly available, but newer data will support such analyses. Concurrently examining the evolutions of sub-daily temperatures and dew points can inform community preparedness for excessive heat risks to people and ecosystems.”
—Tanya Spero, Weather, Climate, and Society editor
