34 A mesonet site in rural New York state. 50 similar sites will be constructed across Louisiana in 2024 to help gather more accurate and timely weather data.
ULMMAGAZINE FALL 2023
our region, and I was proud to help secure this substantial federal investment for the University of Louisiana Monroe,” Congresswoman Letlow said. “This project at ULM will provide critical information to our farmers, small business owners, and community leaders so they can better plan and respond to weather events,” she added. The Louisiana State Mesonet will feature 50 sites spread out in a grid across the state and will be managed by the ULM Atmospheric Sciences Program. Program Director Dr. Todd Murphy says the funds have officially been released to ULM and they are moving forward with purchasing equipment and securing site locations. A Mesonet Manager will be hired by the end of 2023 and sites will begin construction in January 2024 and continue throughout the year.
CAMPUS NEWS
Louisiana District 5 Congresswoman Julia Letlow sponsored the request for the $2 million needed to complete the mesonet project. photo courtesy of New York State Mesonet - University at Albany
BY ADAM MCDONALD
STATE MESONET NETWORK PROJECT RECEIVES
$2M IN FEDERAL FUNDING
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n January 2023, ULM received approval for $2,000,000 for the Louisiana State Mesonet Network Project. The request was sponsored by Louisiana District 5 U.S. Representative Julia Letlow and was approved as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2023.
www.ulm.edu
Mesonets are interconnected networks of instrumented monitoring stations across an entire state or region that measure temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and soil conditions. The mesonet and its data will be used for critical weather and climate monitoring that will affect sectors such as severe and hazardous weather forecasting, homeland security and emergency management, aviation, energy and renewables, agriculture, transportation, and education. “Our universities are the economic engines of
“ Our universities are the economic engines of our region, and I was proud to help secure this substantial federal investment for the University of Louisiana Monroe.” – CONGRESSWOMAN JULIA LETLOW
Murphy says the Louisiana Mesonet Network will share information with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other interested parties, which will help fill gaps within the surface observational network across Louisiana, providing more high quality observations for meteorologists to better understand local conditions. “This will enable a greater understanding for how the atmosphere is favorable, or unfavorable, for severe storms, which has a direct impact to issuing accurate and timely information for severe storm warnings,” said Murphy. “We’re very excited about the potential the mesonet brings not only to our program and ULM, but the impact it will have across the entire state,” said Murphy. “When I started at ULM in 2014, I had a vision for turning the Atmospheric Science program into one with a strong instrumentation focus, where we can be a leader and sought-after collaborator on research field campaigns and enable plenty of experiential learning opportunities for our students,” continued Murphy. “We’ve been very successful in doing that with things like the ULM Doppler radar, and our mobile profiling lab. The mesonet represents the next step in that vision, but now we can extend our reach and impact across the entire state – I think that is what excites me the most.”
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