AER, Inc. Partners with Columbia University to Develop Climate Information Services

Cambridge, MA—Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. (AER) announced today a unique partnership combining their skills and experience with those of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University, New York to develop and commercialize climate information services and conduct special studies using LDEO’s climate information and AER’s own research.

AER, through its Climate Risk Unit, will take the lead in the development, marketing, and sale of climate information services and studies using information and expertise provided by LDEO and from other sources. Contributions to the partnership by LDEO could include, among others, customized global and regional forecasts, interpretation and analysis of publicly available forecasts of temperature, precipitation, and sea surface temperatures (SSTs), advanced analysis of historical global and regional climate data, and correlation studies between climate and economic indices.

In making the announcement, Cecilia Sze, president and CEO of AER noted: "The collaboration between AER and LDEO brings together a very strong technical and commercial team to make credible and scientifically-based climate information available to a broad spectrum of commercial customers in a number of business sectors who need seasonal and longer range weather information for strategic planning to stay competitive."

Prof. John Mutter, Director of LDEO echoed these sentiments. He said: "Lamont is delighted to forge this unique new academic-private partnership with AER. We are looking forward to working together in the development of innovative climate forecasts which can be widely used by industry and the general public much as weather forecasts are commonly used today. Improved climate forecasts and tailored applications can strengthen the economy in many sectors by allowing, for instance, farmers to maximize crop yields or energy companies to cost-effectively meet the needs of their customers."

Founded in 1977, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. is an award-winning environmental research and consulting company with demonstrated expertise in remote sensing, satellite meteorology, numerical weather prediction, radiation and climate, circulation diagnostics, atmospheric chemistry, air quality and risk assessment, mathematical modeling, planetary sciences, and systems engineering. AER established the Climate Risk Unit in 1999 to develop and deliver weather and climate services to meet the growing demands of risk managers in insurance, energy, and other weather-sensitive industries. In addition to its Cambridge, MA headquarters, AER has offices in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA; Hong Kong; and Beijing.

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is Columbia University's renowned Earth Science research institution. Established in 1949 its research mission encompasses many aspects of the earth's systems including climate processes, and its scientists have made foundation contributions to numerous fields. Its scientists have studied past climates to develop an understanding of the global spatial and temporal history of the world's climate system and were the first to make an accurate prediction of an El Niño event based on computer simulations. The Observatory operates several global observation systems, a world ranging research vessel, and has extensive labs for the analysis of the information they gather. The Observatory is on a large estate located in Palisades, New York.

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