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AER is proud that 10 of our scientists were the lead authors presenting their research on a wide range of topics at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual Fall meeting. In all, 33 AER scientists contributed to 28 research studies in 7 science categories ranging from greenhouse gases to land surface processes to space weather.

AER scientists involved in greenhouse gas (GHG) research, Janusz Eluszkiewicz and Thomas Nehrkorn, are co-authors of a Harvard-led study "Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the United States" just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and receiving considerable attention worldwide for its conclusion that methane emissions in the U.S. are significantly greater than previous estimates.

When the U.N.’s IPCC released the WG-1 AR5 report, we were proud to see the breadth of research by AER scientists cited in the report. It’s an indication that AER scientists have helped advance the scientific discourse about the Earth’s climate by providing research covering a broad range of topics from the ocean depths to the top of the atmosphere.

Knowledge of changes in ocean bottom pressure, and their relation to fluctuations in sea surface height, is important for understanding aspects of ocean circulation and climate variability; for example, facilitating estimation of ocean heat content variations and elucidating causes for regional sea level variability. However, historical measurements of bottom pressure have been extremely sparse, limiting observational understanding of the nature of ocean bottom pressure behavior on scales relevant for climate studies.

Electrical blackouts are on the rise in the US, costing businesses and consumers more than $100 billion annually and inconveniencing millions of people. But so far insurers, companies, municipalities, government agencies and other organizations lack a widely available and dependable tool to calculate the financial consequences. Understand and assess blackout risks

Lloyds and AER published a ground-breaking study of solar storm risk to the electric grid in North America. The Space Weather Study by Lloyds and AER analyzes the likelihood of extreme geomagnetic storms, the specific vulnerabilities of the North American power grid, the regions at highest risk and the implications for the insurance industry and society generally.

The 2013 wildfire season in the western United States is looking to be a difficult one, fueled by a combination of factors, including a drier-than-normal preceding winter, generally drier vegetative fuels, and warmer current conditions. In addition, projections of higher temperatures and lower-than-normal precipitation this summer raise the prospects of what could become an intense wildfire season.

The AER winter forecast has now been correct for four years in a row (Read Press Release ). Even before that we had published a paper documenting that the AER model was the most skillful, e.g., accurate, winter seasonal forecast model that can be verified. Yet before every new forecast, winter or summer, there is great pressure to be correct and the need to validate the accuracy and usefulness ...

Does your Claims team have optimal decision tools for the 2013 hurricane season? AER scientist and technical expert, Bill Ramstrom, who provided Hurricane Sandy updates, discusses best practices used by industry leaders to improve cycle time and customer satisfaction in the claims process. Preparing for The Upcoming Hurricane Season: Optimizing Decision Tools for Claims Response , hosted by...