A State of Change.
BAMS spoke with Steve LaDochy and Mike Witiw about their book, Fire and Rain: California's Changing Weather and Climate.LaDochy is professor emeritus of geography, geology, and environment at California State University, Los Angeles. His teaching and research interests include climate change, urban climatology, severe weather meteorology, and air pollution meteorology. He received a B.A. in meteorology from the University of California, Los Angeles; an M.S. in atmospheric sciences from Colorado State University; and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Manitoba, Canada.
Witiw, after studying meteorology at San Jose State University, had a long career as an Air Force Weather Officer. He has a master's degree in meteorology and a Ph.D. in science education and has taught meteorology at several colleges and universities including Florida Institute of Technology, the University of Washington Tacoma, and the University of British Columbia.
Jointly, LaDochy and Witiw have published several articles on how California's changing climate has affected the changing distribution and amount of fog seen in coastal California areas.
BAMS: Why write this book?
LaDochy and Witiw: We felt there was a need in climate literature to have a recent book on California weather and climate. There are several state climate books, but none have addressed California since the 1950s. We felt that this large, important state should have an updated, relevant book to describe the unique weather types and regional climates of the state. It also puts to rest some of the misinformed stereotypes about the state's weather and climate. The other reason for writing this book is the current interest in climate change and extreme weather. The past few years, California has experienced so many devastating fires, floods, droughts, and heat waves. These stories alone make for an interesting book.
BAMS: Who is it for?
LaDochy and Witiw: We wrote the book for the general public rather than for scientists, although we hope that the latter would also find the book of interest. And everyone talks about the weather and how it affects their lives. The book may encourage more talk and accuracy about weather phenomena in laymen terms. We also included stories about past weather events that may interest history buffs. Included are stories and chronologies of unusual weather events that may satisfy the weather nerds.
BAMS: What obstacles did you face?
LaDochy and Witiw: The largest obstacle to our writing was getting permissions from outside sources. We include research studies from many agencies and therefore need to accurately describe their work and give credit for their efforts. Another problem was deciding what to include and what to leave out. There is so much information available on the topic that some chapters could be books by themselves, such as climate change. Choosing the best graphics and photos was a challenge as well. We were fortunate to get some excellent contributions from our friends.
BAMS: What did you learn?
LaDochy and Witiw: We learned the benefits of collaboration. Not only do we correct each other's input, but we discuss the best organization of our materials. Having a coauthor made the writing clearer and more readable. We also learned how to work with our publisher, which was something we were not familiar with, but was mutually beneficial.
BAMS: What are the implications of this work?
LaDochy and Witiw: We found in our studies that the weather and climate of California is quite dynamic and has gone through changes over the last few decades. We also found that these changes continue to surprise us even after we finished our manuscript. Not included in the book was the first tropical storm to reach southern California in nearly a century.
Another implication could be that such a book as ours may spur further articles and books on the rich resources available for California's changing environment.
BAMS: Where do you go from here?
LaDochy and Witiw: Our book was an updated version of earlier works. It brings together the most recent studies on the topic. But there are subtopics not covered and newer developments not included in the first edition. If we revise our manuscript with a second edition, there are several suggestions for improvements. Weather records are rapidly changing and could be included in such a revision. Unusual events that occurred in 2023 would be included, such as the unexpected and unusual heavy snow at relatively low elevations in southern California during a La Nina as well as the impact of Tropical Storm Hilary. We also hope to continue our collaboration on fog research.
BAMS: Would this book be suitable for a university or college course?
LaDochy and Witiw: Universities generally require a basic science course for all nonscience majors. We think this book could serve as text for such a course on California weather, or as a supplemental text for a basic general meteorology course. It contains numerous references that students would find useful.
Caption: Steve LaDochy
Caption: Mike Witiw
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | READINGS: INTERVIEW |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |
| Article Type: | Interview |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | Mar 1, 2024 |
| Words: | 818 |
| Previous Article: | OUTLOOKS. |
| Next Article: | Revising the AMS Bachelor's Degree Statement to Best Prepare Undergraduates for the Rapidly Evolving Workforce. |
| Topics: | |