2009

American Meteorological Society (AMS)
89th Annual Meeting 2009
Phoenix, AZ
January 11-15  2009
 

The theme for the 2009 AMS Annual Meeting is “Urban Weather and Climate: Now and the Future.” The relevance and timeliness of the urban theme cannot be overemphasized. Recent events – Hurricane Katrina; urban floods in Europe and China; heat waves in London, Paris and Chicago; homeland security concerns and industrial chemical accidents; to name a few – point out the vulnerability of urban populations to high-impact weather of all types. In the U.S. today, approximately two-thirds of the population live in cities that occupy less than two percent of the U.S. land mass. This past year, the global population may have reached a tipping point with the world’s urban population equaling its rural population; by 2030, the urban population fraction is predicted to surpass 60% globally and exceed 82% in the more developed countries. Most of the urban population growth results from migration from the rural areas as birth rates tend to decline in the urban areas. The nexus of urbanization and population growth, coupled with anthropogenic urban weather influences and global climate changes, portend an impending ‘perfect storm’ for the urban environment.

American Planning Association Annual Meeting
Minneapolis, MN
April 25–29, 2009

The American Water Resources Association (AWRA): Spring Specialty Conference Managing Water Resources and Development in a Changing Climate
Anchorage, Alaska
May 4-6, 2009

5th Urban Research Symposium on Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda
Marseille, France
June 28-30, 2009

International Conference on Urban Climate
Yokohama, Japan
June 29-July 3, 2009

World Climate Conference-3
Climate prediction and information for decision-making
Geneva, Switzerland
August 31 – September 4, 2009