Augie Auer

August H. (Augie) Auer Jr (10 June 1940 - 10 June 2007 [cite web | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444825 | title=Weatherman Augie Auer dies in Melbourne | date=2007-06-11 | accessdate=2007-06-11 | publisher=The New Zealand Herald ] ) was an atmospheric scientist and meteorologist in New Zealand.

As a boy growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Auer was reportedly fascinated by weather. After a freak winter storm caused havoc in his home town, he decided to become a meteorologist. He studied meteorology at Colorado State University before getting a job at the University of Wyoming. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=289&objectid=10445966 NZ Herald obituary] ]

Auer was a Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming for 22 years. [http://www.speakers.co.nz/augieauer.html Speakers New Zealand Presents - Augie Auer] .] A land use typing method to classify land as urban or rural, based on work he published in 1978, is used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and by the Jamaican National Environment and Planning Agency. [ [http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-AIR/2003/April/Day-15/a8542.htm Revision to the Guideline on Air Quality Models: Adoption of a Preferred Long Range Transport Model and Other Revisions] , "Federal Register" 68(72), Apr. 15, 2003. [http://www.nrca.org/regulations/air-ambient-guideline-2006.pdf Natural Resources Conservation Authority Ambient Air Quality Guideline Document] , Nov. 2006. The Jamaican report writes that Auer's method for distinguishing between urban and rural land usage is preferable to other methods in applications involving dispersion of pollution because it is "directly related to the surface characteristics of the affected area that affect dispersion rates" (p. 5–16).] His most frequently cited research paper involves ice crystals in clouds. [cite journal|author=Auer, August H., Jr.; Veal, Donald L.|title=The Dimension of Ice Crystals in Natural Clouds|journal=Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences|volume=27|issue=6|year=1970|pages=919–926|url=http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0469(1970)027%3C0919:TDOICI%3E2.0.CO%3B2|doi=10.1175/1520-0469(1970)027<0919:TDOICI>2.0.CO;2|doilabel=10.1175/1520-0469(1970)0270919:TDOICI2.0.CO;2 [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?num=20&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&cluster=2297442236542130649 96 citations] in Google Scholar.]

In 1990, Auer emigrated to New Zealand, becoming Chief Meteorologist for the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited from 1990 to 1998. He also presented the weather forecast on TV3 News for several years, often preferring to use colloquialisms instead of technical jargon. Auer has been frequently quoted in the New Zealand press regarding weather and climate issues, [ [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22augie+auer%22 Google news archive search for "Augie Auer"] ] and was regarded in New Zealand as a "well-known and colourful meteorologist". ["Climate-change debate taking a new direction", Hawke's Bay Today, May 11, 2006.] In 2006, he helped found the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition in order to argue claims about man-made global warming, [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10379768 Group rejects 'unfounded' global warming claims] , The New Zealand Herald, May 1, 2006. [http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=15090&cid=8&cname=News New science coalition to challenge global warming] , National Business Review, 2006-05-01] leading the MetService to publicly disavow the views of their former Chief Meteorologist. [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=26&objectid=10416137 "MetService keen to leave Augie out in the warm"] , The New Zealand Herald, Dec. 20, 2006.] Following the transfer of "climate science" issues from the then New Zealand Meteorological Service into the "National Institute for Water and the Atmosphere" (NIWA) in 1992; Augie become critical of its statements, including those of former associate Jim Salinger. [ [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0704/S00001.htm Call for NIWA to be disbanded] , 2007-03-31]

In a 19 May 2007 interview with "The Timaru Herald" newspaper, Auer said a combination of misinterpreted and misguided science, media hype, and political spin had created the current hysteria and it was time to put a stop to it, adding "It is time to attack the myth of global warming. According to Auer:

On the 10 June 2007, Auer died suddenly while dining with family in Melbourne, Australia while celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary and his 67th birthday. [cite news| url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/4091347a10.html | title=Controversial weatherman Augie Auer dies | date=2007-06-11 | accessdate=2007-06-11 | publisher=stuff.co.nz] .

References

External links

* [http://www.nzcpd.com/guest43.htm The New Zealand Centre for Political Research, Guest column, Feb 2007]
* [http://www.climatescience.org.nz/ The New Zealand Climate Science Coalition]