The 22nd Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, sponsored by the American Meteorological Society and organized by the AMS Committee on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, was held 24-28 June 2019 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine.  

The AOFD meeting originated in 1976 as the Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Waves and Stability, held first in Seattle.  The change to its current name in 1997 reflected a broadening in scope from these traditional geophysical fluid dynamics subjects, to a range of topics linked by a focus on dynamics and theory.  Evolution of the conference continues, evidenced especially in recent years by a growing number of abstract submissions on climate-related topics.  This broadening reflects both natural changes in the scientific focus of the community, as well as intentional shifts in topic solicitations.  What has not changed is that the AOFD Conference brings together researchers from different sub-disciplines for a one-week, single-session meeting that puts all presentations in front of all participants. 

The AOFD Committee, cognizant of its dual role in maintaining community identity while widening the tent, seeks to clarify some defining characteristics of the meeting, and synthesize these into a set of principal aims. First, the single-session format means that high value is placed on presentations that avoid jargon and present ideas in ways that are accessible to all who attend.  Second, while complex data, models and mathematics are all essential aspects of AOFD, the common thread should be a focus on simplified approaches that foment understanding.  Third, this conference has a reputation for highlighting the work of early-career scientists, in particular ensuring a significant fraction of oral presentations by PhD students.  In recent years, the committee has strived to increase representation of women and underrepresented groups in the selection of oral presentations, and this trend will continue upward.

Papers were solicited in all areas of atmospheric and oceanic fluid dynamics spanning theory, observations, and modeling. In light of the above discussion, the AOFD Committee would like to highlight three special sessions:  (1) Planetary Atmospheres and Oceans, including all aspects of fluid dynamics on planetary bodies other than Earth; (2) Theory of Climate, with a particular emphasis on conceptual models and new approaches, such as the analysis of model hierarchies and the use of energetic constraints; and (3) Multiscale Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice Interactions, with a focus on the dynamics of interactions across broad time and space scales between these constituents of the climate system.  A full list of proposed sessions will be provided on the meeting website; the final session topics will be based on the number and topics of abstracts received.

 An abstract fee of $95 (payable by credit card or purchase order) was charged at the time of submission (refundable only if abstract is not accepted).  The $95 abstract fee includes the submission of your abstract, the posting of your extended abstract, and the uploading and recording of your presentation which are archived on the AMS Web site. Authors of accepted presentations were notified via email by 1 April 2019.  All abstracts, extended abstracts and presentations are available on the AMS website at no cost.

The AOFD Committee of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is proud to award Best Student Prizes at the 22nd Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics. These awards recognize outstanding student contributions based on an evaluation of the oral or poster presentation; students should indicate they want to be considered for such awards at the time of abstract submission.  Limited financial support is available for student participants.  To apply, students should prepare a short written statement (no more than one page) declaring their financial need and circumstance, relevance of their research to the conference, and their background; a copy of the meeting abstract should also be provided.  Applications should be sent in PDF format via email to Jen Ives ([email protected]).  Awardees may not receive any concurrent travel support from the AMS (e.g., an AMS travel grant).  The selected students will be reimbursed by AMS (Jen Ives, [email protected]) following the meeting with the proper receipts. Applications will be accepted through 8 April 2019 and all applicants will be notified of their application status on or before 1 May 2019.

For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact one the program chairpersons: 

Juliana Dias, CIRES University of Colorado and NOAA/ESRL Physical Sciences Division, Boulder, CO, [email protected]

Shafer Smith, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, email [email protected]

Yohai Kaspi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, [email protected]

Kyle Armour, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,  [email protected]