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American Meteorological Society
Based in Boston, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) supports the growth and diffusion of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and how these can be used professionally. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes nine research journals, both in print and online, on atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic disciplines. The society sponsors more than 12 conferences annually and offers numerous programs and services to ensure that governmental, academic, and private agencies work together in the field of atmospheric sciences to benefit the wider community. AMS has given a considerable contribution to the development of the scientific sciences since its foundation. The society has also made important official statements on ozone depletion and climate change that recognize human activities as a cause of the phenomena. The latest of the society's academic journals, Weather, Climate, and Society, was launched in 2009 and focuses on understanding how society is affected by climate and its variations.
History of the AMS
Charles Franklin Brooks of the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts, was the founder of the American Meteorological Society. Less than 600 members, mostly coming from the U.S. Signal Corps and the U.S. Weather Bureau, made up the society's initial membership. The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society was initially published as a supplement to the U.S. Weather Bureau's Monthly Weather Review. The increase in dues from $1 to $2 in 1922 caused several amateur meteorologists to discontinue their membership, and practicing meteorologists became the core of the society's membership.
The first few decades of the society's history established its role as a scientific and professional body serving the atmospheric and related sciences. The AMS contributed to the stimulation of progress in the atmospheric sciences that took place in the 1930s and 1940s with the publication of fundamental articles in the Bulletin, the production of books and monographs, and the organization of specialized conferences. World War II also played a crucial role in furthering research in meteorology, showing that the discipline could play a key role in support of military activities, both in ground and air operations. This new awareness led to programs to train a large number of meteorologists as part of the wartime effort; when the war ended, both the military and civilian sectors had a substantial number of meteorologists among their ranks. Meteorology became institutionalized as an academic science with the birth of meteorology departments in most universities. The AMS witnessed a steady growth in membership during this period. Because of new research and newly trained meteorologists, the publications and meetings of the society increased. C. G. Rossby served as president of the society from 1944 to 1945, and developed the research agenda for the society's first autonomous scientific journal, the Journal of Meteorology, which later divided into the two AMS journals: the Journal of Applied Meteorology and the Journal of the Atmospheric Science.
Current Undertakings
The AMS publishes nine scientific journals in print and online and an abstract journal of high academic standard, in addition to the Bulletin. It also organizes over a dozen scientific conferences each year. It has published a series of monographs, as well as many other books and educational materials. The AMS has managed two professional certification programs: the Radio and Television Seal of Approval and the Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) programs. The Radio and Television Seal of Approval was established in 1957 as a way to recognize television and radio weather forecasters who presented weather-forecast programs that featured effective communication and solid scientific credentials. The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) seal, originally introduced in January 2005, includes a 100 question, multiple-choice, closed-book examination, covering many aspects of the science of meteorology and forecasting. In 2010, the AMS expanded its Boston headquarters by acquiring the building next to its historic head offices at 45 Beacon Street. In the educational sector, the society offers a variety of undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to support students wishing to undertake a career in the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. The society considers education as one of its strategic areas of intervention, stating, “the atmospheric and related sciences serve as a gateway to introduce both young people and adults to broad scientific issues.” In 2009, the AMS allocated $500,000 divided into 14 fellowships and 45 scholarships.
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