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Banner bottom - Our Seas and Our Skies, 30 years of excellence at NOAA
   

     

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    Name: Hans Rosendal

    Q: Where in NOAA do you work now?
    A:     I work at the NOAA, NWS Honolulu forecast Office and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

    Q: When did you begin your work with NOAA?
    A:     I began working with NOAA in September 1960 after graduating from Univ of Wisconsin in June and a 3 month trip to Europe on a honeymoon. Worked in Office of Climatology in FOB#4 Suitland 1960-64 under Helmuth Landsberg. Was editor of Mariners Weather Log for a while. Worked on Marine climatology and did translations in Foreign Area Section, Wrote National Weather Summaries for the press. Went to Ann Arbor to get a Masters degree for a year, Became NOAA State Climatologist for Wisconsin 1965-73. Went into forecasting as lead forecaster when climatology program was discontinued. Worked at Milwaukee, Phoenix and Honolulu. Predicted blizzards in Wisconsin, haboobs in Arizona and Hurricanes in Hawaii.

    Q: Looking back, what events stand out as the most memorable during your time with NOAA?
    A:     Greatest changes in NOAA :use of Satellites. Improvements in numerical weather prediction. Better understanding of ENSO. Use of Radars in our daily work. Through a lot of luck and being at the right place at the right time, I participated closely in many of the significant changes in NOAA. At Wisconsin I was in on the early development of meteorological satellites from Explorer to geostationary satellites under Suomi and others. At Suitland had personal contacts and discussions with Namias and J. Bjerknes on sea surface temperature anomalies and their feedback on the general circulation...work that has lead to a better understanding of ocean/atmosphere interactions. Through my contacts with the pioneers of NWP in Suitland in the early 60's and my later work in climatology and forecasting I have witnessed and benefitted from the fantastic strides made in numerical modeling of the atmosphere and the oceans in this relatively short span of time.