Welcome to the Polar Meteorology Group (PMG), home of the Polar WRF Model (PWRF) at The Ohio State University's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.

The Polar Meteorology Group (PMG) conducts research in atmospheric sciences, including numerical weather prediction, cyclone tracking, climate and paleoclimate, boundary layer studies, and the El Nino Southern Oscillation. PMG is also home to the Polar WRF, a modified version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) for use in the Polar Regions. Forecasters use polar WRF as part of the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) to meet the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) needs.

Recent PMG research includes the Year of Polar Prediction in the Southern Hemisphere (YOPP-SH) and the study of blowing snow. YOPP-SH is a continuation of the Polar Prediction Project (PPP), a decade-long initiative by the World Meteorological Organization's World Weather Research Programme (WWRP), researching and developing enhanced weather and environmental prediction and services for the polar regions, covering time scales from hours to seasons. YOPP-SH involves the collection of additional observations during the winter Special Observing Period to evaluate the impact of forecast improvements and enhance the weather forecast models to specify the starting conditions for the forecasts better. The study of blowing snow researches the effects of blowing snow in the Northern Great Plains using novel instrumentation and coupled models.

Giving to the Polar Meteorology Group Development fund will support scholarly and research activities of the Byrd Center's Polar Meteorology Group, including:

• Staff travel
• Student support and supplies

Giving to the Rick Toracinta Graduate Scholarship in Atmospheric Sciences provides annual scholarship awards to graduate students studying atmospheric science, specializing in:

• Severe weather
• Polar meteorology
• Polar climatology