Open-access scientific journal for severe storms

[Roger Edwards]

Once we have some papers published, this will be a good medium for folks with some meteorological background to learn about severe storms science, often to the benefits of forecasting/intercept capabilities. ITMT you can check out the site, including our welcoming editorial.

Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology
http://www.ejssm.org

Also reachable through the more easy to recall

http://www.severestorms.org

I've appended our full Grand Opening announcement below FYI. Folks are welcome to copy and re-post this to other severe weather related forums if it's not there already.

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The Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology (EJSSM) is a new, formally refereed, open access, scientific journal devoted to many aspects of the meteorology of severe weather.

Our website is

http://www.ejssm.org

Papers on theory, prediction methods and techniques, causes, impacts, and measuring and monitoring in the following areas of severe weather are particularly welcome (the list is neither exhaustive, nor rank-ordered):

** Any and all types of severe convective weather

** Lightning and related storm electrification

** Severe local storm effects produced in tropical and winter weather systems

** Storm damage analysis and mitigation, human or environmental

** Scientific documentation and analysis of extreme and/or rare events

** Forecast development and verification concepts

** Climatology of and/or influencing severe storm events

** Severe winter storms, including heavy snow, ice, and damaging wind

** Heavy rainfall events, convective and nonconvective

** Pyroconvective storms and fire storms


This is an open-access, online journal similar to those already available for many other branches of science in the U.S., and for some facets of meteorology in Europe. The final publication fee will be surprisingly small for a formal journal and very affordable even for graduate students and those on tight publication budgets ($50 flat for 50 MB and smaller files, grants or exemptions available for hardship cases).

All accepted articles will be available online at no cost to readers and archived for future retrieval and citation. Readers who want to be notified about newly published works can sign up for the automated email notice, sent whenever a new article is posted.

Please consider EJSSM for your formal submissions related to those areas, and spread the word to your colleagues about this groundbreaking new path for severe storms science.

EJSSM is run by a parent, nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing free and open access to the very latest findings in severe weather science.

For more details please visit the EJSSM and E-Journals of Meteorology web site (http://www.ejssm.org).

We welcome any questions, ideas or comments you may have.


Roger Edwards
Editor in Chief, EJSSM
[email protected]

Dr. David M. Schultz
Assistant Editor, EJSSM
[email protected]

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[Glen Romine]

I saw this announced last week, and I have to say that it sounds like a very interesting concept, particularly the living document aspect with reviewer and reader comments joining each article. However, I have to wonder if there are enough 'field veterans' willing to contribute early material to get it off the ground. As a relatively young scientist, I would be hesitant to submit something to a burgeoning journal if I thought it would be acceptable to a more established one, and expect others would be the same way. Severe storms is a relatively small collective of individuals, and since their papers are regularly distributed among AMS journals, there really isn't a void being filled by the new journal, but instead better organization. So, either the cost or curiosity will have to drive initial submissions. That said, I think the idea of a journal like this has the potential to really drive the science forward by collecting diverse ideas and interpretations.

Glen

 

[Roger Edwards]

Perhaps the hardest thing for any new medium to overcome is the combined comfort zone, bulk, and inertia of the established media. Such is the case with a new scientifc journal as well, as Glen alluded.

One thing EJSSM cannot, will not, sacrifice is scientific quality in the name of publishing, so there may not be an explosive torrent of submissions -- especially at first. [We're in a normal and expected holding pattern now between announcements, initial submissions and publication of any of those which pass formal review.] The rigor of review will be every bit that of any other formal journal. This might sounds discouraging at first, but it isn't for the scientist and interested lay reader who want to be assured of high standards for what does get published.

Besides organization (as Glen mentioned), cost (a gigantic advantage) and curiosity (not sure about that one), two other factors are driving interest in submissions. We believe these also will motivate severe storms scientists to consider EJSSM once their papers are ready to submit:

1. Instant free access for all upon publication. Once accepted, papers are available to the world right away, free of charge, and
2. No-extra-charge color graphics and onsite animation capabilities [up to 50 MB] that are unique to EJSSM. Authors wishing to take full advantage of their visuals can't use a print journal for animations, except to advertise a link that might be perishable or pay steep color charges. Now there is a viable and ready alternative.

===== Roger Edwards =====
Chief Editor
Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology
http://www.severestorms.org
http://www.ejssm.org

 

[rdale]

Just wanted to dig this thread out as it appears a very interesting paper on classifying supercells is coming out in the next edition, a "backgrounder" is available now:

The Supercell Spectrum. Part I: A Review of Research Related to Supercell Precipitation morphology

Kyle Beatty, Erik Rasmussen, Jerry Straka, Leslie Lemon

Abstract


This paper reviews the history of nomenclature used to describe the supercell spectrum. Studies are reviewed that attempt to explain the physical processes associated with variations in supercell morphology. The observational evidence for disparate risks associated with variations in morphology is examined.

 

[Paul Knightley]

Looks like a very useful resource - thanks to those who've taken the time to set it up.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

Most chasers will likely find this Journal article extremely interesting...
http://www.ejssm.org/ojs/index.php/ejssm/article/view/39/42