CW3E Hosts Outreach Event at Scripps Pier for Industrial Environmental Association
August 31, 2026
On August 19, 2026, the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) hosted the Industrial Environmental Association (IEA) at the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier for a tour focused on climate science and observational research. The IEA was established in 1983 to support local industry while promoting environmental responsibility. The IEA advocates for industry on legislative issues, helps member companies navigate environmental compliance, and provides educational and professional training opportunities. The organization also emphasizes strong environmental compliance among its members and works to promote a positive image of industry throughout Southern California.
During the outreach event, IEA members joined CW3E Field Team R&D Engineers Sarah Burnett and Lisa Katz for a guided tour of Scripps Pier. IEA members learned about data currently being collected at the pier at CW3E’s weather station and our stations across the west coast in support of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO), as well as older datasets that have been collected daily at Scripps Pier since it was first built in 1916.
The highlight of the tour was the weather balloon launch, which doubled as a test launch for a brand new CW3E radiosonde sounding system to be deployed at Shasta College in Redding, CA later this year. This station will be CW3E’s eighth operational radiosonde launch site. This new site is supported by California’s Department of Water Resource’s Atmospheric River (AR) Program. The seven other radiosonde launch sites are supported by the FIRO Program. All sites coordinate launch activities with the AR Reconnaissance (AR Recon) Program. IEA members participated in the setup and launch of the weather balloon while learning about how CW3E’s radiosonde and AR Recon’s dropsonde data are assimilated into global weather models operated by meteorological agencies across the globe, improving extreme weather forecasts, which in turn supports water resource management decisions.
Douglas Alden (R&D Engineer) and Jeri Wilcox (Research Data Analyst) provided additional support with testing the new system and setting up the launch station at the Pier for this event.
