Tuesday, September 10,
2019
A Message from Craig McLean:
Hurricane Dorian and Exceptional Service
This following is the
original message Craig McLean, NOAA Research Assistant Administrator, sent
to all NOAA Research employees on the morning of Monday, September 9th
regarding Hurricane Dorian and its wide-ranging impacts.
Dear Colleagues,
The fierce storm we know as Hurricane Dorian has concluded its
ferocious path through the Bahamas and along the U.S. East Coast. Many of
you have contributed to the excellent science that has underpinned the
forecasts and current understanding of storms such as this one, which
accelerated quite rapidly in intensity. The storm also presented
challenges in track which improved with enhanced observations. We know
that our collective work, from the scientists in the aircraft penetrating the storm, to the
scientists deploying
the glider picket line, to the modelers and folks working the physics
of the storms, across OAR and in our CI'S, and across
all NOAA Lines, we are working the problem in order to give
the NWS forecasters the best tools we possibly can to keep America
and our neighbors safe. Thank you.
During the course of the storm, as I am sure you are aware,
there were routine and exceptional expert forecasts, the best possible, issued
by the NWS Forecasters. These are remarkable colleagues of ours, who
receive our products, use them well, and provide the benefit of their own
experience in announcing accurate forecasts accompanied by the distinction of
all credible scientists—they sign their work. As I'm sure you also know,
there was a complex issue involving the President commenting on the path of the
hurricane. The NWS Forecaster(s) corrected any public misunderstanding in
an expert and timely way, as they should. There followed, last Friday, an
unsigned press release from "NOAA" that inappropriately and
incorrectly contradicted the NWS forecaster. My understanding is that this
intervention to contradict the forecaster was not based on science but on
external factors including reputation and appearance, or simply put, political.
Our NOAA
Scientific Integrity Policyand Code of Scientific Conduct make clear that
all NOAA employees shall approach all scientific activities with honesty,
objectively, and completely, without allegiance to individuals, organizations,
or ideology. The content of this press release is very concerning as it compromises
the ability of NOAA to convey life-saving information necessary to avoid
substantial and specific danger to public health and safety. If the public
cannot trust our information, or we debase our forecaster's warnings and
products, that specific danger arises.
You know that the value of our science is in the complexity of
our understanding, our ability to convey that understanding to a wide audience
of users of this information, and to establish and sustain the public trust in
the truth and legitimacy of that information. Unfortunately, the press
release of last Friday violated this trust and violated NOAA's policies of
scientific integrity. In my role as Assistant Administrator for Research, and as I continue to
administratively serve as Acting Chief Scientist, I am pursuing the potential
violations of our NOAA
Administrative Order on Scientific Integrity. Thankfully, we have such policies that
are independently cited as among the best in the federal community, if not the
best. Your NOAA and OAR management and leadership team believes in these
policies and principles. I have a responsibility to pursue these truths. I
will.
Thank you for your
continued excellent work, and your trust. Carry on.
I’m Peter Dekom, and when you cannot trust your own government
for facts… oh, some of our best have integrity.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment