Contact:  Rick Peterson, Manager of News Services, 920/832-6590
For Immediate Release                                                    
January 26, 2000

Weather Satellites. Global Warming Focus of Two Lawrence Science
Lectures


     APPLETON, WIS. -- Steven Ackerman, associate professor of
atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UW-Madison, discusses weather
satellite images and global warming Thursday, Feb. 3 in a pair of
Lawrence University science lectures.
     Ackerman presents, "The Physics Behind Weather Satellite Images,"
at 11:10 a.m. in Youngchild Hall, Room 90 and, "Is This Wisconsin Winter
Warmth Global Warming?," at 4:15 p.m. in Youngchild Hall, Room 161.
Both events are free and open to the public.
     In his morning address, Ackerman will describe the instruments used
on satellites for transmitting weather imagery and how they measure
radiation emitted by clouds and the Earth's surface.  He also will
discuss how weather satellite technology is used in fire detection, sea
surface temperature analysis and monitoring plumes from volcanic
eruptions.
     In his second presentation, Ackerman will tackle the innocent, but
complex  question of whether Wisconsin's recent string of mild winters
are an anomaly or a tangible sign of global warming and provide an
overview of the current evidence for global warming.
     A member of the UW-Madison faculty since 1992, Ackerman also serves
as the university's director of the Cooperative Institute for
Meteorological Satellite Studies.  He earned his Ph.D. in atmospheric
sciences from Colorado State University.