While I was first writing this, Minnesota was having the first real snow of the season (by real, I mean we were getting some 7 inches in the middle of the state, and up north, they were piling up some two feet) before the temperatures decided to go sub-zero on us. So, being the diligent worker I am, my thoughts turned to experts and how meteorologists are used as experts when folks sue each other?
We are not talking about snowball fights that get out of hand, but the variety of cases we see that involve meteorological expert testimony are legion…
- Detailed data on flooding in previous year at a particular location (warehouse damages suit)
- Exactly when a sidewalk froze up and would the atmospheric conditions have caused salt to have failed (slip and fall)
- A maritime limitation of liability case – boat tipped over in high winds – was it an “act of god” because a “microburst” occurred at this location on this day?
- Was lightning a cause of a wildfire? (damages)
- Was hurricane cause of damages?
- Whether the weather could account for dampness under a firearm found in an alley or would that dampness only have been from the accused’s urine – therefore implicating him in possession of an unregistered firearm (I am NOT making this up).
- More slip and fall cases from various parts of the globe
- Building collapse and mitigating weather situations (damages)
Excuse my light tone – any of these can be quite serious – injury, property damage, unjust imprisonment are not a laughing matter when they affect you. The point I am making in all of this (and because I do not want to look out my window at a bleak snowscape) is that it is vital to have detailed, accurate and verifiable data AND an expert who can readily break it down and communicate the realities of any particular situation to a court and jury.
Some of our meteorological experts:
Experts:
Expert in Climate Physics and Global Warming
Expert received her doctorate in ocean and climate physics from Columbia University in 2010. As a graduate research assistant, she published three peer-reviewed papers and presented her research at national and international conferences. See full profile
Expert in Satellite Remote Sensing, Sea Ice, Arctic Climate Interactions and Feedbacks
Expert has more than 15 years experience in satellite remote sensing of the cryosphere. Expert received a PhD in geography from the University of Colorado Boulder, in 1996, for her work in understanding Greenland climate variability. See full profile
Expert in Meteorological Hazards, Risk Analysis, and Urban Weather Disasters
Expert is a weather hazards specialist and consulting climatologist with professional and research interests in high-impact weather events. He has published peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and scholarly comments, and given formal scientific … See full profile
Expert in Climate Science, Mitigation and Adaptation
Expert has 20 years of experience in atmospheric and climate sciences. His core areas of expertise include atmospheric aerosols, cloud physics, atmospheric radiation. He has broadened his expertise to many aspects of climate mitigation (land … See full profile
Tags: Expert Witness, expertise areas, Meteorology
