New Mexico State Climatologist

Director/State Climatologist
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
P.O. Box Box 30003 , MSC 3Q
Phone: 505-646-2104
Fax: 505-646-6041
Email: tsammis@nmsu.edu
General Duties: research projects, teaching, and state climatology duties

Deborah Bathke Assistant State Climatologist
Department of Agronomy & Horticulture
P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3Q
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Office phone: (505) 646-6327
cocorahs@weather.nmsu.edu

Craig Meier
Webmaster
Phone: 505-646-5082
Fax: 505-646-5082
Email: webmaster@weather.nmsu.edu
General Duties: maintain web page and database software

The "office of state climatologist" is created within the New Mexico department of agriculture. The administrative and executive head of the office of state climatologist shall be known as the "state climatologist". The board of regents of New Mexico State University shall appoint and fix the salary of the state climatologist.

The purpose of the office of state climatologist is to assist the state to understand and respond to natural and man-induced climate processes and their implications, to cooperate with the federal government in activities relating to climate studies and advisory services, to promote and disseminate a general knowledge of the climatology of the state, to establish a state climate program in accordance with the provisions of the federal National Climate Program Act and regulations promulgated pursuant to that act and to receive and utilize grants made available to the state pursuant to the provisions of the federal National Climate Program Act and other grants, gifts, donations or bequests from any source to be used in carrying out its purpose.

Compiler's notes -- The National Climate Program Act appears as 15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.

A. Assessing the effect of climate on the natural environment, agricultural production, land and natural resources and human health;

B. Coordination climate impact studies and programs to improve understanding of climate processes, natural and man-induced, and of the social and economic implications of climate change;

C. Developing methods and procedures to enable interested state agencies and public institutions of higher education to participate in the program;

D. Disseminating climate data, information, advice and assessments to state agencies, local public bodies and the general public;

E. Establishing an effective mechanism for consultation and coordination with the federal government and other states in climate related activities; and

In carrying out the responsibilities enumerated in Section 3 [75-4-3 NMSA 1978] of this act, the state climatologist shall seek the assistance of the geophysical research center at the New Mexico institute of mining and technology, the remote sensing facility at the University of New Mexico and other appropriate agencies and facilities for scientific support.

A memorandum of Agreement has transferred the responsibilities of the State climatologist from the New Mexico Dept. of Agriculture to the Agricultural Experimentation Station New Mexico State University as of January, 1997.

A history of the Climatology program in the United State and New Mexico shows the long term history of collecting climate information to help make human safety, management, and engineering decision

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
Box 30001 / Dept.3Q / Las Cruces, N M 88003-8003
Telephone: (505)646-3405
FAX: (505)646-6041