Salient's new advisory board draws industry-leading scientists from NASA, NCAR, Penn State, and Woods Hole

BOSTON, March 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Salient, a Boston-based startup that creates the world's most accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) weather forecasts, welcomes four highly distinguished scientists to its Science Advisory Board. The new members include Dr. Mark Abbott, President Emeritus of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr. Laifang Li, Assistant Professor of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State University; Dr. Eric Lindstrom, former Physical Oceanography Program Scientist at NASA and Chief Scientist at Saildrone; and, Dr. Alicia Karspeck, Director of Earth Information Programs at SilverLining, and a former scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Together, they bring unparalleled climate-tech expertise and scientific commitment to the oceanographic and climate communities as Salient continues to break new ground in weather analytics.

"We are excited and honored to have such distinguished researchers on our Science Advisory Board," said Salient Co-Founder and President, Dr. Ray Schmitt. "Each one shares our deep interest in putting scientific knowledge to work in order to help people and organizations forecast further to better understand and prepare for the increasing volatility of climate change."

"I am excited about Salient's use of global water cycle observations for climate predictions," said Dr. Lindstrom. "Oceanographers are particularly cognizant of ocean salinity changes and their potential linkage to droughts and floods. It's an exciting concept to mine ocean data for predictability of climate over the continents."

Salient's Science Advisory Board will help guide and advance Salient's forecasting skill as the company leverages path-breaking research in oceanography, meteorology and climate science, along with the rapid advancements in machine learning and predictive data science.

"We are at the beginning of a new era of machine learning and the earth sciences, and there is enormous potential to explore these applications," Dr. Abbott said. "As we start the UN's 'Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development,' innovative capabilities such as Salient's will become increasingly important."

Dr. Li, another new member of the Board, was a postdoctoral scholar in physical oceanography who worked with Dr. Schmitt at Woods Hole. Her statistical and data analysis skills directly impacted the breakthrough predictions that led to Salient's forecasting technology.

"With the unique way that Salient's team is composed, they bring together all this technical and scientific knowledge," Dr. Li said. "I think this is a real advantage that many teams who are focusing on weather prediction do not have."

Dr. Karspeck brings experience in seasonal predictions applied to societal challenges from her work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "Seasonal timescale information is essential for business planning," said Dr. Karspeck. "Salient's approach to forecasting—grounded in science and powered by machine learning—is incredibly powerful. It can make fast, efficient use of the expanding portfolio of earth observations.".

"We've assembled a world-class team of scientists at Salient who have made incredible leaps in a very short period of time," said Matt Stein, Salient's Co-Founder and CEO. "I think our Advisory Board will be an invaluable resource as we continue to grow our team, improve our skill and explore exciting new applications for our technology."

About Salient
Salient combines novel ocean and land-surface data with machine learning and climate expertise to deliver the world's most accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal weather forecasts—2 to 52 weeks in advance. Bringing together world-leading experts in physical oceanography, climatology and the global water cycle, machine learning, and business growth, Salient helps enterprise clients improve resiliency, increase preparedness, and make better decisions in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Learn more at www.salientpredictions.com/

SOURCE Salient Predictions, Inc.