At the beginning of March, the state climatologist and assistant state climatologist hosted and attended the Southeast Regional Climate Center TAC Meeting in Key West, FL. During the three-day event, members of the regional climate center and representatives from climate offices in the region talked about climate and its impacts on public health, including extensive discussions on heat-related illnesses. Presentations were given by each office on new research being conducted, along with collaborative projects that are ongoing within the region. Future goals and plans for the regional climate center were also mentioned during the meeting. Attendees took a walking tour of Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and were able to visit a variety of historical landmarks during their stay.

The Florida Climate Center, along with the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies and the Deep-C Consortium, put up a display and demonstrated science experiments to hundreds of visitors, young and old, at Tallahassee's Railroad Square on Saturday, March 16. Organizers of the event lined up displays from FSU and the community, including from the Department of Emergency Management and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. David Zierden (Florida Climate Center) and Tracy Ippolito (Deep-C) demonstrated hands-on experiments on making clouds and how plankton moves vertically in the water column, a favorite among kids.

State climatologist David Zierden was a guest lecturer at Florida State University's undergraduate class on public policy on March 21, 2013. The class is designed to look at a whole host of public policy issues affecting Florida and the U.S.A., including water and natural resource management, food supply, and environmental policies. The state climatologist lectured on the science of climate change and what it has meant to Florida, both in the last century and looking ahead for the coming decades. Changes in rainfall patterns, hurricanes, and sea level rise are the most pressing issues in Florida, and Mr. Zierden presented information on how each of these have impacted or could impact the state in the face of a changing climate.

Assistant State Climatologist Melissa Griffin, along with Emeritus State Climatologist Dr. James J. O'Brien, have joined up with members of Florida State University's Learning Systems Institute to make educational videos that highlight one or more of Florida's K-12 educational standards and relate them to real world applications. Dr. O'Brien was interviewed about the factors that influence regional climates, while Ms. Griffin's video focused on the physical processes of severe weather and now it impacts the state. Ms. Griffin was also filmed talking about how a fluid density model can be used as an excellent teaching tool to help illustrate how warm and cold air move in the atmosphere.