EVENTS For information on JPL tours and the speakers bureau, visit our PUBLIC SERVICES site. The Solar System Ambassador Program sponsors events in communities around the country. Find out how to become a volunteer Solar System Ambassador.		Topic - New Weather and Climate Tools for the 21st Century New Weather and Climate Tools for the 21st Century presented by Dr. Moustafa Chahine JPL Senior Research Scientist & Science Team Leader, Aqua Spacecraft Sounding System If you wish to view a tape of this show; Please contact Sherri Rowe-Lopez at (818) 354-6170.   Thursday, February 20 The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, CA Friday, February 21 The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College 1570 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA Both lectures begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Seating is limited. For more information, call (818) 354-0112. After a decade of preparation, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and its two companion microwave sounders were launched in May 2002 on the NASA Aqua mission. Currently, they are observing the Earth's weather and water cycle with unprecedented detail. The AIRS sounding system measures atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles worldwide and provides concurrent information on clouds, ozone and other greenhouse gases. Compared to the only few thousand profiles of daily weather balloons, AIRS can measure over 300,000 profiles a day. This new data will yield considerable economic benefits through more accurate weather forecasting and more reliable prediction of severe storm paths. AIRS will also determine the effects of global warming on Earth's water cycle of evaporation and rain and will demonstrate whether this cycle is accelerating, with implications for floods, drought, and the management of fresh water resources.