Eric C. Meyers
graduate student supported by
Department of Atmospheric Sciences Earth and Space Science Fellowship
to study feedbacks among distributions of
updrafts, downdrafts,
microphysical processes, and latent heat
associated with
rapid intensifications of Hurricane Dennis
(2005)
My research group is composed primarily of Greg
M. McFarquhar (advisor), Brian F. Jewett, and Steve
W. Nesbitt. Although no statistical results and interpretations are
provided here, I hope this webpage gathers your curiosity and directs your eyes
toward our future publications. Enjoy!
Observations:
Hurricane Dennis (2005) Track and Intensity at 6-hour intervals as reported by the National Hurricane Center (NHC); most rapid estimated central pressure drop of -20 hPa during the 6 hours preceding 0000Z 10 July 07 July; 3 landfalls: Punta del Ingles, CU 0245Z 8 July; Punta Mangles Altos, CU 1845Z 8 July; Santa Rosa Island, FL 1930Z 10 July 2005; dashed lines (altitude not to scale) aid interpretation of viewing angle for the following photograph:
28-mm
photograph from 190 km altitude at 2114Z 07 July 2005; nadir point latitude,
longitude: 21.9N, 71.2W (see map above); center point latitude, longitude:
19.0N, 76.6W (see map above); South (West) toward upper left (right) [courtesy
of Image Science and Analysis Laboratory,
Simulation:
o Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model (WRF ARW v3.0.1)
o 3 nested domains
o 55 vertical levels with average spacing of ~135 m below 2 km (i.e., inflow layer), ~300 m between 3 and 6 km (i.e., melting/freezing layer), and ~500 m between 8 and 15 km (i.e., outflow layer)
o GFDL/GFS initial & boundary conditions
o d01-d03 u,v analysis nudging
o d04 vortex center detection and tracking at 3-km (i.e., parent grid spacing) increments
o Thompson 2007 microphysics
o Kain-Fritsch convective parameterization on d01 only
o Yonsei
PBL scheme
o Dudhia
SW, RRTM LW
Simulation/Observation Comparisons:
{left} Downwelling shortwave flux (W m-2) at the surface 0 (grayscale) and graupel mixing ratio (g kg-1, only > 0.16 colored) on sigma level 0.530 at 16:20Z 07 July 2005 from 1-km simulation; regions of the TC span from the eye (dark (clear) circular center), to the eyewall (surrounding eye collocated with asymmetric inner half ring of graupel at this level), to rainbands (spiraling effect with enhanced graupel concentrations), to stratiform (sandwiched between rainbands). {right} 0.65-μm visible satellite imagery [NRL data archive]of Hurricane Dennis at 1615Z 07 July 2005; central dense overcast displaced from outer, primary eastern rainband convection. WRF simulation reproduces generally the observed structure, but inner-core convection is perceived weaker and less symmetric; furthermore, eye diameter and cloudiness are not simulated accurately
{left} Reflectivity (dBZ) at 4.25 km derived from 1-km WRF simulation. {right} Reflectivity (dBZ) observed by NOAA P-3 aircraft lower fuselage (LF) radar at similar altitude. Concentration of highest model-derived reflectivity (Z) consistent with observed, south of TC center, but it is generally more widespread and more intense; rainband and developing eyewall Z appear > 10 dBZ higher than observations; need statistical analysis to assess generality of this statement
{left} Maximum reflectivity (dBZ) derived from 1-km WRF simulation at 1800Z 06 July 2005. {right} Rain rate (inches hr-1) derived from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI, wide swath)/Precipitation Radar (PR, narrow swath) at 2131Z 06 July 2005, when Dennis was intensifying rapidly from a tropical storm to a CAT1 hurricane (22Z 6 July). Note the general ability of the 1-km control simulation to resolve precipitation structure (that is, highest model-derived reflectivity corresponding to fastest TRMM-interpreted rain rate)
Further Fascination:
SAME SCALE; SAME LOCATION; SAME STRENGTH
BUT VERY DIFFERENT SIZE
About Me:
name: Eric Charles
Meyers
email: emeyers3@atmos.illinois.edu
phone: 217-333-9056
address: Room 217 Atmospheric Sciences Building (where is that?)
105 S. Gregory St.
CV (in progress):
click here
personal statement:
When I chose meteorology as the focus of my
undergraduate pursuit, I assumed that I was clearing a confined path toward
operational forecasting; I was wrong. I quickly discovered that my career was
largely unrestricted. Forecasting was my career choice because I acknowledged
its impact on people's daily decisions; however, my undergraduate experiences
unveiled vast research aimed at improving, v. merely providing, forecasts. In
particular, my research evolved to a focus on improving tropical cyclone (TC)
intensity and rainfall forecasts. How I arrived at the microphysical aspect of
this research stems from numerous educational and research accomplishments,
each framed by competency and leadership.
My success so far has stemmed primarily from
stellar academic achievement. Throughout rigorous pursuit of an undergraduate
degree in meteorology and a supplemental minor in mathematics, numerous awards
unveiled a host of opportunities. On 12 May 2007, I graduated from Millersville University with summa cum
laude honors. In order to attain this academic recognition, I undoubtedly had
to display both competency and leadership throughout my undergraduate studies.
Several research opportunities and recognitions
demonstrated these traits. Undoubtedly, my receipt of a 2006-2007 National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings
Scholarship lies at the forefront. This 
competitive opportunity was granted to only
110 undergraduates nationwide, and I was fortunate to be recognized as one of
these fledgling students in pursuit of a career in the atmospheric and oceanic
sciences. The scholarship, which awarded generous monetary assistance, also
granted each recipient the opportunity to intern within any approved NOAA
facility. With my lifelong journey to improve TC intensity and rainfall
prediction, I chose the Hurricane Research Division (HRD) within the Atlantic
Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). This internship was crucial to refining my graduate
inspiration. It offered various opportunities to analyze advanced numerical
model output in sync with state-of-the-art field campaign data and to thus
acquire valuable curiosity about the role of microphysics in driving latent
heat, TC intensity, and rainfall. Although somewhat deficient in the fields of
numerical modeling, FORTRAN, statistical meteorology, and radar while a junior
undergraduate, I remained focused on a rigorous undertaking while at HRD - one
combining the learning of these fundamentals while simultaneously deriving
conclusive evidence from numerical models in about 2 months. My results are
summarized in a presentation
and on a poster.
In addition to my internship within HRD, I
acquired leadership through my central involvement in Linked Environments for
Atmospheric Discovery (LEAD)
as an undergraduate. Between my freshman and senior undergraduate years, I
centralized my role in this project. The primary tool for my research was
Unidata's Integrated Data Viewer 
(IDV),
software for visualizing various model output and data in up to four
dimensions. I served at the core of creating LEAD-to-LEARN modules, which provide
background information on focused atmospheric phenomena, outline instructions
for using IDV to view archived particular aspects of these phenomena, and
thread basic, intermediate, and advanced questions through detailed
description. In brief, I laid the framework to engage students in interactive
learning while disseminating this information worldwide via the LEAD Portal.
Eventually, I became a key tester of the Portal, who provided comprehensive
feedback to the developers in order to ensure that it serves as a friendly,
intuitive, and inviting common interface for the education community. Robert
Junod, Hareesh Gadde, Thomas Daley, and I presented our collaborative work at TeraGrid '07
(photograph at left).
With this foundation of research established,
I entered my graduate education during the late summer 2007. During my first
year, I received funding from an AMS graduate fellowship. In addition to
providing opportunities for unique recognition and collaboration, this
fellowship encouraged me to formulate research objectives beyond the
contractual bounds of Dr. McFaquhar's funding. Alongside rigorous academics, I
submitted proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF)
and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The proposal to the latter was granted during the late spring 2008. As a
continuation of prior award offerings, it has since provided various opportunities
for unique collaboration. At the forefront, its monetary support allowed me to
attend the 3rd International Workshop on
High-Resolution and Cloud Modeling - Tropical Cyclones and Climate, where I
intertwined preliminary results amidst expert theoreticians,
modelers, and data analysts of various TC spatial and temporal scales. Aside
from my mere inspiration, this workshop confirmed the importance of my research
- ultimately to improve understanding of feedbacks between distributions of
microphysical processes (i.e., latent heating) and vertical motion related to
rapid TC intensity change and rainfall.
Above all, these experiences continue to
shape my career as a teacher who will combine inspiration for the numerics of
cloud-scale TC research with a passion for educating. This career goal branches
primarily from my continual realization of educators' critical roles in shaping
students' lives and unleashing their capabilities. Thank you!
This webpage was
developed 15 January 2009.
The latest update
occurred 19 January 2009.