The research of my group is organized into three major themes: fire-atmosphere interaction and smoke dispersion; climate variability and change; and atmospheric boundary layer and mesoscale processes.
Fire Weather, Fire Behavior and Smoke Dispersion
- Kiefer et al. 2018
- Kiefer et al. 2016
- Tang et al. 2015
- Heilman et al. 2015
Atmospheric conditions, such as wind, humidity and stability, are critical factors for controlling the spread of wildfires and the dispersion of smoke from these fires. We are using a suite of atmosphere, fire and dispersion models in combination with management-scale fire experiments to understand fire-atmosphere interactions and develop predictive tools to help fire and air resources managers make informed decisions on managing wildfires, prescribed burns and air pollution.
Climate Variability and Change
- Yu et al. 2018
- Zhong et al. 2017
- Yu et al. 2017
Understanding climate variability and change is critical for many sectors important for society, such as agriculture, food security and human health. We are combining dynamical modeling and statistical analyses of historical climate data to further our understanding on the contributions of natural (e.g. sea surface temperature change) and human (e.g. irrigation, greenhouse gas emission) factors to climate variability and change in different regions of the world.
Atmospheric Boundary Layer Processes
- Tang et al. 2017
- Reeves et al. 2015
- Katurji et al. 2013
- Lu and Zhong 2013
- Kiefer and Zhong 2013
Atmospheric processes in the boundary layer, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, have a direct impact on people and environment. We are trying to understanding the dynamics and physics underlining some of the boundary layer processes (e.g., the low-level jets, the land-sea breezes, and mountain-valley winds) through multi-scale numerical modeling and observational data analyses.