The fire and smoke modeling group focuses on improving understanding of how fires
interact with the atmosphere creating their own weather and how wildfire smoke impacts
air quality. The goal is to improve fire spread and air quality forecasting capabilities
by integrating fire detections, weather observations, and fuel data.
The Cloud and Aerosol Group conducts research projects that involve aircraft-based
observations, instrument calibrations, climate model simulations, satellite remote
sensing and air pollution. Some of the ongoing projects include ice and mixed-phase
cloud formation and interaction with aerosols, high-latitudinal cloud processes in
the Arctic, Antarctica and Southern Ocean.
Using state of the art computer models, we are able to understand the genesis and
behavior of the great dust storms seen on Mars. Also studying how the Earth’s air
flow can have a huge impact on local rainfall.
The lab's goal is to better understand wildland fire behavior by studying fire-atmospheric
interactions. The lab provides the fire modeling community datasets for model evaluation
and development. In addition, the lab provides community outreach to grade schools
in the Wildland-Urban Interface.
Exploring questions related to understanding climate changes and how we can support
all communities in equitably adapting to and mitigating impacts of those changes in
their everyday lives.
Lines of work include science education to support just learning and responses to
climate change, and paleoclimatological studies in the ocean sciences.
