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Research

Ongoing Research
I am currently working with Dr. Jerry Straka and Dr. Katharine Kanak towards my Masters degree in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma on the topic of tornadogenesis in landfalling hurricanes. Why do they form? What makes them "tick?" How can we better forecast them? Which begs the question: what synoptic environments favor supercell formation within landfalling hurricanes? Since a lot of the wind destruction within a hurricane occurs within embedded tornadoes upon landfall, it is important for the safety of the public to have these questions answered. We will use available observational datasets as well as numerical modeling to help search for answers.
Eastern Caribbean
Past Research
I completed a senior thesis, titled "Local Minimum of Tropical Cyclogenesis in the Eastern Caribbean," under the guidance of my former advisor Dr. Stephen Colucci while I was a student at Cornell. After an oral presentation at the 2007 AMS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas and being awarded the 2007 AMS Father James B. Macelwane Award, the paper is currently awaiting review and possible publication in BAMS.

Abstract:
The study has determined that a local, climatological minimum of tropical cyclogenesis exists over the eastern Caribbean Sea. This area, known colloquially by forecasters as the "hurricane graveyard," is located within the deep tropical easterlies. Tropical disturbances emerging from the African continent usually pass through the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean. Satellite imagery shows disturbances that frequently exhibit decreasing convection in an area bounded by the islands to the north and east, Venezuela to the south, and roughly 75 degrees longitude to the west. QuikSCAT derived surface winds during clear-sky conditions frequently show the presence of accelerating easterlies in the central Caribbean as part of the Caribbean Low-Level Jet (CLLJ). Analysis of the NCEP global reanalysis wind fields suggests the presence of an area of persistent low-level mass divergence in the eastern Caribbean. This implies a subsident regime that would weaken convection. Climatologically, this phenomenon reaches peak intensity in July, then shifts towards the east and weakens in the latter half of the Atlantic hurricane season. This is reflected by the local minimum of tropical cyclogenesis points in the National Hurricane Center's best track data in the early part of the season. El Niņo directly affects the strength of the CLLJ, and hence, is related to the intensity of the low-level divergence in the eastern Caribbean. The local minimum of tropical cyclogenesis in this region has important implications to operational forecasting, since the vast majority of tropical cyclones in the Caribbean eventually affect surrounding landmasses.