Water-Cycle Processes
Understanding the water cycle and hydrology is crucial for both weather and climate. Clouds influence both the Earth’s energy and water budgets, significantly impacting climate dynamics. Additionally, understanding the distribution and intensity of precipitation is vital for preparing for severe storms and managing water resources, especially with increasing populations and water demand.
In Climate & Space, our research focuses on both atmospheric and land surface water cycle processes. Atmospheric processes include the microphysics that govern cloud and precipitation formation, mesoscale circulations that influence cloud structure and convective development, and large-scale dynamics that shape atmospheric moisture transport. Land surface process research examines runoff generation, the impact of the Great Lakes on precipitation patterns like lake-effect snowstorms, the impact of land cover and land use changes on water fluxes at the watershed scale, and the modeling of surface and groundwater hydrologic processes.