AOSC Seminar by Dr. Renyi Zhang, 3/16/2023
AOSC Seminar
Dr. Renyi Zhang
Texas A&M
Title:
Assessing the cause for the catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Harvey
Abstract:
Hurricane Harvey produced catastrophic flooding (about 555 mm) in southeast Texas during 25-27 August 2017. The genesis and development of tropical cyclones are regulated by dynamic, thermodynamic, and microphysical processes, including sea surface temperature (SST), vertical wind shear, vorticity, and humidity of the free troposphere. Although several recent studies have linked Hurricane Harvey’s devastation to climate change or changes in land use due to urbanization, the cause of the catastrophic flooding remains uncertain. In particular, tropical cyclones are driven by latent heat release from water condensation and are inevitably linked to the abundance of aerosols by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. In this talk, I will present results from both measurements and numerical model simulations to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic aerosols on deep moist convection, precipitation, and lightning activities during hurricane Harvey. Our work shows a non-negligible effect of anthropogenic aerosols during this regional extreme weather event, highlighting the necessity of accounting for the aerosol effects in hurricane forecast models to accurately predict precipitation and to minimize the storm damage along the heavily industrialized Gulf of Mexico region.
Bio:
Renyi Zhang received a Ph.D. from MIT and performed post-doctoral work at Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech. He is University Distinguished Professor and Holder of Harold J. Haynes Endowed Chair in Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University (TAMU). His earlier research made important contributions to the understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion. His work at TAMU has covered broadly photochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons, formation/growth/properties of aerosols, urban/regional/global air pollution, field measurements of trace gases and aerosols, assessment of aerosol-cloud-climate interaction, and elucidation of human health effects of air pollution. His scientific endeavors have not only achieved breakthroughs in these areas but also provided critical insights into the impacts of human activities on the environment, weather, and climate. He has published over 237 papers in peer-reviewed journals with more than 21,000 citations and an h-index of 79 from Web of Science. He is an elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Meteorological Society, and American Geophysical Union. In 2016, he was honored by a named symposium “Formation & Transformation of Atmospheric Aerosols – From Air Pollution to Climate Change” at the Fall National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, PA.
Contact: Zhanqing Li
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AOSC Seminar
Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Room: ATL 2400(only when in-person)
Meet-the-Speaker: 4:30-5:00pm, Room: ATL 3400(only when in-person) [For AOSC Students only]
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