Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Atmospheric Scientists Study African Easterly Waves

By R&D Editors | October 2, 2013

Atmospheric scientists Ryan Torn, left, and Chris Thorncroft. Courtesy of Mark SchmidtALBANY, NY — University at Albany atmospheric scientists Chris Thorncroft and Ryan Torn are working to improve knowledge and understanding of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and their relevance to a range of applications vitally important for West African nations, including hydrology and flood prediction, agriculture and crop prediction, and malaria risk assessments.

The study, which is being supported by a National Science Foundation grant, will be shared with scientists working in these geographic areas within the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis project, in which Thorncroft has a leadership role.

“AEWs are one of the major weather makers over West Africa,” explained Thorncroft. “These weather systems not only provide rainfall for agriculture, but trigger hurricanes that cross the Atlantic to our shores. Despite their importance, little is known about their variability and degree of predictability.”

Thorncroft, chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, is concentrating on understanding how the structures of AEWs change under different conditions and the extent to which AEW characteristics vary at daily-to-intraseasonal timescales. An expert in large-scale topical meteorology, his research focus has enhanced understanding of the West African monsoon and how it interacts with the tropical Atlantic to form hurricanes.

Torn, an expert in hurricanes, atmospheric predictability and computer weather models, is working on improving our understanding of the predictability of AEWs under a variety of conditions by using forecast sensitivity analyses. His efforts will interact strongly with and benefit from the variability work of Thorncroft, and determine to what extent existing models can be used for accurate prediction.

“Increased knowledge and understanding of the variability and predictability of AEWs is important for weather forecasters concerned with the West African region as well as those interested in the potential for tropical cyclogenesis [cyclone development] downstream,” said Thorncroft. “In particular, we will endeavor to include more information about sub-seasonal variations of AEWs and associated rainfall.”

Torn noted that “AEWs develop where waves of relatively moist cold air from the Atlantic ocean meets with much warmer and drier air from the Sahara, providing us an opportunity to understand atmospheric predictability for a class of phenomenon where dry and moist dynamics are of equal importance, unlike midlatitude systems that are primarily associated with dry dynamics.”

The project will also employ two graduate students, who will begin their work on the project at UAlbany in spring 2014.

Related Articles Read More >

From solar system simulations to SaaS savings, how Codeium’s AI agent empowers non-coders and scientists alike
Aardvark AI forecasts rival supercomputer simulations while using over 99.9% less compute
Quantum Brilliance, Pawsey integrate room-temp quantum with HPC on NVIDIA GH200
Frontier supercomputer reveals new detail in nuclear structure
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE