The range of spatial and temporal scales controlling the dynamics of geophysical fluid flows are vast and span several orders of magnitude from planetary-scale Rossby waves in the atmosphere to small-scale eddies responsible for viscous dissipation in the atmosphere and ocean. This wide range of scales, and particularly the nonlinear interactions between them, pose significant difficulties for observational systems and numerical simulations that limit our understanding and predictive capability of extreme weather events. The frequency of extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, winter storms, wildfires) appears to be increasing in the current climate and it is important to assess the current state of knowledge and performance of predictive models for these disruptive events.

In this talk, I will describe my research efforts to understand the dynamics of hurricanes from a holistic view, combining advanced remote sensing measurements and technology, theory, and state-of-the-art numerical modeling. The focus is on understanding the nature and role of small-scale, turbulent perturbations and their nonlinear interactions with other scales during the intensification process. Analysis of the vortex dynamics with community and research numerical models highlights the importance of the dynamic core and associated dissipation characteristics for simulating/predicting the propagation of energy among scales. I will also briefly describe some of my future plans at Hampton University in the areas of extreme weather and climate change.

Dr. Guimond earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science from Iowa State University in 2004 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Atmospheric Science from Florida State University in 2007 and 2010, respectively. From 2010-2023, Dr. Guimond worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in the Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory in various roles. From 2010-2012, he was awarded a NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship and from 2012-2023 he held joint appointments at the University of Maryland (College Park and Baltimore County) as a research professor while working at NASA GSFC. Dr. Guimond earned several awards while working at NASA GSFC for his science, software, and algorithm development including the Robert H. Goddard award for his contributions to the success of the high-altitude airborne radar group. In the Fall of 2023, Dr. Guimond joined the Department of Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (APS) at Hampton University (HU) as an associate professor and is the new director of the HU Severe Weather Research Center (SWRC). In this role, Dr. Guimond will develop science, instrumentation and modeling efforts to understand the fundamental physics of extreme weather and novel applications of the SWRC infrastructure to problems associated with predicting the weather. Dr. Guimond’s expertise is in the fluid dynamics of extreme weather (e.g., hurricanes, winter storms and wildfires) and the various tools used to address questions within this scientific domain. He has particular interests in the theory of radar systems (spaceborne, airborne and ground-based platforms) and computational models (numerical methods and sub-grid-scale physics) for studying extreme weather.

CCPO Innovation Research Park Building I 4111 Monarch Way, 3rd Floor Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23508 757-683-4940