Ken Davis My research group studies how the earth's surface interacts with the atmosphere. We observe: trace gas fluxes using anemometers and gas analyzers mounted on towers and aircraft; atmospheric turbulence using ground-based and airborne LIDAR (a laser version of a radar); and soil and vegetation conditions using satellites. We hope to determine which environmental factors will govern future concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and how ecosystem processes interact with boundary layer turbulence to alter climate and weather. More information.

Eugene Clothiaux My research involves scientific disciplines of ground- and satellite-based remote sensing of clouds with an emphasis on trying to understand the impact of clouds on the radiation budget of the Earth. I have worked with wind-profiler radars, high-frequency short-wavelength cloud radars, micro-pulse lidar, and microwave radiometers. Collectively, these instruments are at the core of ground-based retrievals of cloud properties. Understanding the impact of cloud properties on the radiation budget of the Earth is an important topic in current numerical weather prediction and climate change research. I have translated results from ground-based retrieval research into many collaborative ventures related to the energy budget of the Earth, including studies on clear-sky radiative transfer, cirrus properties, and photon path length within the oxygen A-band.

Jerry Harrington Use sophisticated numerical models and participate in field experiments designed to unravel the reasons behind why clouds behave they way they do in nature. Join my group and become an essential part of a team that develops and uses innovative cloud modeling techniques. Some of our field work will take us to remote places in the arctic wilderness where we shall investigate the structure and dynamics of arctic clouds.  More information.

Dennis Lamb What really goes on inside those spectacular clouds we see in the sky everyday? In the laboratory you can measure, first-hand, the growth and evaporation of aerosol particles, cloud droplets and ice crystals, all in an environment where YOU have the controls -- a wonderful way to study the physics and chemistry of clouds. More information.

Raymond Najjar You may have heard of the ocean's impact on climate through such phenomena as El Niño, but did you realize that many greenhouse gases are strongly affected by processes within the ocean? The marine cycles of carbon dioxide and related chemical species like oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus, are my main professional preoccupation. Working with me you will get to explore these and other marine biogeochemical cycles by building computer models, analyzing large data sets and making observations at sea. More information.

Hampton Shirer It is often said that one person's signal is another person's noise, and that is certainly the case when one wishes to locate where a cloud-ground lightning stroke has contacted the earth's surface. The crackle often heard on an AM radio during a thunderstorm is the "noise" providing the signal we use to locate lightning with our single-station system, one of which is mounted on the Meteorology Department's Walker Building above the Weather Station. The rapidly heated lightning channel is an excellent transmitting antenna, radiating power from the huge transient current over a wide range of frequencies from below the AM to above the FM radio bands. We are studying ways to effectively range lightning up to several hundred kilometers distance by using the power in the AM band that is received by our system. If the sort of problem that requires combining electromagnetics, statistics and thunderstorm morphology strikes your fancy, then consider becoming an atmospheric electrician here at Penn State. Learn more about our work by visiting our GP-1 Lightning Locator web page using the link below. More information.

Johannes Verlinde This group is for cloud lovers. We've looked at clouds from all sides now, from up and down, and inside out. If you are interested in hands-on observational work (working with our millimeter wave cloud radar, or in situ observations) relating to clouds, or detailed modeling of clouds, give me a call. Our primary focus is on layered clouds, but if you look at my publication list you will see that pretty much anything white goes. More information.