Nathan Hosannah, Post-Doc
Bio sketch: Nathan Hosannah received his BE and ME degrees from The City College of New York in mechanical engineering, and his PhD (2013) focused on atmospheric science from The CUNY Graduate Center. Following a postdoctoral position at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in 2014, he was awarded an NSF AGS-PRF fellowship that currently supports his climate and weather research in the Caribbean.
April 20, 2016
12:00 pm – 1:00pm
Steinman Hall, Exhibit room
Abstract: The Convection, Aerosol, and Synoptic-Effects in the Tropics (CAST) experiment is a continuing atmospheric monitoring experiment based in Puerto Rico. CAST instruments include remote and ground-based sensors including a three-channel LIDAR system, a ceilometer, multiple sun photometers in the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), soil moisture sensors, radiosondes, a disdrometer, high resolution TropiNet radar, and an air sampler. 
CAST provided an opportunity to study the large, local, and microscale processes important for Caribbean rain production. CAST Phase I (22 June 2016 – 10 July 2016) kicked off during the summer of 2015- one of the driest summers in recent history. CAST Phase II was conducted during a low dust dry season that produced multiple intense rain events (6 – 22 February 2016). Investigation of large scale datasets and local CAST data during Phase I showed that the presence of a strong El Niño, moderate vertical wind shear (VWS), reduced sea surface temperature (SSTs) and high concentrations of Saharan dust led to drier conditions over the Caribbean. On the local scale of Puerto Rico, convective storms were suppressed under intense dust conditions. Analysis of the low dust Phase II rainfall events suggests that local wind direction, soil moisture, and topography are vital for storm production.
Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability (ESES) Graduate Initiative,
NOAA Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center, and
CCNY Mechanical Engieering Deparment
