Department Information

Department Centers and Groups     |     Facilities


Arizona Regional WRF Model Forecasts  top

Director:  Michael Leuthold

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is a next-generation mesoscale numerical weather prediction system designed to serve both operational forecasting and atmospheric research needs.

Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center (CDHC)  top

Director:  Xubin Zeng

The Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center was established to coordinate interdisciplinary research on hydrometeorology and climate among eleven units (seven in the College of Science, two in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and one each in the College of Optical Sciences and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences).

Hydrobiogeochemistry Research Group  top

Director:  Jennifer McIntosh

The Hydrobiogeochemistry Research Group's primary focus is the elemental and isotopic chemistry of surface waters, groundwater, saline fluids, and natural gas to constrain the sources of soltues, residence times and flowpaths of fluids and gas in the subsurface, and water-rock-microbial interactions. Activities include extensive field sampling, laboratory analysis, and geochemical and hydrologic modeling.

Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction (LAOI) Group  top

Director:  Xubin Zeng

The Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction Group's mission is to integrate global remote sensing and field survey data with global modeling and to act as a bridge among global data, parameterization, and climate modeling, as well as weather forecasting communities, on interface processes. The group's methodology in addressing a particular issue uses observation data from a variety of sources (in situ, aircraft, satellite) at time scales from hours to decades and at spatial scales from meters to global, and using a hierarchy of models (e.g. large-eddy turbulence model, cloud-resolvable model, mesoscale model, global model).

Regional Airborne Particulates Prediction aka Dust Group  top

Director:  William Sprigg

The UA Dust Research Group is engaged in cutting-edge research, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and presenting research at professional and scientific conferences around the world. The goal is to provide a reliable PM (particulate matter) forecast accurate in both time and space. The Dust REgional Atmosphere Model (DREAM) predicts concentrations of windblown dust in time and space and is an extremely useful tool for use in public health, transportation, agriculture, and climate studies.

Remote Sensing of Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation-Radiation (ACPR) Group top

Director: Xiquan Dong

The Remote Sensing of Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation-Radiation Group's mission is to develop the cutting-edge aerosol, cloud and precipitation retrieval algorithms from ground-based and satellite remote sensing, to provide global radiation budget, and to investigate their interactions. The goal of ACPR's group is to provide reliable aerosol, cloud, precipitation and radiation products in order to improve model simulations and the feedback-processes of aerosol-cloud-radiation on Arctic sea ice change.

Remote Sensing of Water Cycle and Hydrometeorology (RSWatCH) Group top

Director:  Ali Behrangi

The Remote Sensing of Water Cycle and Hydrometeorology Group's mission is to develop and apply diverse global and regional remote sensing datasets to advance water and energy cycle studies, perform hydrometeorologic research at weather and climate scales, and help society through applied sciences. In addition to remote sensing, the RSWatCH group utilizes in situ observations, reanalyses, and model data for research and application. The group has a great focus on regional and global precipitation analysis and monitoring and prediction of extreme events through multidisciplinary approaches.

Subsurface Flow Physics Group  top

Director:  Bo Guo

The Subsurface Flow Physics Group focuses on advancing our fundamental understanding of fluid flow in permeable earth materials and developing predictive computational models to address emerging problems in subsurface enery and environmental systems. These include shale gas/oil production, geological CO2 storage, subsurface energy (hydrogen/methane) storage, and their associated impact on groundwater.

Surface Water Hydrology Group  top

Director:  Peter Troch

The Surface Water Hydrology Group's mission is to provide cutting-edge solutions to problems in surface water hydrology. Research efforts focus on a wide range of topics related to hillslope, catchment, and river basin hydrology, especially hillslope to catchment-scale characteristics and water availability and management at the river basin scale.

Watershed Biogeochemistry Group  top

Director:  Tom Meixner

The Watershed Biogeochemistry Group's primary focus is the intersection of hydrology and biogeochemistry, specifically how hydrologic processes play a fundamental role in controlling biogeochemical processes and fluxes at the catchment scale. Research is wide ranging, from field investigations designed to understand these controls at the mechanistic and process levels to modeling studies to forecast biogeochemical and water quality conditions at catchment and basin scales.