David B Mechem
- Chair
- Professor
Contact Info
Department Phone:
Malott Hall #3018
Personal Links
Biography —
I am a professor in the Atmospheric Science Program located in the Department of Geography. My group and I conduct research on cloud microphysics and dynamics, and mesoscale organization of cloud systems.
I teach the 2-semester undergraduate dynamic meteorology sequence, physical meteorology (occasionally), and a graduate-level numerical modeling course.
I teach the 2-semester undergraduate dynamic meteorology sequence, physical meteorology (occasionally), and a graduate-level numerical modeling course.
Research —
My research explores different manifestations of precipitating convection, ranging from drizzling boundary layer stratocumulus to deep, highly organized mesoscale convective systems. A common thread of interest between these phenomena is the concept of mesoscale organization and its role in promoting scale interactions, in particular how mesoscale and cloud-scale processes serve as upscale agents of change for the large-scale flow or cloud coverage. Guided by observational results, I employ large eddy simulation, cloud resolving models, and mesoscale models to investigate cloud system processes.
Selected Publications —
Eissner, J., Mechem, D., Jensen, M., Giangrande, S. (2021). Factors Governing Cloud Growth and Entrainment Rates in Shallow Cumulus and Cumulus Congestus During GoAmazon2014/5. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres - Issue 12 | Volume 126. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD034722.
Tomkins, L., Mechem, D., Yuter, S., Rhodes, S. (2021). Regional flow conditions associated with stratocumulus cloud-eroding boundaries over the southeast Atlantic. Monthly Weather Review. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-20-0250.1.
Mcmichael, L., Mechem, D., Wang, S., Wang, Q., Kogan, Y., Teixeira, J. (2019). Assessing the mechanisms governing the daytime evolution of marine stratocumulus using large‐eddy simulation. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society - Issue 719 | Volume 145. https://doi.org/10.1002/QJ.3469.
Mechem, D., Giangrande, S. (2018). The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres - Issue 6 | Volume 123. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD027457.