Biology

Dr. Zachary Suriano, an Assistant Professor in WKU Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences, was awarded a two-year research grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Variability and Prediction division in response to the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act.

The grant entitled, “The Impact of Surface Fluxes on Rain-on-Snow Events in the U.S. and their Representation in Climate Models” is in collaboration with researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The grant supports research that will assess and improve how weather and climate models predict hazardous situations where heavy rainfall combines with rapidly melting snow. This creates “rain-on-snow” events which are common across the United States, including in Kentucky, and can greatly increase the potential for flooding.

“There are distinct challenges in forecasting these events,” Dr. Suriano said. “Forecasts often under-predict the amount of flooding that occurs. By having a better understanding of how these events occur, we can improve our mathematical models to more accurately predict these events.”

Even places that don’t necessarily receive large amounts of snow can be greatly impacted by these events. In March of 2019, a rain-on-snow event occurred in eastern Nebraska, resulting in catastrophic flooding with damages of more than $3 billion dollars, Dr. Suriano explained.

The grant will support WKU graduate student Samuel Davidson. Samuel recently graduated from EEAS in May with a B.S. in Meteorology and certifications in Emergency Management Disaster Science and Geographic Information Science. He will work on multiple aspects of the project while he completes his Master’s thesis.

“Having lived through and experienced flooding from rain-on-snow events firsthand, it is very rewarding to have the opportunity to conduct this research that will increase our understanding of how these events occur and how we can improve our forecast models,” Dr. Suriano said. “This grant is the result of many years’ worth of preliminary research and sets the stage for future efforts that will hopefully involve additional students in the years to come.”

For more information, contact Dr. Suriano, zachary.suriano@wku.edu, or visit the research lab website, https://zacharysuriano.wordpress.com.