David Mechem
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Geography and Atmospheric Science, GeographyI 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, mesoscale organization of cloud systems, and regional climate processes.
At KU, I teach the 2-semester undergraduate dynamic meteorology sequence, physical meteorology, and Severe and Unusual Weather. I also teach a graduate-level numerical modeling course.
Education
Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington
B.S., Meteorology, University of Oklahoma
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.
