Stephan De Wekker
Professor
Landscape heterogeneities can have pronounced effects on atmospheric boundary layer processes. Examples include a modification of the boundary layer growth and the generation of mesoscale circulations. My research focuses primarily on the investigation of these processes in hilly and mountainous terrain using a combination of field studies, data analysis, and numerical modeling techniques. I seek to apply my expertise to problems in a multi-disciplinary context such as found at the interface with ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and hydrology. Examples include the venting and regional transport of aerosols and the estimation of regional CO2 fluxes.
Publications
- Evidence that climate sets the lower elevation range limit in a high-elevation endemic salamander
2018; Ecology and Evolution; Grant, E.H.C. | Brand, A.B. | De Wekker, S.F.J. | Lee, T.R. | Wofford, J.E.B. - The Impact of the Afternoon Planetary Boundary-Layer Height on the Diurnal Cycle of CO and CO2Mixing Ratios at a Low-Altitude Mountaintop
2018; Boundary-Layer Meteorology; Lee, T.R. | De Wekker, S.F.J. | Pal, S. - Exchange processes in the atmospheric boundary layer over mountainous terrain
2018; Atmosphere; Serafin, S. | Adler, B. | Cuxart, J. | De Wekker, S.F.J. | Gohm, A. |... - Representativeness of wind measurements in moderately complex terrain
2018; Theoretical and Applied Climatology; van Den Bossche, M. | de Wekker, S.F.J. - The effects of horizontal grid spacing on simulated daytime boundary layer depths in an area of complex terrain in Utah
2017; Environmental Fluid Mechanics; Duine, G.-J. | de Wekker, S.F.J. - Spectral gap characteristics in a daytime valley boundary layer
2017; Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society; Babić, N. | Večenaj, Ž. | De Wekker, S.F.J. - Wind data collection techniques on a multi-rotor platform
2017; 2017 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium, SIEDS 2017; Wolf, C.A. | Hardis, R.P. | Woodrum, S.D. | Galan, R.S. | Wichelt, H.S. |... - Wind estimation in the lower atmosphere using multirotor aircraft
2017; Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology; Palomaki, R.T. | Rose, N.T. | van den Bossche, M. | Sherman, T.J. | De Wekker, S.F.J. - A study of the combined impact of boundary layer height and near-surface meteorology on the CO diurnal cycle at a low mountaintop site using simultaneous lidar and in-situ observations
2017; Atmospheric Environment; Pal, S. | Lee, T.R. | De Wekker, S.F.J. - Potential of a low-cost gas sensor for atmospheric methane monitoring
2017; Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical; van den Bossche, M. | Rose, N.T. | De Wekker, S.F.J.
Teaching
Boundary Layer Meteorology (EVAT 5500)
This course provides the student with an understanding of physical processes in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), that part of the atmosphere that is effected by the presence of the earth's surface on diurnal time scale.
Mountain Meteorology (EVAT 7320)
Examines the influence of mountains on typical and severe weather, including local wind circulations and downslope windstorms. A field study in the Shenandoah National Park provides the students with hands-on experiences in atmospheric measurement techniques and the interpretation of meteorological data obtained in mountainous terrain.