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David Mechem

David Mechem
Assistant Professor

Office: 230 Lindley Hall
Phone: 785-864-5707
Email: dmechem@ku.edu

Office Hours: T R, 9:30-10:45 or by appointment

  • Ph.D., University of Washington (2003)

Vita (pdf)

Research Interests and Current Projects
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.
 
Courses Taught and Teaching Awards
ATMO 680: Physical Meteorology
ATMO 697: Seminar for Seniors
 
Publications During the Last 5 Years

Kogan, Y. L., Z. N. Kogan, and D. B. Mechem, 2007:  Assessing the errors of microphysical retrievals based on Doppler radar parameters. J. Hydrometeor., 8, 665-677.

Mechem, D. B., P. C. Robinson, and Y. L. Kogan, 2006:  Processing of cloud condensation nuclei by collision-coalescence in a mesoscale model. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D18204, doi: 10.1029/2006JD007183.

Mechem, D. B., S. S. Chen, and R. A. Houze, Jr., 2006:  Momentum transport processes in the stratiform regions of mesoscale convective systems over the western Pacific warm pool.  Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 132, 709-736.

Kogan, Z. N., D. B. Mechem, and Y. L. Kogan, 2005:  Assessment of variability in continental low stratiform clouds based on observations of radar reflectivity. J. Geophys. Res., 110, D18205, doi: 10.1029/2005JD005982.

Mechem, D. B., and Y. L. Kogan, 2003:  Simulating the transition from drizzling marine stratoc­umulus to boundary layer cumulus with a mesoscale model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 2342- 2360.

Mechem, D. B., R. A. Houze, Jr., and S. S. Chen, 2002:  Layer inflow into precipitating convec­tion over the western tropical Pacific. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 1997-2030.
 
Other Significant Publications

Mechem, D. B., and Y. L. Kogan, 2007: Large eddy observation and LES of liquid stratus over the ACRF. Proc. of the Seventeenth Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Science Team Meeting, Ed. By D. Carrothers, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland, WA.

Kogan, Y. L., and D. B. Mechem, 2007: Approximation of cloud drop distributions by analytic functions. Proc. of the Seventeenth Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Science Team Meeting, Ed. By D. Carrothers, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland, WA.

Mechem, D. B., and Y. L. Kogan, 2006:  Three-dimensional aspects of droplet nucleation. Pre­prints, 12th Conference on Cloud Physics, Madison, WI, Amer. Meteor. Soc., CD-ROM, 1.2.

Mechem, D. B., M. Ovtchinnikov, Y. L. Kogan, K. F. Evans, A. B. Davis, R. F. Cahalan, E. E. Takara, and R. G. Ellingson, 2004:  Multi-dimensional longwave radiative forcing of PBL cloud systems. Preprints, 14th International Conference on Clouds and Precipitation, Bologna, Italy, International Commission on Clouds and Precipitation, 1533-1536.