iUTAH Team - Graduate Research Assistant

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CAROLYN STWERTKA

University of Utah

 

Research Topic

Keeping Freshwater Flowing in Utah

 

iUTAH Research Focus Area

RFA1

 

Faculty Advisor

Court Strong

 

Abstract

This project involves modeling and observing the water cycle in the urban transitional regions of the Greater Wasatch Metropolitan Region. The project’s objectives are as follows: (1) develop a computationally efficient modeling framework that will quantify water vapor balances along the Wasatch Front and their sensitivity to projected changes in climate, land use, and urban development, and (2) participate in iUTAH’s instrumentation activities to inform and validate the modeling framework.

 

Biography

Carolyn is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. She recently defended her master’s thesis in Atmospheric Sciences titled “Carbon Dioxide Variability with the Urban Salt Lake Valley: An Observational and Modeling Study.†Her thesis was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) GK-12 Think Globally Learn Locally (TGLL) program at the University of Utah. This NSF GK-12 fellowship allowed Carolyn to become heavily involved in science education, outreach, and multi-disciplinary networking, which she will continue to passionately pursue throughout her career. <p> In addition to modeling, Carolyn is very interested in being involved in field programs to enhance her understanding of the physical environment. She has designed and implemented field programs to study quasi-vertical CO2 variability in the Wasatch Mountain Range and in the Cordillera Blanca Range in Peru. She is a lead scientist in the American Alpine Club’s newly formed Climber Scientist Program. In her spare time, she enjoys forecasting, digging avalanche pits, skiing on and off piste, ski-jouring with her amazing dog, mountain biking, climbing, analyzing clouds, and windsurfing.</p>

 

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