Assessing extreme rainfall risk in equatorial Africa using satellite and in situ data
William Boos, Professor
Earth and Planetary Science
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
This project will use satellite data and a new network of hundreds of on-the-ground instrument stations to generate a risk dataset for farmers in equatorial Africa. Our research group studies the fluid dynamics of Earth's tropical atmosphere, focusing on the atmospheric waves and vortices that produce extreme rainfall in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. As a complement to our theoretical studies, we work with a group of cooperative farms in equatorial Africa, helping them to obtain real-time weather data and understand the risk of natural disasters such as floods and drought. This project will involve using data from a new network of hundreds of instrument stations in Africa to determine natural disaster risk for agriculture in Africa.
Qualifications: This role will involve using measurements from a new network of hundreds of instrument stations in Africa, combined with state-of-the-art satellite data, to quantify the risk of extreme rainfall, drought, and damaging winds. As part of this project, you will also help develop a data portal to help farmers access real-time environmental data relevant for agricultural decision-making.
Required qualifications include: experience performing data analysis with Python and working in a Linux/Unix environment; basic ability to develop web content in some web programming/development interface.
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Related website: https://tahmo.org/
Related website: https://tahmo.org/