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March
2005
Greg
Holland, MMM’s new director
Greg
Holland
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MMM’s new director, Greg Holland, is almost as familiar
with Colorado as with his native Australia. He completed
his doctorate in atmospheric science at Colorado State University
in 1983 and has since been a frequent visitor to NCAR. “The
Front Range is almost home,” he says.
Greg has spent most of his career with Australia’s
Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre. He comes to NCAR from
Aerosonde, a manufacturer of lightweight and long-range robotic
aircraft.
At a retreat in February, Greg and others in MMM began crafting
an update of MMM’s divisional plan, which Greg calls “evolutionary
rather than revolutionary.” The new version focuses
on fundamental research, applied topics (which will maintain
MMM’s focus on improving weather prediction), and community
service (such as support for the Weather Research and Forecasting
community model, or WRF).
In a major new effort, MMM plans to nest WRF within a global
climate model as part of a substantial program of investigating
the way by which large-scale processes translate into local
impacts and vice versa. MMM will also step up its research
into air quality. In particular, it will focus on the interaction
of pollutants with cloud formation and precipitation, as
well as the dispersal of pollutants in the boundary layer
and the mechanisms by which the atmosphere cleanses itself.
Greg’s own background in tropical meteorology will
enrich studies of hurricane landfall and the heavy rains
that often result inland. WRF has shown considerable promise
for accurately resolving the fine-scale details of winds
and precipitation in hurricanes. To advance such research,
MMM plans to couple WRF with an ocean model to study ocean
and atmospheric interactions during intense wind and rain
conditions and potentially improve landfall predictions.
Scientists also plan to assimilate radar data directly into
WRF.
Most of these projects will involve extensive collaborations
within and beyond NCAR. “We are very keen on the multidisciplinary
component,” Greg says. “When we bring together
good people from different backgrounds with different perspectives
to work on a problem, it’s amazing how much better
we can do.”
Greg, who started his new position in January, has a strong
multidisciplinary background. After beginning his career
as a mathematician, he focused primarily on tropical meteorology
and severe weather at the Bureau of Meteorology Research
Centre. He also helped set up field facilities, and he
established programs studying the coastal impacts of tropical
cyclones.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, Greg held several leadership
positions at Aerosonde and played a key role in developing
small unmanned aerial vehicles. • David Hosansky
and Bob Henson
Also in this issue...
RICO
field project: Cool heads prevail during a
complicated study of warm rain
It’s
playtime: Parents give high marks to
UCAR Child Care Center
Rotating
scientists recall time at NSF
Short
Takes
Python
interface to NCL’s graphics library now available
Steve
Schneider’s 60th
Delphi
Questions
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