Kyle Nardi's hometown is Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. He attends Temple
University as a senior with a major in Applied Mathematics. His research
interests are numerical modeling, mesoscale atmospheric processes, and regional
climate phenomena.
Kyle writes, "In January of 2014, a series of avalanches blocked Alaska's
Highway 4, which is the only major roadway connecting the city of Valdez to the
rest of the state. This event occurred after a period of above-average
temperatures and heavy rainfall. Valdez, the southern terminus of a major oil
pipeline, became isolated for several days. A root cause of these conditions
was an atmospheric river event affecting the southern coast of Alaska. Narrow
corridors of high water vapor transport, atmospheric rivers can produce intense
precipitation upon interaction with synoptic-scale disturbances. Recently, these
features have gained notoriety for their impacts on the western coast of the
contiguous United States. However, little research has focused on atmospheric
rivers in the vicinity of southern Alaska.
"This summer, I worked with Professor Elizabeth Barnes and graduate student
Bryan Mundchek, to study the climatology and impacts of atmospheric rivers near
the coast of southern Alaska. Our research found an interesting seasonal cycle
in the strength and frequency of atmospheric river events affecting this region.
Further analysis highlighted large-scale atmospheric conditions present at the
time of these events. In addition, historical records indicated several cases
of extreme precipitation caused by atmospheric rivers. Considering the complex
topography and poor transportation infrastructure of southern Alaska, it is
crucial that forecasters have a deeper understanding of the causes and effects
of atmospheric river events."
Kyle's summer research poster, The Climatology and Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers
near the Coast of Southern Alaska,
may be found here.
Outside of his studies, Kyle enjoys Hiking, camping, birdwatching, reading,
watching baseball, football, and professional wrestling.
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