CEE Seminar (ZOOM): Climatological Cold Season Precipitation Trends and Predictions Over Canadian Snowbelts

VIA Zoom Link: https://uci.zoom.us/j/9126848538?pwd=eFJpSStqemh6OFBVUnV4RTBtdGlhQT09
Meeting ID: 912 684 8538 ~~ Password: 12345

Abstract: The leeward shores of the Canadian Great Lakes are highly susceptible to wintertime lake- induced precipitation (LIP) that is initiated from extratropical cyclones or lake-effect processes. Monitoring extreme LIP trends in response to climate change is essential for sustainability and adaptation studies because climate change will influence variability in precipitation during the 21st century. This presentation discusses four aspects of wintertime lake induced precipitation: (1) historic changes lake-induced predictor variables; (2) historic changes in extreme LIP events; (3) predictability of LIP using a regional climate model; and (4) vulnerability risks from LIP.

Bio: Baijnath-Rodino’s passion lies in understanding surface-atmospheric interactions and their physical processes within the realm of meteorology and physical climatology. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2018 from the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada. Her research focused on conducting historical spatiotemporal trends in meso-beta scale extreme snowfall and lake effect snowfall predictor variables for the under-studied regions of the Canadian Laurentian Great Lakes. Recently, Baijnath-Rodino completed her postdoctoral research at McGill University's Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, working with the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative team.

In addition to her academic research, Baijnath-Rodino enjoys presenting her research to a wide audience. She spent the past six years working as a television and radio meteorologist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News in Toronto, producing and broadcasting her forecasts on multiple platforms (television, radio, digital) locally and nationally. She has led universitywide seminars with the famed Bill Nye “the Science Guy” and has taught upwards of 600 students in a Natural Disasters course offered by McGill University’s Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department.

Currently, as a postdoctoral scholar, she is mentoring engineering students on developing their research skills. She is jointly advised by Professors Banerjee and Foufoula-Georgiou in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her current research focuses on weather and hydroclimate related hazards, with an emphasis on wildfire meteorology.