Peter Guest's Thesis Topics

Dr. Guest performs experimental research in polar regions, electromagnetic propagation and IED detection. This web page is pretty much obsolete, please contact Dr. Guest is you might be interested in doing a thesis in these areas. Possible thesis topics could involve these topics:

• Air-Ice-Sea Interactions
• Surface Layer Physics
• Boundary Layer Meteorology
• Sea Ice Response to Atmospheric Forcing
• Marine Operations in Polar Regions
• Atmospheric Effects on Electromagnetic Propagation in Polar Regions
• Validation of Numerical Atmospheric and Sea Ice Models
• Vessel Icing
• Remote Sensing in Polar Regions
• Other polar topics...

Dr. Guest also performs research in on:

• Electromagnetic and electro-optic (EMEO) propagation in mid-latitude regions.

More details

• Boundary layer nowcasting

  Comparison of satellite- derived and standard synoptic information with in situ measurements over Arctic pack ice and marginal seas. Goal is to develop methods to nowcast and forecast boundary layer parameters with routinely available (non-in situ) information.

• Rf propagation in marginal ice zones

  Use rawinsonde profiles to initialize horizontally heterogeneous rf propagation models. Goal is to determine the effect of Arctic conditions on RADAR and communications.

• Arctic lead forecasting

  Use standard synoptic and buoy data along with satellite remote sensing to determine what meteorological conditions cause lead formation.

• Arctic lead effects

  Use data from the LEADEX project (Spring 92) and perhaps numerical models to determine the effect of leads on the Arctic boundary layer.

• Ice motion and features in the marginal ice zone

  Analyze visual, IR and SAR images along with in situ data to determine the relation between surface forcing (wind) and the characteristics of the ice field in marginal ice zones. Goal is to develop methods to aid in the prediction of ice motion and features near an ice edge.

• Polar lows

  Analyze satellite images of polar lows and compare with in situ measurements. The goal is to determine the precursors to polar low development.

• Clouds and ice crystals

  Use rawinsonde profiles and numerical models to determine the effect of low-level clouds and ice crystals "diamond dust" on the structure of the boundary layer and surface forcing.

• Remote Sensing

  • Verify and/or improve a method for determining surface temperature and heat flux fields over sea ice regions. Compare in situ data collected by NPS projects with satellite algorithms. (e.g. ANZFLUX)
    • A. Lead identification/classification (Key et al.)
    • B. Determining surface temps and heat fluxes (e.g. Lindsay and Rothrock)
    • C. Use already-developed models to further investigate effects of surface temperature fields on atmospheric or oceanic heat budgets, momentum transfer, ice coverage, ABL dynamics, clouds etc.

  • Investigate the effect of suspended ice crystals, "diamond dust" on the surface radiation balance. (See Curry papers) Compare downward radiation measurements from NPS projects with predictions from radiative transfer models. We have concurrent rawinsonde soundings that can be used to input temperature and humidity profiles into the models. The big unknown is the nature of the atmospheric aerosol, including the important sub-visible ice crystals. Use AVHRR or DMSP data to estimate ice crystal effects during clear conditions.

  • Use rawinsonde data to verify AVHRR TOVS temperature profile algorithms. Or apply TOVS-derived data to exam areal stability effects on momentum and heat transfers (e.g. Francis recent work).

  • Use ERS-1 SAR data along with high-resolution buoy info (winds, pressure, temperature, position) to examine the effect of atmospheric and oceanic forcing on ice deformation and lead formation.

• Navy Operations in a reduced ice Arctic

  A workshop in 2001 highlighted the concern the Navy has for the operations in the Arctic Ocean if the ice continues to melt as recent trends indicate. Although a reduced ice cover in the future is by no means a certainty, it is a process that could have important operational impacts. The thesis could explore such topics as how lower ice amounts would affect navigation of surface and undersea vessels, atmospheric visibility, vessel icing, aircraft operations and sound propagation through the ocean.
  • Message from Capt. Dave Gillard
  • Response from Peter Guest

   

Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) SHEBA is a large scientific project designed to study a variety of geophysical processes in the central Arctic. The field program, which occured from October 1997 to October 1998, was the most ambitious scientific effort ever attempted in the Arctic and the first one to have a ship frozen in the ice for an entire year, since the Nansen's effort on the FRAM at the turn of the century.

Click the above patch for detailed information on the SHEBA project.

My role in this project, along with three CO-PIs, was to measure, parameterize, and model the atmospheric surface fluxes during the SHEBA field program. We measured fluxes using a 20-meter tower, the largest tower ever constructed on sea ice (right). Heat and momentum fluxes were measured at five levels on the main tower and also at 4 portable automated measurement (PAM) sites at various locations near the ship. We also directly measured the upward and downward longwave and shortwave radiation at the main tower and the PAM sites. Our measurement program was highly successful. We have an enormous amount of data that have already been quality-checked and are in a suitable form for immediate analysis for thesis work. More details about our program are available.

Main Flux Tower Click on image to expand. (Courtesy SHEBA Project Office)

Some thesis projects related to SHEBA are:

• Analyze the spatial variabilty of the surface fluxes in the Arctic and how they are a function of various ice surfaces (smooth, rough, ridged, new ice first-year ice, multi-year ice, etc.).

• Compare flux measurements at different levels.

• Compare tower and PAM flux measurements with aircraft measurements (with Qing Wang (link may not work))

• Determine the importance of the various heat flux components (radiation, turbulence, conduction) on the overall heat budget of the Arctic.

• Determine the relationship between surface fluxes and atmospheric boundary layer structure.

	Past theses

Other ideas are also welcome.....

Interested? Curious?

Contact Peter Guest

Last update: 4/8/2005

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