Aaron (Ari) Preston

Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences

Education

B.S.E – Meteorology, University of Michigan (2010)
M.S. – Meteorology, Florida State University (2012)
Ph.D. – Meteorology, Florida State University (2017)

Courses Taught
Elementary Meteorology (ATM 1010)
Introduction to Climate Change (ATM 1020)
Elementary Oceanography (ATM 1030)
Survey of Meteorology I & II (ATM 1211 & 1212)
Remote Sensing (ATM 3110)
Physical Meteorology (ATM 3140)
Mesoscale Meteorology (ATM 4110)
Capstone in Atmospheric Sciences I & II (ATM 4712 & 4713)

About
Dr. Preston joined the Atmospheric Sciences faculty in 2017 after earning his Ph.D. in Meteorology from Florida State University. He has enjoyed engaging students in the Lyndon community and getting them excited about the weather by implementing classroom activities that make them apply concepts from the classroom to the real world. For example, first-year students get to examine severe weather case studies using GRLevel2 Analyst in Survey of Meteorology. Dr. Preston also implements GRLevel2 Analyst and the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) into his labs for Remote Sensing.

Dr. Preston recently submitted a paper for publication to the Journal of Geophysical Research. The paper includes results from his work with the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). Results from the simulated fields show that pollution from distance sources is wrapped into Typhoon Mireille (1991) and subsequently lofted by eyewall convection to the upper troposphere, enhancing concentrations in this region. Dr. Preston plans to continue studying tropical cyclones at NVU-Lyndon with a focus on intensity forecasting.

Dr. Preston also has considerable experience conducting lightning-related research. He closely collaborated with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron in developing lightning cessation guidance to help improve lightning warnings for America’s space program at NASA Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dr. Preston will be using the Warning Decision Support System – Integrated Information (WDSS-II) software to continue researching convective storms and lightning at NVU-Lyndon. He plans to test the lightning cessation algorithm that he developed for isolated thunderstorms in Florida on storms in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S.

Publications
Preston, A. D., H. E. Fuelberg, and M. C. Barth, 2018: Simulation of Chemical Transport by Typhoon Mireille (1991). J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., In Submission.

Preston, A. D., and H. E. Fuelberg, 2015: Improving Lightning Cessation Guidance Using Polarimetric Radar Data, Wea. Forecasting, 30, 308-328. doi:10.1175/WAF-D-14-00031.1.

Fuelberg, H. E., R. J. Walsh, and A. D. Preston, 2014: The extension of lightning flashes from thunderstorms near Cape Canaveral, Florida. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119, 9965-9979, doi:10.1002/2014JD022105.