Mountain Meteorology Group

[Hide] The Mountain Meteorology Group at the University of Utah studies the effects of mountains on weather and climate, leading to a better understanding of the atmosphere, improved forecasts, insights into hydrological and air quality issues, improved aviation safety and more effective wildfire management.

Mountains modify synoptic-scale winds and create their own smaller-scale wind systems. They influence precipitation patterns and cause the formation of clouds not seen over flat terrain. Climate changes as elevation increases, and micro-climates form in the deep canyons and on exposed slopes and ridges, affecting hydrology and plant and animal life.

For more than a decade, the Department of Atmospheric Sciences has been a center of excellence for education, research, and public service in the area of mountain meteorology. Department faculty, led by Profs. John Horel and Jim Steenburgh, established a broad coordinated research program in 1996 supported by NOAA's Cooperative Institute on Regional Prediction (CIRP) aimed at improving weather and climate prediction in regions of complex terrain, with emphasis placed on weather and climate issues of the Great Basin, Colorado River Basin, and other regions of the western United States. Building on the foundation afforded by CIRP, we have recast our institutional structure to form the Mountain Meteorology Group (MMG).