Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes

Charles Nelson Helms

(Cloud Dynamicist/Instrument Scientist)

Charles Nelson Helms's Contact Card & Information.
Email: charles.n.helms@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.5719
Org Code: 612
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 612
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK

Research Interests

Cloud Dynamics

Entrainment/detrainment, updraft/downdraft dynamics, upscale impacts, observational analysis

Tropical Meteorology

Tropical cyclogenesis, interactions between dry air and deep convection, processes responsible for the initial vertical alignment of vortices

Winter Weather

Mesoscale snowband formation and maintenance, microphysics measurement techniques

Instrument Science

Dropsondes, airborne radar, ice microphysics probes, observational analysis techniques, instrument error analysis

Other

Object tracking algorithms

Positions/Employment

Assistant Research Scientist

University of Maryland -- ESSIC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Cneter

2022 - Present

Postdoctoral Fellow

NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

2018 - 2022

Education

Ph.D. (Atmospheric Science) -- 2018

  • Doctoral Advisor: Lance Bosart
  • University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY
  • Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
  • Dissertation: Dry air, midlevel flow, and the persistence of deep convection in Atlantic tropical disturbances.

Masters of Science (Meteorology) -- 2012

  • Masters Advisor: Robert Hart
  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
  • Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science
  • Thesis: The evolution of dropsonde-derived kinematic and thermodynamic structures in developing and non-developing Atlantic tropical convective systems.

Undergraduate (Atmospheric Science) -- 2009

  • Research Advisor: Christopher Hennon
  • University of North Caroline at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  • Department of Atmospheric Sciences
  • Thesis: An objective algorithm for the identification of convetive tropical cloud clusters in geostationary imagery.

Professional Societies

American Meteorological Society

2006 - Present

American Geophysical Society

2011 - Present

Professional Service

  • 2020 - Present -- NASA/GSFC 610 Popular Summary Review Committee
  • 2022 -- WMO 10th International Workshop on Tropical Cyclones (IWTC-10)
  • 2022 -- NASA/GSFC Earth Rise Strategic Planning Group: Missions

Awards

  • 2020 -- NASA/GSFC 610AT Technical or Field Campaign Support Award “For Outstanding Field Campaign Support during the Winter 2020 IMPACTS deployment”
  • 2020 -- ISTD Engineering Excellence Group Award, IMPACTS Team
  • 2015 -- NASA Group Achievement Award "For outstanding achievements of the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) airborne mission to investigate the factors influencing hurricane intensity change" (2015)
  • 2009 -- University Research Scholar
  • 2009 -- Atmospheric Sciences Departmental Distinction
  • 2008 -- Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Research
  • 2007 -- Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Research

Other Professional Information

Programming Languages: IDL (mastery), Python (capable), BASH (capable), Fortran (familiar)

Special Experience

Field Experience:

  • 2020, 2022 -- Forecaster, ER-2 radar support. NASA Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) Field Campaign
  • 2015 -- Forecaster. Office of Naval Research (ONR) Tropical Cyclone Intensity Experiment (TCI) Field Campaign
  • 2013, 2014 -- Forecaster. NASA Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) Field Campaign

Visiting Positions:

  • 2020 - 2022 -- Visiting Assistant Research Scientist. ESSIC, University of Maryland
  • 2016 -- Visiting Researcher. NCAR Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Lab
  • 2010 -- Visiting Researcher. National Centers for Environmental Information, formerly the National Climatic Data Center

Publications

Refereed

2022. "Snow microphysical retrieval from the NASA D3R radar during ICE-POP 2018." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15 (5): 1439-1464 [10.5194/amt-15-1439-2022] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The Impact of a Midlevel Dry Airflow Layer on Deep Convection in the Pre-Gabrielle (2013) Tropical Disturbance on 4–5 September." Monthly Weather Review 149 (8): 2695-2711 [10.1175/mwr-d-20-0380.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Reducing Errors in Velocity-Azimuth Display (VAD) Wind and Deformation Retrievals from Airborne Doppler Radars in Convective Environments." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 2251–2266 [https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0034.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "The Evolution of Dropsonde-Derived Kinematic and Thermodynamic Structures in Developing and Nondeveloping Atlantic Tropical Convective Systems." Monthly Weather Review 143 (8): 3109-3135 [10.1175/mwr-d-14-00242.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "A Polygon-Based Line-Integral Method for Calculating Vorticity, Divergence, and Deformation from Nonuniform Observations." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 52 (6): 1511-1521 [10.1175/jamc-d-12-0248.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Tropical Cloud Cluster Climatology, Variability, and Genesis Productivity." Journal of Climate 26 (10): 3046-3066 [10.1175/jcli-d-12-00387.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "An Objective Algorithm for Detecting and Tracking Tropical Cloud Clusters: Implications for Tropical Cyclogenesis Prediction." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 28 (8): 1007-1018 [10.1175/2010jtecha1522.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Globally Gridded Satellite Observations for Climate Studies." BAMS 92 (7): 893-907 [10.1175/2011BAMS3039.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

Contact Us

George Huffman
Chief
301-614-6308
george.j.huffman@nasa.gov

General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center may be directed to the Center Office of Communications at 1.301.286.8955.