Land-atmosphere interactions:
My primary research area is land-atmosphere interactions.
I am interested in studying the impacts of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in landcover
on the atmosphere over large-eddy (~100 m) to regional scales (~1000 km).
In this context, I investigate idealized problems as well as realistic scenarios with policy implications.
My past projects include deforestation in Amazonia and Congo, historical land use changes in the US,
desiccation of the Aral Sea and tree plantations for carbon sequestration.
I explore how these kinds of changes in the land cover affect local/regional scale circulations, energy
and water cycle.
My latest work focuses on feedbacks in the coupled land-atmosphere system.
Any change in land surface properties elicits a response in the atmosphere in the form of changes in
temperature, rainfall, etc. These changes in local/regional hydrometeorology in turn goes on to affect the
land cover, thereby completing a feedback loop.
Competitive/synergistic interactions between different feedbacks determine the net effect of
land use/land cover change on the Earth System.
In a collaborative project, we are building a robust model that can simulate these feedbacks.
Renewable energy meteorology:
My secondary research area is renewable energy meteorology, primarily focusing on wind energy.
In particular, I look at how wind turbines interact with near-surface atmospheric flow.
We have developed a subgrid parameterization to represent wind turbine rotors in mesoscale models.
Using this model I study impacts of wind farms on near-surface hydrometeorology and also siting
solutions to minimize these impacts.
In addition, I also work on resource estimation, energy and power forecasting techniques
and environmental impacts of wind/solar farms.
The Guardian, BBC, German Public Radio, NASA press release, Nature Editorial, New York Times, New Scientist, PBS Newshour, Scientific American, Science. Times of India. Times of India.