ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
David Plummer, Assoc. Research Scientist
Email: dplumme1@uwyo.edu
Office Phone: (307) 766-3245
Education:
- B.Sc., Meteorology, Valparaiso University, 2005
- M.Sc., Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008
- Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014
Research Statement
I work for the department’s Research Flight Center as a project manager and systems
scientist with the King Air research aircraft facility. My research background is
centered in cloud physics, involving both airborne measurements in cloud, and ground-
and aircraft-based radar measurements, with my own studies encompassing measurements
within continental winter cyclones, warm-season convection, and clouds and precipitation
influenced by mountain topography. Within the King Air group, I’m involved in project
planning and execution at all stages – discussions with investigators, flight planning
and coordination with other project participants, and instrumentation operations during
research flights. The wide range of projects supported by the facility has allowed
me to expand my experience beyond cloud physics, with recent and upcoming projects
covering other research areas including air quality, wildfire plume chemistry, and
boundary layer fluxes.
Current Projects
- Maintaining collaboration with recent project investigators and utilizing King Air
measurements to expand my own research in cloud physics
- Supporting current and future investigators, particularly through the development
of materials describing data analysis techniques and instrument capabilities for project
planning
- Facilitating student involvement in airborne research and subsequent data analysis
Selected Publications:
- Plummer, D. M., J. R. French, D. C. Leon, A. M. Blyth, S. Lasher-Trapp, L. J. Bennett,
D. R. Dufton, R. C. Jackson, and R. R. Neely, 2018: Radar-derived structural and precipitation
characteristics of warm-based convection developing ZDR columns. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 57, 2485-2505. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-17-0134.1
- Plummer, D. M., G. M. McFarquhar, R. M. Rauber, B. F. Jewett, and D. C. Leon, 2015:
Microphysical properties of convectively-generated fall streaks within the stratiform
comma-head region of continental winter cyclones. J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 2465-2483. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-14-0354.1
- Plummer, D. M., G. M. McFarquhar, R. M. Rauber, B. F. Jewett, and D. C. Leon, 2014:
Structure and statistical analysis of the microphysical properties of generating cells
in the comma-head region of continental winter cyclones. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 4181-4203. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-14-0100.1
- Rosenow, A. A., D. M. Plummer, R. M. Rauber, G. M. McFarquhar, B. F. Jewett, and D.
Leon, 2014: Vertical velocity and physical structure of generating cells and convection
in the comma head region of continental winter cyclones. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1538-1558. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-13-0249.1
- Plummer, D. M., S. Göke, R. M. Rauber, and L. Di Girolamo, 2010: Discrimination of
mixed versus ice-phase clouds using dual-polarization radar with application to detection
of aircraft icing regions. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 49, 920-936. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JAMC2267.1