BIO & STUFF

I have a Bachelors in Geology and Oceanography (University of Athens-Greece), a Masters (Stevens Institute of Technology) and a Ph.D. (University of Connecticut & NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center doctoral fellow) in Environmental Engineering. From 2006-2012 I worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow {NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center} and as an Associate Professor at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (Greece). I am currently a UAH Clinical Assistant Professor (Department of Physics) and a Research Scientist (Earth System Science Center, since 2012). My passion has been lightning and atmospheric Physics. This passion has been served by more than 40 peer-reviewed publications (20+ as lead author).

My other passion is teaching. My philosophy adheres to the basic principles of Science; Perspiration and Inspiration but also attempts to follow the Socratic method, where nothing is taken for granted but, it is the interaction with the student, critical thinking and intuitive understanding of “things that make sense” that entail my foci. Although I follow the textbook’s material, my lectures are often more inclusive and definitely less regurgitating than the mainstream textbooks. My goal is that you build an "under the hood" understanding of Physics. In my lectures, I engage in interactive discussions. I do not encourage (in fact, I despise it) formulae memorization and the old-school "plug and chug" type of "teaching". Conversely, I will teach you how to critically think and use algebra. We are going to solve lots and lots of problems, individually and in groups. Last but not least; I am not here to grade you; I am here to teach you Physics. All in all, you eventually grade yourself.

For all the students majoring in UAH's Science and Engineering, My advice is If you want to be successful in your field do not treat any of the PH 111/112/113 courses as "just another course" but rather as material that embodies

1) Your ABC's

2) Your cornerstone

3) Your foundation

In Science there is Physics. Everything else is stamp collecting (Ernest Rutherford)

List of courses currently teaching

Spring: PH-111 (standard and honors levels)

Fall: PH-112 & 115 (standard and honors levels)

Summer: PH-111/or PH-112 (standard level only)

Labs currently teaching

Spring: PH-114 (standard and honors levels)

Fall: PH-115 (standard and honors levels)

Academic Textbooks

Laboratory manual for Introduction to Mechanics (PH-114) [available online]

Laboratory manual for Introduction to Electromagnetism (PH-115) [available online]

Peer-Reviewed Papers and Academic Book Chapters

[40+ conference papers, available upon request]

Anagnostou, E and Chronis,T., [2004], The worth of long range lightning observation on over land precipitation estimation, Advances in Global Change, Kluwer Academic Publishing.

Pittman J., Chronis T., Robertson, F., and Miller, T., [2008], Book Chapter-Electrification in Hurricanes: Implications for Water Vapor in the Tropical Tropopause Layer, Hurricanes and Climate Change, edited by J. B. Elsner and T. H. Jagger, Springer

Anagnostou, E.N., T. Chronis, and D.P. Lalas [2002], New Receiver Network Advances in Long-Range Lightning Monitoring, EOS-Transactions, Vol. 83, No. 50, 594-595.

Chronis T. and Anagnostou E., [2003], Error analysis for a long-range lightning monitoring network of ground-based receivers in Europe, J. Geophys. Res., Vol.108, No.D24, 4779.

Chronis T., Anagnostou E and Dinku T. [2004], High frequency estimation of thunderstorms via Satellite Infrared and a long-range lightning network in Europe, Quarterly Royal Meteorological Society Vol.130 April 2004 Part B No. 599.

Papadopoulos, A., T. Chronis, and E. N. Anagnostou, [2005], Using lightning to predict storm precipitation, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 86 [8], pp. 1057-1059.

Papadopoulos, A., T. Chronis, and E. N. Anagnostou, [2005], Improving Convective Precipitation Forecasting Through Assimilation of Regional Lightning Measurements in a Mesoscale Model, Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 133, 1961–1977.

Chronis, T., and E.N. Anagnostou, [2006], Evaluation of a Long-Range Lightning Detection Network with Receivers in Europe and Africa, IEEE Transaction on Geosciences and Remote Sensing Volume 44, Issue 6, pp.1504 – 1510.

Williams E., Boldi R., Bor J., Satori G., Price C., Greengurg E., Takashashi Y., Yamamoto K., Chronis T., Anagnostou E., Smith D., Lopez L., [2006], Lightning flashes conductive to production and escape of gamma radiation to space, J. of Geophysical Research- Atmospheres VOL. 111, D16209, doi:10.1029/2005JD006447.

Chronis T., Williams E, Anagnostou E., [2006], Evidence of tropical forcing of the 6.5 wave from lightning observations over Africa, J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 3717-3721.

Chronis T., Williams E, Anagnostou E., Walt Petersen, [2007]: Lightning as a precursor of tropical cyclogenesis, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(40), 397, 10.1029/2007EO400001.

Chronis T., Williams E, Anagnostou E., [2007], Investigating possible links between African lightning and the 6.5 stratospheric wave, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 92 [9], pp. 256-258.

Chronis, T. G., S. J. Goodman, D. Cecil, D. Buechler, F. J. Robertson, J. Pittman, and R. J. Blakeslee, [2008], Global lightning activity from the ENSO perspective, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L19804, doi:10.1029/2008GL034321.

Hazelton, B. J., B. W. Grefenstette, D. M. Smith, J. R. Dwyer, X.-M. Shao, S. A. Cummer, T., Chronis, E. H. Lay, and R. H. Holzworth, [2009], Spectral dependence of terrestrial gamma- ray flashes on source distance, Geo. Res. Lett, Vol. 36, L01108, doi:10.1029/2008GL035906.

Chronis, T., [2009], Investigating Possible Links between Incoming Cosmic Ray Fluxes and Lightning Activity over U.S., J. Climate, Vol.22, pp. 5748-5754.

Chronis T., [2009], Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment, EOS Transactions AGU, Vol. 90, No. 46, doi:10.1029/2009EO460011

Chronis T., Papadopoulos, V., and Nikolopoulos, E., [2010], Nine years of hi-resolution, QuickScat observations over the Mediterranean, International Journal of Climatology, doi: 10.1002/joc.2213.

Chronis, T., Raitsos, D and Kassis, D., [2011], The summer North Atlantic Oscillation effect on eastern Mediterranean, Journal of Climate J. Climate, 24, 5584–5596.

Papadopoulos, V., Bartzokas, A., Chronis,T., and Ferentinos G., [2011], Factors regulating the air-sea heat fluxes regime over the Aegean Sea, (Adv. Sci. Res., 6, 63-67, 2011 www.adv-sci-res.net/6/63/2011/, doi:10.5194/asr-6-63-2011)

Degu, M., Hossain, F., Niyogi, D., Pielke R., Shepherd, J., M, Voisin, N., and Chronis, T.,The influence of large dams on surrounding climate and precipitation patterns, [2011], Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 38, L04405, 7 PP., 2011doi:10.1029/2010GL046482

Papadopoulos, V,P., A. Bartzokas, T. Chronis, S. Ruiz, N. Zarokanellos and G.Ferentinos, [2011], Correlation between air-sea heat fluxes over the Aegean Sea and the total precipitable water over Europe and North Africa, doi: 10.1175/2011JCLI4197.1 (on line release, Journal of Climate)

Raitsos D.E., Hoteit I., Prihartato P.K., Chronis T., Triantafyllou G., Abualnaja Y., Red [2011], Sea warming; a climate driven abrupt change, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 38, L14601, 5 pp, doi:10.1029/2011GL047984

Chronis, T. G. [2012], Preliminary lightning observations over Greece, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D03113, doi:10.1029/2011JD017063.

Velea, L., Chronis, T., Anagnostou, E., and Papadopolulos A., [2011], Comparative analysis of humidity characteristics for open sea and coastal areas in the Mediterranean,Atmospheric Research 113 (2012) 126–139.

Nastos, P. T.,I.T. Matsangouras, T.G. Chronis, [2013], Spatio-temporal analysis of lightning activity over Greece — Preliminary results derived from the recent state precision lightning network, Atmospheric Research, ISSN 0169-8095, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2013.10.021.

Josh Durkee, Ahmed M. Degu, Faisal Hossain, Rezaul Mahmood, Jesse Winchester, and Themis Chronis, [2014], Investigating the Effect of the “Land between the Lakes” on Storm Patterns. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 53, 1506–1524.

Chronis, T., K. Cummins, R. Said, W. Koshak, E. McCaul, E. R. Williams, G. T. Stano, and M. Grant, [2015], Climatological diurnal variation of negative CG lightning peak current over the continental United States, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120, 582–589, doi:10.1002/2014JD022547.

Chronis,T., Lawrence D. Carey, Christopher J. Schultz, Elise V. Schultz, Kristin M. Calhoun, and Steven J. Goodman, [2015], Exploring Lightning Jump Characteristics. Wea. Forecasting, 30, 23–37.

Houssos E., Chronis, T., Fotiadi, A., and Hossain, F., [2015], Cluster Analysis of atmospheric circulation leading to intense dust storms over Solar Village, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00198.1, Monthly Weather Review

Chronis T., et al., [2015], Characteristics of storms producing Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00239.1, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

Chronis, T., T. Lang, W. Koshak, R. Blakeslee, H. Christian, E. McCaul, and J. Bailey [2015], Diurnal Characteristics of Lightning Flashes Detected Over the São Paulo Lightning Mapping Array, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120, doi:10.1002/2015JD023960.

Chronis, T., W. Koshak, and E. McCaul [2016], Why do oceanic negative cloud- to-ground lightning exhibit larger peak current values?, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 121, 4049–4068, doi:10.1002/ 2015JD024129.

Chronis T., and Koshak W., [2016], Global TRMM/LIS diurnal flash radiances DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0041.1, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

Roberts, O. J., G. Fitzpatrick, G. Priftis, K. Bedka, T. Chronis, S. McBreen, M. S. Briggs, E. Cramer, B. Mailyan, and M. Stanbro [2017], Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes due to particle acceleration in tropical storm systems, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 122, 3374–3395, doi:10.1002/2016JD025799

Winchester J.; Rezaul Mahmood; William Rodgers; Faisal Hossain; Eric Rap, Joshua Durkee and Themis Chronis, [2017] A Model-based Assessment of Potential Impacts of Man-made Reservoirs on Precipitation, Earth Interactions (in print)

X Li, TJ Lang, J Mecikalski, T Castillo, K Hoover and Themis Chronis, [2018] The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS)-Analysis and Data Assimilation for Tropical Convection, J. Tech Vol. 11.

Hoover, K.E., J.R. Mecikalski, T.J. Lang, X. Li, T.J. Castillo, and T. Chronis, [2018] Use of an End-to-End-Simulator to Analyze CYGNSS. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 35, 35–55, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-17-0036.1

Priftis G., Lang, T., and Chronis T., Combining ASCAT and NEXRAD Retrieval Analysis to Explore Wind Features of Mesoscale Oceanic Systems Journal of Geophysical Research, Atmospheres

Cecil D., and Chronis T., Polarization Corrected Temperatures for 10-, 19-, 37-, and 89-GHz Passive Microwave Frequencies, JAMC

Alex B. Young, Lawrence D. Carey, Phillip M. Bitzer., Elise V. Schultz, Themis Chronis, Kristin Calhoun Analyzing Total Lightning and the Lightning Jump Algorithm Performance using Enhanced Verification from Hail Cases [SUBMITTED]