Isaac Ginis Lab

Dr. Isaac Ginis

Dr. Ginis is a professor at the Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) of the University of Rhode Island. His research focuses on the relationship air-sea interactions during extreme weather, mostly hurricanes, specifically how the hurricanes change the temperature of the ocean.

The research has focused on how strong the storms will be. It is important to predict the intensity and reach of extreme storms because it can help people prepare properly for them.

Most recent research areas include tropical cyclone-ocean interactions, ocean model initialization, and data assimilation.

Dr. Ginis's research works on:

• Focusing on improving predictions of hurricane impacts when they make landfall

• Collaborating with the Department of Marine Affairs

  • using the predictions of the storm surges to determine what will be damaged

and utilizes different techniques, including:

• Computer coupled modeling

  • first to development the coupled ocean weather model

  • based on physics, mathematical equations

• learn how to make weather maps

• learning computer software

Undergraduates will typically begin their research analyzing weather observations from airport and other weather stations of past storms, making a model of past storms (also known as a hind-cast) and compare it to the actual data gathered from those storms to test the accuracy of the computer generated models.

Dr. Ginis's research group contributed to the development of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) coupled model and Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) hurricane model used by the U.S. National Hurricane Center and Joint Typhoon Warning Center for forecasting tropical typhoons.

Prior experience is not a prerequisite for Dr. Ginis's lab. Undergraduates typically work in this lab during the summer as GSO interns, for about two months.

Students interested in Dr. Ginis's research are encouraged to contact him at iginis@uri.edu.