Bridging the Gap Between Climate and Mesoscale Processes

Climate and Mesoscale Processes

Welcome! I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Atmospheric Science Department at Colorado State University in Jim Hurrell's research group. Our group focuses on modeling studies and diagnostic analyses to better understand the climate, including climate variability and climate change, with an emphasis on the mechanisms, predictability, and impacts of leading patterns of climate variability.

Specifically, my work focuses on how the variations in climate impact mesoscale processes important for convective environments and their associated hazards. My interests span across all atmospheric scales and have allowed me to gain experience in working with climate model large-ensembles, cloud models, and convection-permitting regional models. As the impacts of climate change intensify, bridging the long-standing gap between climate and mesoscale research has become increasingly critical—work that lies at the heart of my research.

Publications

Keys, P. W., C. J. Connolly, A. J. DesRosier, A. E. Dwyer, M. A. Fernandez, M. E. Franke, D. M. Hueholt, A. C. Hughes, P. Hunter, M. Hsieh, M. MacDonald, C. E. Mavis, B. K. Summers, 2026: Radically Decarbonized Futures: Science Fiction Prototyping Identifies Challenges and Opportunities in Low-Carbon Scenarios. In Prep.
Franke, M. E., K. L. Rasmussen, & J. W. Hurrell, 2025: Assessing the Impact of Future Warming on Idealized Quasi-Linear Convective System Characteristics. Submitted to the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.
Schumacher, R. S., A. C. Mazurek, C. M. Davis, M. E. Franke, & M. Gregg, 2025: A Big Chill: Examining an Extremely Sharp Cold Front from Three Perspectives. Mon. Wea. Rev., 153, 1245–1264, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-24-0132.1.
Franke, M. E., J. W. Hurrell, K.L. Rasmussen & L. Sun, 2024: Impact of Forced and Internal Climate Variability on Changes in Convective Environments Over the Eastern United States. Front. Clim. 6:1385527. doi: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1385527

megan.franke@colostate.edu

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse