03/26/2025
By Erica Gavin
The Kennedy College of Sciences, Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, invites you to a Master's Thesis defense by Courtney Kinzel titled "The Impact of Rising Sea Surface Temperatures on the Intensity of Nor'Easters."
Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Location: Via Zoom
Advisor: Frank Colby, Ph.D., Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences, UMass Lowell
Committee:
Christopher Skinner, Ph.D., Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences, UMass Lowell
Mathew Barlow, Ph. D., Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Kennedy College of Sciences, UMass Lowell
This thesis discusses the impact of warmer sea-surface temperatures on the intensity of three nor'easters, one each from 2019, 2020 and 2021. The storms were simulated with a research weather model. All three simulated nor'easters had lower central pressures, higher surface fluxes and larger moisture values with warmer sea-surface temperatures.