Katharine Kanak
Katharine M. Kanak | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma (B.S., 1987) University of Wisconsin–Madison (M.S., 1990) University of Oklahoma (Ph.D., 1999) |
| Known for | Dust devils on Earth and Mars; Idealized thermal convection; Tornadoes and supercells; Mammatus clouds; Hailstorms |
| Awards | University of Wisconsin-Madison: Schwerdtfeger Award and Lettau Award. University of Oklahoma: Graduate Teaching Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions | University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology/ CIMMS (now CIWRO) |
| Thesis | On the Formation of Vertical Vortices in the Atmosphere (1999) |
| Doctoral advisor | Douglas K. Lilly John T. Snow |
Katharine M. Kanak is an American atmospheric scientist known for her research on the dynamics and morphologies of atmospheric vortices, including convective boundary layer vortices, such as dust devils, both terrestrial and Martian. Kanak was one of the first to apply large eddy simulation of convective boundary layers to simulate the development of dust-devil-like vertical vortices arising from the convective pattern itself. Her dust-devil expertise was sought for media interviews and articles including the Deseret News in "Utah a Dust-Devil Haven" and Natural New England Magazine in "Unusual Photo of 'dust devil' snapped in Maine."
Other vortices she has studied include supercell storms, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. She has also published papers on mammatus clouds and simulations, Rayleigh-Bénard convection, idealized thermal convective bubbles, hailstorms, microphysical parameterization schemes, and numerical techniques.
Kanak has contributed to major field campaigns including serving as the Assistant Field Coordinator for Project VORTEX in 1994–1995, participating in mobile mesonet operations in STEPS in 2000, and serving as a co-principal investigator for VORTEX2 in 2009-2010., the latter of which was at that time, the largest-scale tornado field program ever conducted.