Milind Sharma
  • Assistant Research Scientist

Biography

Professional Links

Research Interests

  • Aerosol-cloud interactions
  • Severe local storms
  • Sea breeze circulations
  • Storm dynamics and microphysics
  • Lightning
  • Polarimetric radar analysis
  • Numerical weather prediction

As part of the TAMU TRACER (Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment) field campaign, my research focuses on improving our understanding of aerosol-convection interactions. Deep convective clouds that initiate from convergence along the sea- and bay-breeze fronts pique my curiosity. Using targeted and co-located mobile measurements of kinematic, thermodynamic, and aerosol profiles in different air masses, my research aims to isolate the role of background meteorological conditions as well as CCN/INP distributions in sustaining isolated thunderstorms. Using polarimetric radar observations, I analyze the life cycle of deep convective updrafts and evolution of microphysical processes. I also use idealized numerical simulations of convective storms to fill the gap in observed storm-scale processes and to test the sensitivity of storm morphology and updraft intensity using observed variability in near-storm environmental profiles.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. 2022 – Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, Indiana, USA
  • M.E. 2016 – Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • B.Tech. 2014 – Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

Awards & Honors

  • Spring 2022 – Purdue EAPS Outstanding Graduate Student Award
  • TAMU College of Arts & Sciences Research Proposal Development Award

  • TAMU College of Arts & Sciences Postdoc Travel Grant

  • Best student poster presentation at the 10th Conference on the Meteorological Application of Lightning Data held during 101st Annual Meeting, American Meteorological Society.

Selected Publications

  • Sharma, M., R. L. Tanamachi, E. C. Bruning, and K. M. Calhoun, 2021: Polarimetric and Electrical Structure of the 19 May 2013 Edmond–Carney, Oklahoma, Tornadic Supercell. Mon. Wea. Rev., 149, 2049–2078, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-20-0280.1.

     

    Sharma, M., R. L. Tanamachi, and E. C. Bruning, 2024: Investigating Temporal Characteristics of Polarimetric and Electrical Signatures in Three Severe Storms: Insights from the VORTEX-Southeast Field Campaign. Mon. Wea. Rev., 152, 1511–1536, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0144.1.

     

    Sharma, M., A. D. Rapp, C. J. Nowotarski, and S. D. Brooks, 2024: Observed variability in convective cell characteristics and near-storm environments across the sea and bay-breeze fronts in southeast Texas. Mon. Wea. Rev., https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0243.1.     

     

    Rapp, A.D., Brooks S. D., Nowotarski C.J., Sharma M., and others, 2024: TAMU TRACER: Targeted Mobile Measurements to Isolate the Impacts of Aerosols and Meteorology on Deep Convection. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 105, E1685–E1702, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0218.1.

     

    Lamer, K., ... Sharma M., and others, 2024: Spatially distributed atmospheric boundary layer properties in Houston – A value-added observational dataset. Nature Scientific Data, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03477-9

     

    RECENT PRESENTATIONS

    Sharma, M., et al. Environmental Controls on Lightning Flash Rates in Supercells. AMS 31st Conference on Severe Local Storms, Virginia Beach, VA, USA.

     

    Rapp, A., Sharma, M., et al. Sensitivity of convective cell characteristics to TRACER thermodynamic and aerosol environments in observations and idealized simulations. 2024 Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation and Climate Initiative workshop, London, UK.

     

    Jensen, M., ... Sharma, M., et al. The TRACER Field Campaign: Measurement and Modeling Activities for the Study of Aerosol-Convection Interactions. 104th AMS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA.

     

    Sharma, M., et al. Does Meteorological Variability Across Sea and Bay-Breeze Fronts Influence Thunderstorm Characteristics? Insights from the TAMU TRACER Field Campaign. 40th AMS Conference on Radar Meteorology, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

     

    Chen, B., Thompson, S. A., Matthews, B. H., Sharma, M., Li, R., Nowotarski, C. J., ... & Brooks, S. D. Retrieving Vertical Profiles of Aerosols and Their Cloud Nucleating Properties Using a Micropulse Lidar. 104th AMS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA.

     

    D'Angelo, N., Sharma, M., Tarantino, M., & Adelfio, G. Spatio-temporal analysis of lightning point process data in severe storms. Book of Abstracts SDS 2024.

     

    Sharma, M., et al. Tutorial on “Enhancing Geoscientific Computational Skills with Project Pythia: A Pathway to Open Science” at the ARM/ASR community open-source tool breakout session.

     

    Sharma, M., et al. Quantifying the covariability between ZDR/KDP column volume and lightning flash rates in southeast US storms. 30th Severe Local Storms Meeting 2022, American Meteorological Society.