Ronald Stewart

Weather and climate extremes are a major concern to us all. They lead to enormous damages and often loss of life, society is becoming more vulnerable to such events, and there is mounting evidence that their occurrence may increase in the future. The general focal points of my group's extreme weather research are storms and their precipitation (mainly winter but not exclusively), droughts, storm-climate interactions, and future changes in these features. In regards to storms, we are currently examining the nature of the various forms of winter precipitation, the coupled interaction between this precipitation and its associated environment, and the structure of winter and summer storms. In regards to drought, we are examining the evolution of droughts occurring over the Prairies and elsewhere. In regards to future conditions, we are applying the knowledge being gained within the above topics to consider possible changes in the occurrence of extremes, including over our Arctic.

We utilize observations and models in our research. We utilize operational satellite, radar, sounding and surface observations, we carry out field experiments with research radar, precipitation-sampling equipment, as well as other sensors, we develop models of key processes, and we often use large scale model products. We are also actively involved in the development and exploitation of upcoming satellite systems for determining precipitation and related water cycle parameters.