Ola Persson

Image of Ola Persson

Position

Scientist

Division

Boundary Layer Observations and Processes

Affiliation

CIRES

Contact

(303) 497-5078

ola.persson@noaa.gov

About

My atmospheric sciences career has included a large breadth of research topics, spanning extratropical cyclone structure, mesoscale dynamics, cloud microphysics, coastal and topographic influences on precipitation and airflow, atmospheric boundary layers and turbulence, polar surface energy budgets, polar clouds-boundary layers-surface interaction processes, operational use of Doppler radar data, and wind energy assessment. Research on these topics have yielded a number of notable accomplishments, required my leadership and management skills, produced opportunities for outreach and education, and provided some broader impacts for both the scientific community and the general public

Research Interests

  • mesoscale meteorology
  • polar meteorology
  • atmospheric boundary-layer processes
  • air-ice-ocean interactions
  • surface energy budgets

Education

  • Ph.D., Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, May 1991
  • M.Sc., Atmospheric Science, University of Washington, Aug 1980
  • B.S., Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, Mar 1977
  • B.S., Mathematics, Pennsylvania State University, Mar 1977

Selected Publications

  • Persson, P. Ola G., C. W. Fairall, E. L. Andreas, P. S. Guest, and D. K. Perovich, 2002: Measurements near the Atmospheric Surface Flux Group tower at SHEBA: Near-surface conditions and surface energy budget. J. Geophys. Res. 107(C10), 8045, doi:10.1029/2000JC000705.
  • Persson, P. O. G., 2012: Onset and end of the summer melt season over sea ice: Thermal structure and surface energy perspective from SHEBA. Clim. Dynamics, 39, 1349-1371, DOI:10.1007/s00382-011-1196-9.
  • Persson, P. O. G., B. Blomquist, P. Guest, S. Stammerjohn, C. Fairall, L. Rainville, B. Lund, S. Ackley, and J. Thomson, 2018: Shipboard observations of the meteorology and near-surface environment during autumn freeze-up in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, Sea State special issue, 123, DOI:10.1029/2018JC013786, accepted.
  • Persson, P. Ola G, J. E. Hare, C. W. Fairall, and William Otto, 2005b: Air-sea interaction processes in warm and cold sectors of extratropical cyclonic storms observed during FASTEX. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 131, 877-912, doi:10.1256/qj.03.181.
  • Persson, P. O. G., M. Shupe, D. Perovich, and A. Solomon, 2016: Linking atmospheric synoptic transport, cloud phase, surface energy fluxes, and sea-ice growth: Observations of midwinter SHEBA conditions. Clim. Dyn., DOI:10.1007/s00382-016-3383-1.

Professional Activities

  • research on Arctic atmospheric and air-surface processes
  • making process-level measurements
  • model representation/validation of physical processes

Professional Memberships

Honors and Awards

  • Coauthor, 2010 OAR Outstanding Scientific Paper
  • 2008 AGU Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereeing