A team of researchers led by Central Michigan University has come one step closer to its goal of better understanding the impact of Lake Michigan on thunderstorm development in western Michigan.
The MITTEN-CI project completed a month of data collection from the Lake Michigan shoreline to inland Lansing in late July. The 37-member team includes faculty and students from five universities across the country and is led by Jason Keeler, assistant professor of meteorology at CMU.
“If we better understand the process by which thunderstorms develop, we can make better forecasts,” Keeler said. “Ultimately, the public will benefit because the development of thunderstorms in coastal areas will be more predictable.”
For the 28 students involved in the project, including Dominic Cannonnito, a junior at CMU, it has brought additional benefits beyond the results.
“There are just a lot of tools that I’ve been able to work with hands-on, and it’s been a great experience for me to learn new skills that I didn’t have before,” he said. “I’m making so many connections that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
“The fact that I’m meeting people who will be in this field for the next decades of my life, in my generation, having that foundation will help me in my life and my career in the future.”
Keeler says the team will analyze the initial data collected over the next few years to better understand the processes of thunderstorm development.
The MITTEN-CI project is funded by the US National Science Foundation with 2.5 million US dollars.
