Stephanie E. Zick

Specialities:

• Tropical meteorology
• Tropical cyclones
• Precipitation
• Numerical weather prediction
• Model forecast verification

I am an assistant professor and a core faculty member for the department’s B.S. meteorology program. In my research,  I use spatial methods to better understand tropical cyclone (TC) dynamics and structure. Specifically, I harness the intimate link between the anatomy of a hurricane and its physiology, or the physical mechanisms that fuel the storm. I am particularly interested in using this framework to investigate 1) how these storms interact with the large-scale environment and 2) the evolution of precipitation prior to and during landfall. In this work, I feel very privileged that I get to share my enthusiasm for discovering the mysteries of the natural world with colleagues, students, and fellow weather enthusiasts.

Course Recently Taught:

• Dynamic Meteorology I and II (GEOG 3515/3516)
  
  
• Tropical Meteorology (GEOG 4514)
  
  
• Numerical Weather Prediction (GEOG 4534)

Recent Publications:

*student collaborator

*Stackhouse, S. D., S. E. Zick, C. J. Matyas, K. M. Wood, A. T. Hazelton, G. J Alaka, 2023: Evaluating the Skillfulness of Experimental High Resolution Model Forecasts of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation using an Object-Based Methodology, Weather and Forecasting, 38, 10. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-22-0223.1.

​*Addington, K. and S. E. Zick, 2023: The Effect of Coastline Concavity on Maximum Storm Surge Height along the US Gulf Coast, American Journal of Undergraduate Research, 20, 2, https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2023.084.

*Walsh, S., M. Ferreira, D. Higdon, S. E. Zick, 2023: A Bayesian Hierarchical Model Framework to Quantify Uncertainty of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation Forecasts, The Annals of Applied Statistics, 17, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/22-AOAS1703.

*Rosenthal, L., and S. E. Zick, 2023: Evaluating the Role of Land Surface Moisture in Generating Asymmetrical Precipitation during the Landfall of Hurricane Florence (2018),Atmosphere, 14, 814, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050814.

*El Khouly, M., S. E. Zick, and M. Ferreira, 2023: Long Term Temporal Trends in Synoptic-scale Weather Conditions Favoring Significant Tornado Occurrence over the Central United States, PLOS One, 18, 2, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281312.

Zick, S. E., 2022: Anatomy of a Storm: A Review of Shape Analysis Research that Fuses Form and Function in Weather Forecasting and Analysis, Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 47, 1, https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333221133098.

Zick, S. E., C. J. Matyas, G. M. Lackmann, J. Tang, and **B. Bennett, 2022: Illustration of an object-based approach to identify structural differences in tropical cyclone wind fields,Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 148, 2587–2606,https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4326.

Zick, S. E., 2020: Quantifying Extreme Precipitation Forecasting Skill in High-Resolution Models Using Spatial Patterns: A Case Study of the 2016 and 2018 Ellicott City Floods, Atmosphere, 11, doi: 10.3390/atmos11020136.

Kirkland, J.*, and S. E. Zick, 2019: Regional Differences in the Spatial Patterns of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Rainbands Through Landfall. Southeastern Geographer, 59, 294-320, doi: 10.1353/sgo.2019.0023.

Matyas, C. J., S. E. Zick, and J. Tang, 2018: Using an Object-Based Approach to Quantify the Spatial Structure of Reflectivity Regions in Hurricane Isabel (2003). Part I: Comparisons between Radar Observations and Model Simulations. Monthly Weather Review, 146, 1319–1340, doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-17-0077.1.

Zick, S. E., and C. J. Matyas, 2016: A Shape Metric Methodology for Studying the Evolving Geometries of Synoptic-Scale Precipitation in Tropical Cyclones, Annals of the American Association of Geographers, doi: 10.1080/24694452.2016.1206460.

Zick, S. E., and C. J. Matyas, 2015: Tropical Cyclones in the North American Regional Reanalysis: The Impact of Satellite-derived Precipitation Over-Ocean, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 120, doi: 10.1002/2015JD023722.

Zick, S. E., and C. J. Matyas, 2015: Tropical Cyclones in the North American Regional Reanalysis: An Assessment of Spatial Biases in Location, Intensity, and Structure. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 120: 1651–1669. doi: 10.1002/2014JD022417.

Recent Grants:

National Science Foundation
2022-2023. S. Zick (PI), C. Ramseyer (Co-PI). Physical and Dynamical Meteorology (PDM) Program. REU Supplement to “Collaborative Research: An Object-Oriented Approach to Assess the Rainfall Evolution of Tropical Cyclones in Varying Moisture Environments”.  AGS-2011981. $19,778.

National Science Foundation
2020-2024. S. Zick (PI). Physical and Dynamical Meteorology (PDM) Program. Collaborative Research: An Object-Oriented Approach to Assess the Rainfall Evolution of Tropical Cyclones in Varying Moisture Environments. AGS-2011981. $185,677.

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
2019-2020. A. Ellis (PI), S. Keighton (Co-PI), S. Zick (Co-PI). Skill Analysis of Contemporary Operational Model Forecasts of Mixed-Precipitation Events: Guidance for the National Weather Service in the Mid-Atlantic Region. $14,825. 

Society of Women Geographers
2015-2016. C. Matyas (PI), S. Zick (Co-PI). Pruitt Dissertation Fellowship: Geometric Analysis of Moisture Budgets and Precipitation Structures in U.S. Landfalling Hurricanes. $8,479.