Jonathan Wynn Smith

Jonathan Wynn Smith joined ESSIC/CICS in 2018 to directly support the integration of Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) gridded products to National Weather Service (NWS) operations. He completed his Ph.D. (2012) in Atmospheric Sciences from Howard University while participating in the NASA Co-Op Program (2009-2012) at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  He was awarded a M.S. (2007) in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. (2004) in Physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Jonathan’s research interests include lightning, atmospheric chemistry transport, and tropospheric ozone generation. His dissertation obtained Chemistry version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-Chem) estimates of elevated tropospheric ozone observed by NOAA Ronald H Brown ship-based ozonesondes. The study examined ozone production over the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean as a result of lightning-induced nitrogen oxides from convection over West Africa during June 2006. The Worldwide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) lightning flash locations were used a proxy for nitrogen oxide generation.  The modeling study included an assessment of tropospheric ozone production from biomass burning in Central Africa. Jonathan has contributed to Suomi NPP meteorology and chemistry product validation, Saharan Air Layer impacts on West African Squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, combined impacts of Arctic Oscillation and El Niño Southern Oscillation on temperature and precipitation.  Jonathan has been a radiosonde and ozonesonde operator on the following field campaigns: Dynamics of the Madden Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO), NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions Campaigns (AEROSE), California Water II (CALWATER II), follow-ups to the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) in Cape Verde and Senegal. Jonathan has several lead author publications.