Associate Professor
Tel. (919) 513-7963
E-mail: sandra_yuter@ncsu.edu
Dr. Yuter's Web Page
Curriculum Vitae

B.S., Geology-Physics/Mathematics,
Brown University, 1983

Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Washington, 1996

TEACHING AND RESEARCH AREAS
The focus of my research is physical meteorology. I am interested in the microphysics of precipitation development and in the dynamics that determine its occurrence and location. Current research activities are focused on deep convection over the tropical oceans, orographic precipitation, and marine stratocumulus drizzle. My primary approach has been to combine information from observations such as measurements obtained by aircraft probes and surface instrumentation with remote sensing measurements from weather radar and satellites. Much of the research involves improving understanding of the evolution of three-dimensional precipitation structures.

My team is also developing methods and products to compare relative error among independent observations, satellite retrievals, and numerical model output. Routine evaluation of model predictions of precipitation using operational observations will yield both objective measures to judge model performance and information to aid refinement of parameterizations. Accompanying estimates of uncertainty are needed to assimilate satellite precipitation products in atmospheric, hydrologic, and climate models. The quantification of error characteristics will aid the process of algorithm refinement to further reduce uncertainties.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
Yuter, S. E., 2003: Precipitation Radar, Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences, (J. R. Holton, J. Pyle, and J. Curry, Eds.), 1833-1851.

Yuter, S. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 1995: Three-dimensional kinematic and microphysical evolution of Florida cumulonimbus, Part II: Frequency distributions of vertical velocity, reflectivity, and differential reflectivity. Mon. Wea. Rev., 123, 1941-1963.

Yuter, S. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 1995: Three-dimensional kinematic and microphysical evolution of Florida cumulonimbus, Part III: Vertical mass transport, mass divergence, and synthesis. Mon.Wea. Rev. 123, 1964-1983.

Yuter, S. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 1997: Measurements of raindrop size distributions over the Pacific warm pool and implications for Z-R relations. J. Appl. Meteor., 36, 847-867.

Yuter, S. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 1998: The natural variability of precipitating clouds over the western Pacific warm pool. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 124, 53-99.

Yuter, S. E., and W. S. Parker, 2001: Rain measurement on ship revisited: the 1997 PACS TEPPS cruise. J. Appl. Meteor., 40, 1003-1018.

Yuter, S. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 2003: Microphysical modes of precipitation growth determined by vertically pointing radar in orographic precipitation during MAP. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 129, 455-476.

Yuter, S. E., R. A. Houze, Jr., E. A. Smith, T. T. Wilheit, and E. Zipser, 2005: Physical characterization of tropical oceanic convection observed in KWAJEX. J. Appl. Meteor., in press.

Zeng, Z., S. E. Yuter, R. A. Houze, Jr. and D. E. Kingsmill, 2001: Microphysics of the rapid development of heavy convective precipitation. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 1882-1904.