Michael
Wasserstein
Atmospheric scientist specializing in orographic precipitation and high-resolution weather modeling.
About Me
I am a PhD candidate in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, where I study orographic precipitation in Utah's Wasatch range. My research combines observational analysis, Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) large eddy simulations (LES), and data science to understand the impact of basin-and-range terrain on precipitation in the Wasatch.
I earned my B.A. in Physics from Middlebury College in 2021, and my M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Utah in 2023. My master's research conducted a climatology of orographic precipitation in the Wasatch range using ERA5 reanalyses and operational radar data.
Education
Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT
Dissertation research on the basin and range effects of on orographic precipitation.
M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT
Thesis: Characteristics of orographic snowfall extremes in the central Wasatch. Research published in Monthly Weather Review.
B.A. in Physics with honors
Middlebury College · Middlebury, VT
Senior thesis examined microphysics parameterizations in WRF simulations of a Vermont winter storm. Minors in math and Spanish.
Selected Work
SNOWSCAPE dashboard
I created a dashboard supporting the 2026 SNOWSCAPE field campaign, displaying quasi-real-time data from multiple instruments deployed across the northern Wasatch mountains.
View example dashboard
Orographic snowfall extremes in the central Wasatch
My master's research analyzed the diverse synoptic and mesoscale environments associated with extreme orographic snowfall events in the central Wasatch.
Read paper
LCC dashboard
I developed a quasi-real-time monitoring dashboard integrating webcam imagery, NEXRAD radar, Micro-Rain Radar, and PARSIVEL disdrometer data for Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah.
View example dashboard
Shallow water model
In my undergraduate math senior work,I derived the Navier-Stokes equations in a rotating reference frame, reduced them to the shallow water equations, and implemented numerical simulations of the equations.
View report
WRF sensitivity study
In my undergraduate physics senior work, I investigated the impact of microphysics parameterization schemes on WRF simulations of a 2019 Vermont winter storm.
View report
Ski resort preference analysis
My undergraduate senior data science project quantified ski resort quality across the western U.S. and made an interactive tool for users to find their ideal ski resort.
Explore projectOutputting upper-level precipitation in WRF
Step-by-step guide to modifying the Thompson microphysics scheme to output
a 3D accumulated precipitation variable (RAINNC3d) at all
model levels, enabling analysis of changes in precipitation
with height.