Sean Birkel

Climate Change Institute | Climate Reanalyzer

I am a Research Assistant Professor and the Maine State Climatologist. My research utilizes climate modeling and data visualization to better understand climate variability and future impacts from human activity. As the state climatologist, I provide climate and weather expertise to stakeholders and the general public to facilitate climate decision-making, policy, and planning. Since 2012, I have been developing the data visualization website ClimateReanalyzer.org. In support of my role as state climatologist, I am developing the Maine Climate Office and working with colleagues in Cooperative Extension to provide climate and weather data to Maine farmers. I am also serving on the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Maine Climate Council. My graduate students have worked on a variety of projects, including the topics of large-scale teleconnections to extreme precipitation in the Northeastern U.S., sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in simulating ice storms, comparison of global reanalysis models, and linkages between changes in atmospheric circulation and mass balance on the Greenland Ice Sheet.