Dr. Andrew Detwiler, will present a seminar titled “Contrails examined from two perspectives – military and environmental” on Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. via Zoom. Faculty and Students are encouraged to attend. 

Abstract:

Use of aircraft for military purposes greatly expanded during World War II. Many new technological issues arose that needed resolution. Among them, meteorologists became involved in trying to understand and mitigate formation of condensation trails (contrails). These distinctly linear highly visible clouds greatly increased the probability of detecting aircraft involved in military missions. Much work on contrails was done in the 1940’s and 1950’s by scientists working for the major warring powers, much of it never published in the open literature. A few decades later, in the 1970’s, as commercial air traffic flying at high altitudes greatly increased, interest developed among meteorologists in the potential impact of contrails on climate. We will review some of the fundamental physics of contrail formation and discuss attempts to (1) predict the conditions in which they will form, (2) reduce their visibility, and (3) assess their impact on climate.

Bio:

Dr. Detwiler received his B.S. from the University of Michigan and his M.S. and Ph.D. from SUNY, Albany, New York. Andy did post-doctoral work at SUNY Albany and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the early 1980's before joining the General Electric Aircraft Engine Business Group in 1983 to work on solutions for defense-related problems. In 1987 he moved to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) in Rapid City where he served as facility scientist with the National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored armored T-28 aircraft research facility. This facility supported airborne observations in convective storms contributing to research projects supported by the NSF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other agencies and companies. Detwiler is particularly proud of developing capability for atmospheric electrical observations with the T-28.

During his time at SDSMT Detwiler taught a number of undergraduate and graduate courses in atmospheric physics, dynamics, and chemistry, and served as department head. Upon retirement he moved to the Grand Forks vicinity where he now has research collaborations with UND faculty and has taught several classes.