Research Highlights
Research Interests
Environmental and convective influences on tropical cyclone structure and intensity change, with an emphasis on processes favoring tropical cyclone rapid intensification.
Michael Fischer, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist (University of Miami/CIMAS), Hurricane Research Division
305.361.4337
4301 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149
“I’ve been fascinated by the power of tropical cyclones ever since my childhood home went through the eyewall of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. That experience has consistently motivated me to better understand the inner workings of hurricanes and has guided my career path to where I am today.”
Dr. Michael Fischer is an Assistant Scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) at the University of Miami. His research interests involve environmental and convective influences on tropical cyclone structure and intensity change, with an emphasis on processes associated with tropical cyclone rapid intensification. His research utilizes a combination of satellite and aircraft observations, reanalysis products, numerical modeling, and machine-learning techniques.
Current Work
Developing new visualizations for the Advanced Weather Interaction Processing System (AWIPS-2): In this ongoing project, I am collaborating with other organizations, such as the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the Global Systems Laboratory (GSL), and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), to develop new visualizations that combine geostationary and low-Earth orbiting satellite observations with tail Doppler radar observations collected from NOAA’s P3 and G-IV aircraft. The end goal is to provide products that can be utilized by operational forecasters to improve situational awareness, resulting in more skillful forecasts.
Developer of the Tropical Cyclone Radar Archive of Doppler Analyses with Re-centering (TC-RADAR): TC-RADAR is a database that contains over 900 analyses collected from the tail Doppler radar (TDR) onboard NOAA’s P-3 aircraft for storms in the North Atlantic and central/eastern North Pacific basins between 1997–present. This database contains metadata of the best-track TC intensity estimates and select environmental parameters derived from operational model analyses. TC-RADAR has facilitated multiple research projects aimed at better understanding how TC vortex and convective characteristics are related to TC intensity and intensity change.
Exploring environmental, vortex, and convective characteristics associated with tropical cyclone rapid intensification in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research (ONR)’s Rapid Intensification in Tropical Cyclones field campaign.
2018, Ph.D. Atmospheric Science, University of Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY
2013, B.S. Geosciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL
- Fischer, M.S., R.F. Rogers, P.D. Reasor, and J.P. Dunion. An observational analysis of the relationship between tropical cyclone vortex tilt, precipitation structure, and intensity change. Monthly Weather Review, 152(1):203-225, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0089.1 2024
Ref. 4350 - Rios-Berrios, R., P.M. Finocchio, J.J. Alland, X. Chen, M.S. Fischer, S.N. Stevenson, and D. Tao. A review of the interactions between tropical cyclones and environmental vertical wind shear. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 81(4):713-741, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-S-23-0022.1 2024
Ref. 4343 - Shimada, U., P.D. Reasor, R.F. Rogers, M.S. Fischer, F.D. Marks, J.A. Zawislak, And J.A Zhang. Shear-relative asymmetric kinematic characteristics of intensifying hurricanes as observed by airborne Doppler radar Monthly Weather Review, 152(2):491-512, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-22-0340.1 2024
Ref. 4375
2020 Royal Meteorological Society Reviewer’s Certificate
For the thoroughness and quality of a large number of reviews on tropical cyclones, maintaining the high standards for papers appearing in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.