Dr. Daniel J. Cecil
Co-Investigator: Mapping of Hurricane Precipitation Before and After Landfall Experiment

Dr. Daniel J. Cecil, research associate for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is an atmospheric scientist at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center, based at the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala. He is a co-investigator for the fourth Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX-4) - a series of field investigations to better understand hurricanes.

He is a participant in the "Mapping of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation Before and After Landfall" experiment, research dedicated to the development of better tools and methods for predicting hurricane-related rainfall. This will build on his 1998 CAMEX-3 research during which he used airborne radar, radiometer and electric field data to study Hurricane Bonnie in detail.

His prior hurricane-related research includes using spaceborne radar, radiometer and lightning data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite to study a large population of topical cyclones; developing an approach for objectively defining precipitation systems based on TRMM satellite observations; and applying this approach to tropical cyclones, comparing results to those obtained from tropical continental and oceanic regions.

In addition to his hurricane research, Dr. Cecil is investigating the characteristics of high lightning flash rate thunderstorms throughout the global tropics. He was a participant in the Texas Convention and Lighting Experiment and the Florida Underflights Experiments.

He earned both his doctorate and master's degree from Texas A&M University in College Station - the doctorate in atmospheric science and the master's in meteorology. He earned his bachelor's degree in meteorology from Saint Louis University in Missouri.