Alex Libby, Aspen Medvec, Aubrey Palmer, Kristen Mihalcik; Mount Washington Observatory Summer Summit Interns
Join us on Zoom or in person at the Observatory’s administrative offices in North Conway Village to learn all about the current research investigations that cover a range of fascinating topics:
How Do Hikers Interpret the Hazards of Mount Washington?
The Observatory’s Higher Summits Forecast communicates a range of dangerous hiking hazards, but how do hikers really interpret these? Is a “moderate,” “heightened,” or “elevated” risk of hypothermia worse? Using a survey, this project tested hundreds of language combinations on the people who read our forecast, setting the record straight on what language is confusing versus clear, helping to improve the Higher Summits Forecast Discussion.
Characterizing Atmospheric Environments Favorable for Mountain Wave-Associated Turbulence Near Mount Washington
“Mountain waves” are a severe atmospheric disturbance that occurs when strong winds flow perpendicular to mountain ranges, resulting in significant turbulence downwind of mountains posing hazards to aviation. This research investigates how well near surface observations and vertically derived profiles can be used to characterize conditions favorable for mountain wave- associated turbulence near Mount Washington.
Atmospheric River Occurrence and Associated Fall-Season Precipitation as a Function of Madden-Julian Oscillation Phase in Northern New England
An Atmospheric River (AR) is essentially a “river in the sky” that can produce massive amounts of localized precipitation throughout the United States. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is an area of enhanced thunderstorm activity that originates over the Indian Ocean, Maritime Continent, and Pacific Ocean. As this area of thunderstorms moves around the tropics, heat is released into the atmosphere, creating large-scale waves that eventually propagate into North America. In response, storm tracks and the jet stream change, thus, influencing whether ARs can form and how they travel. While ARs commonly occur around the West Coast of the U.S, approximately 30-35% of annual precipitation over the broad eastern United States (EUS) can be attributed to AR activity, and ARs are responsible for more than 60% of extreme precipitation events and over 70% of flood events across the EUS (Dong et al. 2024). This study examines whether certain MJO phases are associated with more frequent atmospheric rivers and whether these ARs produce greater watershed-averaged precipitation.
Can PACE-Derived Vegetation and Pigment Indices Track Fall Foliage Progression Across Selected Forested Areas of the White Mountains?
Fall foliage progression is difficult to monitor consistently across the White Mountains as assessments often rely on PhenoCam visuals and eyewitness reports. This project uses NASA’s PACE satellite vegetation and pigment indices to test whether changes in greenness, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and anthocyanin signals can capture the seasonal transition from green canopy to peak color to leaf-off. By comparing PACE-derived index trends with Bartlett PhenoCam observations from 2024 and 2025, this work evaluates whether satellite data can serve as a useful proxy for tracking fall foliage progression in northern New England.
