Dr. Istvan Szunyogh

Research Interests

• Numerical weather prediction
• Ensemble forecasting
• Data assimilation
• Dynamical systems
• Predictability of geophysical fluid dynamical systems

Projects

• Investigation of the impact of wildfire emissions
• Assessing atmospheric predictability with a global analysis-forecast system
• Development of an ensemble Kalman filter data assimilation system for Martian weather analysis and forecasting
• Tropical cyclone ensemble data assimilation

Experience

• Associate Professor, February 2009-Present; Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University
• Associate Research Scientist, July 2005–January 2009; Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (formerly Department of Meteorology), Member of the Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computation Graduate Program and the Burgers Program for Fluid Dynamics, University of Maryland
• Assistant Research Scientist, February 2001–June 2005; Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Meteorology, University of Maryland
• Visiting Scientist, September 1997–February 2001; University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), based at the Environmental Modeling Center, National Centers for Environmental Prediction (formerly NMC), National Weather Service 
• Postdoctoral Associate, March 1997–September 1997; Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, based at NCEP
• Postdoctoral Visiting Scientist, September 1996–February 1997; Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, based at NCEP
• Visiting Scientist at the Program “Mathematics of the Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics” (July 1996-September 1996), Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Magyary Zoltan Postdoctoral Fellow, September 1995–August 1996; Department of Meteorology, E¨otv¨os Lor´and University, Budapest, Hungary
• Research Scientist, September 1998–September 1999 (on leave); Department of Meteorology, E¨otv¨os Lor'and University, Budapest, Hungary
• Research Associate, September 1991–September 1998 (on leave after September 1995), Department of Meteorology, E¨otv¨os Lor´and University, Budapest, Hungary
  

Award, Prizes, and Fellowships

• Magyary Zoltan Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1995, from the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture. The only meteorologist ever awarded with the most prestigious postdoctoral award in Hungary.
• Sz´adeczky-Kardoss Elem´er Award, 1994, from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for the paper “Szunyogh, I., 1993: Finite-dimensional quasi-Hamiltonian structure in simple model equations. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 52, 49-57.
• R´ona Zsigmond Award, 1993, from the Hungarian Meteorological Society. For outstanding scientific achievement by a young Hungarian scientist in the atmospheric sciences.
• Hille Alfr´ed Award, 1991, from the Hungarian Meteorological Society. Winner at the national graduate research competition in the Meteorology and Climatology category. 

Publications

Books and Chapters in Books

Kalnay, E., B. Hunt, E. Ott, and I. Szunyogh, 2006: Ensemble forecasting and data assimilation: two problems with the same solution? In Predictability of Weather and Climate. Eds. T. Palmer and R. Hagedorn. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, pp. 157-180.

Articles in Refereed Journals
* indicates student co-authors whose research was advised, or co-advised, by I. S.

Satterfield*, E., and I. Szunyogh, 2009: Predictability of the performance of an ensemble forecast system: Predictability of the space of uncertainties. Submitted to Mon. Wea. Rev.

Liu*, J., H. Li*, E. Kalnay, I. Szunyogh, and E. J. Kostelich, 2009: Univariate and multivariate assimilation of AIRS humidity retrievas with the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter. Submitted to Mon. Wea. Rev.

Baek*, S.-J, I. Szunyogh, B. R. Hunt, and E. Ott, 2009: Correcting for surface pressure background bias in ensemble-based analyses. Mon. Wea. Rev., in press.

Fertig*, E. J., S.-J. Baek*, B. R. Hunt, E. Ott, I. Szunyogh, J. A. Aravequia, E. Kalnay, H. Li*, and J. Liu*, 2009: Observation bias correction with an Ensemble Kalman Filter. Tellus, 61A, 210-226.

Sellwood*, K. J., S. J. Ma jumdar, B. E. Mapes, and I. Szunyogh, 2008: Predicting the influence of observations on medium-range winter weather forecasts. Submitted to Q. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 134, 2011-2027.

Hoffman, R. N., R. M. Ponte, E. Kostelich, A. Blumberg, I. Szunyogh, S. Vinogradov, and J. M. Henderson, 2008: Data Assimilation in New York Harbor: A simulation study applying a Local Ensemble Kalman Filter to the Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Model. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 25, 1638-1656.

Szunyogh, I., E. J. Kostelich, G. Gyarmati, E. Kalnay, B. R. Hunt, E. Ott, E. Satterfield*, and J. A. Yorke, 2008: A Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter data assimilation system for the NCEP global model. Tellus, 60A, 113-130.

Fertig*, E. J., B. R. Hunt, E. Ott, and I. Szunyogh, 2007: Assimilating nonlocal observations with a local Ensemble Kalman Filter. Tel lus, 59A, . 719-730.

Hunt, B. R., E. J. Kostelich, and I. Szunyogh, 2007: Efficient data assimilation for spatiotemporal chaos: a Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter. Physica D, 230, 112-126.

Kuhl*, D., I. Szunyogh, E. Kostelich, G. Gyarmati, E. Kalnay, B. R. Hunt, E. Ott, J. A. Yorke, 2007: Assessing predictability with a Local Ensemble Kalman Filter. J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 1116-1140.

Baek*, S.-J., B. R. Hunt, I. Szunyogh, and E. Ott, 2006: Local ensemble Kalman filtering in the presence of model bias. Tel lus, 58A, 293-306.

Zimin*, A. V., I. Szunyogh, B. R. Hunt, and E. Ott, 2006: Extracting envelopes of nonzonally propagating wave packets. Mon. Wea. Rev., 134, 1329-1333.

Szunyogh I., E. J. Kostelich, G. Gyarmati, D. J. Patil, B. R. Hunt, E. Kalnay, E. Ott, and J. A. Yorke, 2005: Assessing a local ensemble Kalman filter: Perfect model experiments with the NCEP global model. Tellus, 57A, 528-545.

Oczkowski*, M., I. Szunyogh, and D. J. Patil, 2005: Mechanisms for the development of locally low dimensional atmospheric dynamics. J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 1135-1156.

Baek*, S.-J., B. Hunt, I. Szunyogh, A. V. Zimin*, and E. Ott, 2004: Localized error bursts in estimating the state of spatiotemporal chaos. Chaos, 14, 1042-1049.

Ott, E., B. R. Hunt, I. Szunyogh, A. V. Zimin*, E. J. Kostelich, M. Corazza*, E. Kalnay, D. J. Patil, and J. A. Yorke, 2004: A local ensemble Kalman filter for atmospheric data assimilation. Tel lus, 56A, 415-428.

Ott, E., B. R. Hunt, I. Szunyogh, A. V. Zimin*, E. J. Kostelich, M. Corazza*, E. Kalnay, D. J. Patil, and J. A. Yorke, 2004: Estimating the state of large spatio-temporally chaotic systems.. Phys. Lett. A, 330, 365-370.

Hunt, B. R., E. Kalnay, E. J. Kostelich, E. Ott, D. J. Patil, T. Sauer, I. Szunyogh, J. A. Yorke, A. V. Zimin*, 2004: Four-dimensional ensemble Kalman filtering. Tel lus, 56A, 273-277.

Corazza*, M., E. Kalnay, D. J. Patil, R. E. Morss, M. Cai, I. Szunyogh, B. R. Hunt, E. Ott, and J. A. Yorke, 2003: Use of the breeding technique to estimate the structure of the analysis ”errors of the day”. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 10, 233-243.

Zimin*, A. V., I. Szunyogh, D. J. Patil, B. R. Hunt, and E. Ott, 2003: Extracting envelopes of Rossby wave packets. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 1011-1017.

Gyarmati* G., I. Szunyogh, and D. J. Patil, 2003: Local predictability in a simple model of atmospheric balance. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 10, 183-196.

Szunyogh, I., G. Gyarmati*, and D. Devenyi, 2002: Using observed data for testing the statistical consistency of initial ensemble perturbations. Idojaras, 106, 293-303.

Szunyogh, I., Z. Toth, A. V. Zimin*, S. Ma jumdar, and. A Persson, 2002: Propagation of the effect of targeted weather observations: The 2000 Winter Storm Reconnaissance program. Mon. Wea. Rev., 130, 1144-1165.

Szunyogh, I, and Z. Toth, 2002: The effect of increased horizontal resolution on the NCEP global ensemble mean forecasts. Mon. Wea. Rev., 130, 1125-1143.

Ma jumdar, S. J., C. H. Bishop, I. Szunyogh, and Z. Toth, 2001: Can an Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter predict the reduction in forecast error variance produced by targeted observations? Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 127, 2803-.

Szunyogh, I., Z. Toth, R. E. Morss, S. J. Ma jumdar, B. J. Etherton, and C. H. Bishop, 2000: The effect of targeted dropsonde observations during the 1999 Winter Storm Reconnaissance program. Mon. Wea. Rev., 128, 3520-3537.

Langland, R., Z. Toth, R. Gelaro, I. Szunyogh, M. Shapiro, S. Ma jumdar, R. Morss, G. Rohaly, C. Velden, N. Bond, and C. H. Bishop, 1999: The North Pacific Experiment (NORPEX-98). Bul l. Am. Met. Soc., 80, 1363-1384.

Szunyogh, I., Z. Toth, K. A. Emanuel, C. H. Bishop, C. Snyder, J. Woolen, T. Marchok, and R. Morss, 1999: Ensemble-based targeting experiments during FASTEX: The impact of dropsonde data from the Lear jet. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 125, 3520-3537.

Toth, Z., I. Szunyogh, E. Kalnay, G. Iyengar, 1999: Comments on “Notes on the appropriateness of ‘bred modes’ for generating initial perturbations.” Tellus, 51A, 442-449.

Kadar*, B., I. Szunyogh, and D. Devenyi, 1998: On the origin of model errors. Part II. Effects of the spatial discretization. Idojaras, 101, 71-107.

Kadar*, B., I. Szunyogh, and D. Devenyi, 1998: On the origin of model errors. Part I. Effects of the temporal discretization. Idojaras, 101, 19-41.

Pu, Z., E. Kalnay, J. Sela, and I. Szunyogh, 1997: Sensitivity of forecast errors to initial conditions with a quasi-inverse linear method. Mon. Wea. Rev., 125, 2479-2503.

McLachlan, R. I., I. Szunyogh, and V. Zeitlin, 1997: Hamiltonian finite-dimensional models of baroclinic instability. Phys. Let. A, 229, 299-305.

Szunyogh I., E. Kalnay, and Z. Toth, 1997: A comparison of Lyapunov and optimal vectors in a low-resolution GCM. Tel lus, 49A, 200-227.

Szunyogh I., 1993: Finite-dimensional quasi-Hamiltonian structure in simple model equations. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 52, 49-57.

Szunyogh I., 1993: The dynamics of a shallow-water flow over topography. Part II. Numerical experiments. Idojaras, 97, 191-203.

Szunyogh I., 1993: The dynamics of a shallow-water flow over topography. Part I. Theory. Idojaras, 97, 147-161.

Szunyogh I., 1992: Statistical mechanics of inviscid truncated models of two-dimensional incompressible flows. Idojaras, 96, 22-31.