Contact Information
1301 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
I am a Ph.D. candidate working under the supervision of Dr. Zhuo Wang.
Research Interests
Arctic cyclones; cyclone dynamics and predictability; machine learning weather prediction; numerical weather modeling; climate change impacts on extratropical cyclones.
Research Description
My research focuses on Arctic cyclones, including their structure, intensification mechanisms, predictability, and response to climate change. I use reanalysis data, cyclone tracking, storm-centered composites, Polar WRF simulations, and machine learning weather models to investigate how Arctic cyclones evolve and how well they are predicted by numerical and ML-based forecast systems. My current work examines mechanism-dependent predictability, the roles of diabatic heating, baroclinicity, and upper-level forcing in cyclone intensification, and future changes in cyclone characteristics under climate warming.
Education
Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in progress
M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 2023
B.S. in Engineering Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 2021
Awards and Honors
May 2021 Bronze Tablet Award, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Recent Publications
Wang, Z., M. Yang, J. E. Walsh, and J. D. Doyle, 2026: Classification of Arctic Cyclones Based on Their Intensification Mechanisms. Monthly Weather Review, 154, 585–604, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-25-0128.1.
Chen, Z., and Coauthors, 2026: Hierarchical Testing of a Hybrid Machine Learning‐Physics Global Atmosphere Model. AGU Advances, 7, e2025AV002075, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025AV002075.
Yang, M., Z. Wang, J. E. Walsh, J. D. Doyle, and M. G. Fearon, 2025: Contribution of Arctic Cyclones of Different Origins to Poleward Heat Transport to the Arctic. J. Climate, 38, 2129–2138, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0445.1.
Yang, M., Z. Wang, R. M. Rauber, and J. E. Walsh, 2024: Seasonality, Latitudinal Dependence, and Structural Evolution of Arctic Cyclones. J. Climate, 37, 1937–1950, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-23-0445.1.
Wang, Z., M. Yang, J. E. Walsh, R. M. Rauber, and M. Peng, 2024: A Diagnostic Analysis of the Mechanisms for Arctic Cyclone Intensity Evolution. J. Atmos. Sci., https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-23-0130.1.