
Contact Information
Champaign, IL 61820
Research Areas
Biography
As an atmospheric scientist, I study land/ocean-atmosphere interactions at a range of spatial scales (regional to local) that are relevant to the management of human and natural systems. My aim is to create a new generation of high-resolution climate models capable of resolving relatively small-scale processes and impacts in a sufficiently physically based way that they can be used for future climate predictions with increased confidence. I perform targeted dynamical downscaling experiments with the overarching goal of creating "bridges" between global, regional and micro-scale modeling.
Research Interests
- Regional climate modeling: Land/ocean/lake-atmosphere interactions, lake breeze, UHI effect, land data assimilation, hydrometeorological extremes
- Microscale modeling: Climate modeling at hyper-local scales (~m scales)
- Climate adaptation and mitigation: Interactions between urban ecology and urban heat island in a changing climate, green and cool roofs, energy consumption and savings with best practices
- Air quality modeling: meteorology and atmospheric chemistry feedbacks
Education
- Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, 2012
- M.S. Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, 2009
- B.Tech. Electronics and Communication Engineering, Jaypee University of Information Technology, 2007
Grants
- National Science Foundation (NSF): A Proposed Workshop on Interdisciplinary Sustainable Solutions for Urban Systems in a Changing Climate (Award no: 1929856); PI Donald Wuebbles, Ashish Sharma, Lei Zhao, and Amy Ando; duration: 05/01/2019 – 04/30/2021; $50,000
- DOE, DoD, NASA and NOAA: A Proposed Workshop on Urban Scale Processes and their Representation in High Spatial Resolution Earth System Models; PI Donald J. Wuebbles (UIUC), Katherine Calvin (PNNL), Charles Catlett (ANL), Beth Drewniak (ANL), Rao Kotamarthi (ANL), Ashish Sharma (UIUC): 10/01/2018 - 09/30/2019
- EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI): Cover crops prevent nutrient runoff and promote climate resiliency in Great Lakes watersheds (GL 00E02207); PI Alan Hamlet (ND), Ashish Sharma (UIUC), Jennifer Tank (ND), Sheila Christopher (ND), and Todd Royer (IU); duration: 08/01/2017 – 07/31/2021; $564,314
Awards and Honors
- Fellow, Royal Meteorological Society (2016-present)
- Executive Committee Member, Illinois Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (IL-CURES) (2019-present)
selected publications
Kristovich, D.A., Takle, E., Young, G.S. and Sharma, A., 2019. 100 years of progress in mesoscale planetary boundary layer meteorological research. American Meteorological Society 100-Year Anniversary Monograph. https://doi.org/10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-18-0023.1.
Sharma, A., Hamlet, A.F., Fernando, H.J.S., Catlett, C.E., Horton, D.E., Kotamarthi, V.R., Kristovich, D.A.R., Packman, A.I., Tank, J.L. and Wuebbles, D.J., 2018. The Need for an Integrated Land‐Lake‐Atmosphere Modeling System, Exemplified by North America's Great Lakes Region. Earth's Future, 6(10), pp.1366-1379. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF000870.
Sharma, A., Woodruff, S., Budhathoki, M., Hamlet, A.F., Chen, F. and Fernando, H.J.S., 2018. Role of green roofs in reducing heat stress in vulnerable urban communities—A multidisciplinary approach. Environ. Res. Lett., 13(9), p.094011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad93c.
Sharma, A., Fernando, H.J., Hamlet, A.F., Hellmann, J.J., Barlage, M. and Chen, F., 2017. Urban meteorological modeling using WRF: a sensitivity study. Int. J. Climatol. , 37(4), 1885–1900. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4819.
Sharma, A., Conry, P., Fernando, H.J.S., Hamlet, A.F., Hellmann, J.J. and Chen, F., 2016. Green and cool roofs to mitigate urban heat island effects in the Chicago metropolitan area: Evaluation with a regional climate model. Environ. Res. Lett., 11(6), 64004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/6/064004.
Conry, P., Sharma, A., Potosnak, M.J., Leo, L.S., Bensman, E., Hellmann, J.J. and Fernando, H.J., 2015. Chicago’s heat island and climate change: Bridging the scales via dynamical downscaling. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 54(7), 1430–1448. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-14-0241.1.
Highlighted Publications
Wuebbles, D. J., Sharma, A., Ando, A., Zhao, L. & Rigsbee, C. (2020). Converging on Solutions to Plan Sustainable Cities. Eos, 101. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EO150149
Fernando, H.J.S., Gultepe, I., Dorman, C., Pardyjak, E., Wang, Q., Hoch, S.W., Richter, D., Creegan, E., Gaberšek, S., Bullock, T., Hocut, C., Chang, R., Alappattu, D., Dimitrova, R., Flagg, D., Z Grachev, A., Krishnamurthy, R., Singh, D.K., Lozovatsky, I., Nagare, B., Sharma, A., Wagh, S., Wainwright, C., Wroblewski, M., Yamaguchi, R., Bardoel, S., Coppersmith, R.S., Chisholm, N., Gonzalez, E., Gunawardena, N., Hyde, O., Morrison, T., Olson, A., Perelet, A., Perrie, W., Wang, S. & Wauer, B. (2020). C-FOG: Life of Coastal Fog. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., pp.1-53. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0070.1
Sharma, A., Wuebbles, D. J., Kotamarthi, R., Calvin, K., Drewniak, B., Catlett, C. E. & Jacob, R. (2020). Urban Scale Processes in High Spatial Resolution Earth System Models(ESMs). Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 101 (9): E1555–E1561. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0114.1
Kristovich, D.A., Takle, E., Young, G.S. and Sharma, A., 2019. 100 years of progress in mesoscale planetary boundary layer meteorological research. American Meteorological Society 100-Year Anniversary Monograph. https://doi.org/10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-18-0023.1.
Sharma, A., Hamlet, A.F., Fernando, H.J.S., Catlett, C.E., Horton, D.E., Kotamarthi, V.R., Kristovich, D.A.R., Packman, A.I., Tank, J.L. and Wuebbles, D.J., 2018. The Need for an Integrated Land‐Lake‐Atmosphere Modeling System, Exemplified by North America's Great Lakes Region. Earth's Future, 6(10), pp.1366-1379. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF000870.
Sharma, A., Woodruff, S., Budhathoki, M., Hamlet, A.F., Chen, F. and Fernando, H.J.S., 2018. Role of green roofs in reducing heat stress in vulnerable urban communities—A multidisciplinary approach. Environ. Res. Lett., 13(9), p.094011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad93c.
Sharma, A., Fernando, H.J., Hamlet, A.F., Hellmann, J.J., Barlage, M. and Chen, F., 2017. Urban meteorological modeling using WRF: a sensitivity study. Int. J. Climatol. , 37(4), 1885–1900. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4819.
Sharma, A., Conry, P., Fernando, H.J.S., Hamlet, A.F., Hellmann, J.J. and Chen, F., 2016. Green and cool roofs to mitigate urban heat island effects in the Chicago metropolitan area: Evaluation with a regional climate model. Environ. Res. Lett., 11(6), 64004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/6/064004.
Conry, P., Sharma, A., Potosnak, M.J., Leo, L.S., Bensman, E., Hellmann, J.J. and Fernando, H.J., 2015. Chicago’s heat island and climate change: Bridging the scales via dynamical downscaling. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 54(7), 1430–1448. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-14-0241.1.