Warren E. Heilman

Title: Research Meteorologist
Unit: Climate, Fire, and Carbon Cycle Sciences
Previous Unit: Atmospheric-Ecosystem Interactions
Address: Northern Research Station
Stephen S. Nisbet Bldg., 1407 S. Harrison Road, Room 220
East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: 517-355-7740; ext. 110
E-mail: Contact Warren E. Heilman

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Education

• Iowa State University, Ph.D. Meteorology, 1988
• Iowa State University, M.S. Meteorology, 1984
• South Dakota State University, B.S. Physics, 1979

Civic & Professional Affiliations

American Meteorological Society, Sigma Pi Sigma (Society of Physics Students)

Current Research

My current research is focused on (1) developing new predictive tools for fire-weather, fire behavior, and air quality in support of the Forest Service's Fire and Fuels R&D Strategy, (2) examining the effects of current and future landscape change on air pollution (ozone) patterns and resulting forest health in the north Central and Northeastern U.S., (3) determining the role of global climate factors and regional climate variability in affecting forest health in that region, and (4) examining the impact of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations on forest microclimates and the potential feedbacks to vegetation as it responds to those gases.

Why is This Important

This research is important because it

1. increases our fundamental understanding of how the atmosphere interacts with forest and rangeland ecosystems,
2. increases our understanding of those atmospheric processes that impact disturbance frequency and severity, and
3. lays the foundation for the development of new predictive tools to anticipate weather and climate-related disturbances and their effects on ecosystem health and human health and safety.

Future Research

In support of the Forest Service’s Fire and Fuels R&D Strategy and the new Northern Station’s priority research themes, my future research ideas include an examination of

1. atmospheric turbulence processes involved in extreme fire behavior,
2. the dynamics of pollutant formation and transport in the vicinity of wildland and prescribed fires, and
3. the interacting effects of regional climate change/variability, landscape change, and pollutant emissions on forest health in the Great Lakes region.

Featured Publications

Additional Online Publications