Hurricane season began June 1, and the following experts from within the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University are available to discuss hurricanes and related issues. For experts in other fields, see the full Texas A&M hurricane expert guide.

How Hurricanes Form, Storm Severity

• Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, regents professor of atmospheric sciences
  • Nielsen-Gammon serves as Texas State Climatologist and is an expert on the history of Texas hurricanes, hurricane forecasting, rainfall and flooding produced by hurricanes, and how climate change affects hurricane impacts.
  • Contact: (979) 862-2248 or n-g@tamu.edu
• Dr. Tim Logan: assistant professor of atmospheric sciences
  • Logan is an expert in severe storms, the formation of storms and lightning, and the damage caused by severe storms and hurricanes.
  • Contact: (979) 845-2004 or tlogan52@tamu.edu
• Dr. Robert Korty, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University College of Geosciences
  • Korty is an expert on how hurricanes affect oceans and how climate affects hurricanes.
  • Contact: (979) 847-9090 or korty@tamu.edu
• Dr. Courtney Schumacher: professor of atmospheric sciences
  • Schumacher is an expert in tropical meteorology, large mesoscale convective systems, radar meteorology, and mesoscale-climate interactions.
  • Contact: (979) 845-5522 or cschu@tamu.edu
• Dr. Henry Potter: assistant professor of oceanography
  • Potter is an expert in physical oceanography, including tropical cyclones, ocean observing, hurricane formation, and heat exchange in hurricanes and typhoons.
  • Contact: (979) 845-0405 or hpotter@tamu.edu

Structural Damage, Water Damage, Off-shore Structures

• Christine Hale: Texas Sea Grant oil spill science extension specialist at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
  • Hale has expertise in the offshore oil industry regulations and practices, impacts of oil spills on the coastal and marine environment, methods to contain and clean-up spills, and emergency response.
  • Contact: (361)825-6215 or chris.hale@tamu.edu

Environmental And Ecosystem Effects Of Hurricanes

• Dr. Shari Yvon-Lewis, professor and department head in the Department of Oceanography
  • Yvon-Lewis is an expert in chemical oceanography, trace gas biogeochemistry, and has conducted extensive post-hurricane research in Galveston Bay.
  • Contact: (979) 458-1816 or syvon-lewis@ocean.tamu.edu
• Dr. Jessica Fitzsimmons, oceanography assistant professor
  • Fitzsimmons is an expert in chemical oceanography and biogeochemistry. She has conducted extensive post-hurricane research in Galveston Bay.
  • Contact: (979) 845-5137 or jessfitz@tamu.edu
• Dr. Anthony Knap, director ofthe Geochemical and Environmental Research Group at Texas A&M and professor of oceanography
  • Knap is an expert in effects of contaminants on marine environments, ocean health and human health interactions. He also co-leads the Texas A&M Superfund.
  • Contact: (979) 458-9328 or tknap@tamu.edu
• Dr. Lisa Campbell, regents professor of oceanography
  • Campbell is an expert in biological oceanography, phytoplankton ecology, and harmful algal blooms; she is well-versed in the effects hurricanes can have on ecosystems.
  • Contact: (979) 845-5706 or lisacampbell@tamu.edu
• Dr. Jason Sylvan, assistant professor of oceanography
  • Sylvan is an expert in Biological Oceanography: Microbial Ecology, Geomicrobiology, Deep Biosphere, Hydrocarbon Microbiology, and can discuss the short-term and long-term effects of hurricanes on environments and ecosystems, including coral reefs.
  • Contact: (979) 845-5105 or jasonsylvan@tamu.edu
• Dr. Kathryn Shamberger, assistant professor of oceanography
  • Shamberger is an expert in chemical oceanography, ocean acidification, and seawater carbonate chemistry, as well as the short-term and long-term effects of hurricanes on environments and ecosystems, including coral reefs.
  • Contact: (979) 845-5752 or shamberger@tamu.edu

• Dr. Steve DiMarco: professor of oceanography and team leader for ocean observing in the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group at Texas A&M
  • DiMarco is an expert in ocean observing systems (i.e., real-time reporting of oceanographic and meteorological observations, buoys, moorings, and high-frequency coastal radar), autonomous ocean vehicles (i.e., buoyancy gliders and surface vehicles) and data collection methods, as well as the short-term and long-term effects of hurricanes on environments and ecosystems, including coral reefs, and coastal hypoxia.
  • Contact: (979) 862-4168 or sdimarco@tamu.edu

Warnings, Recovery And Resilient Coastal Communities

• Kate de Gennaro, planning specialist, Texas Sea Grant
  • Kate de Gennaro is an expert in hurricane preparedness, mitigation, and recovery.
  • Contact: (956) 574-8204 or kdegennaro@tamu.edu

• Walter Peacock, planning specialist, Texas Sea Grant
  • Peacock is an expert in long-term disaster recovery planning.
  • Contact: (979) 450-2183 wmpeacock@tamu.edu
    

• Dr. Courtney Thompson, assistant professor of geography
  • Thompson is an expert in natural hazards, exposure, vulnerability and resilience quantification, and risk perception. She is also an expert in using GIS, survey analysis, and spatial statistics to better understand human-environment interactions
  • Contact: (979) 458-1096 or cthompson24@tamu.edu

• Dr. Lei Zou, assistant professor of geography
  • Zou is an expert in disaster resilience, emergency management, GIS, big Data analytics, and coupled natural-human system modeling. He has led interdisciplinary projects related to hurricane management and resilience, such as measuring community resilience to coastal hazards, mining social media for improved understanding of disaster resilience, engaging citizen science in resilience improvement, and modeling coastal sustainability through spatial modeling and machine learning.
  • Contact: (979) 458-1803 or lzou@tamu.edu. 

Hurricanes And Marine Life, Seafood

• Laura Picariello: extension fisheries specialist, Texas Sea Grant
  • Picariello has experience working with commercial fisheries, both in Texas and across the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Contact: (361) 825-3460 or lpicariello@seagrant.tamu.edu
• Andrew Ropicki, assistant professor and Texas Sea Grant marine economics extension specialist 
  • Ropicki can comment on assessments of storm impacts on fishing infrastructure (vessels, docks, processing equipment, etc.) and on sessile fisheries (oysters).
  • Contact: (361) 825-6210 or ropicki@ag.tamu.edu

For more information, contact: Robyn Blackmon, Texas A&M College of Geosciences director of marketing and communications, (979) 845-6324 or robynblackmon@tamu.edu; or Leslie Lee, Texas A&M College of Geosciences communications coordinator, (979) 845-0910 or leslielee@tamu.edu.