Researcher profile: Storm Chaser

The RV Investigator is Australia’s 94-metre ocean research vessel. It performs the major role of data collection within Australia’s National Marine Research capabilities. Everywhere the Investigator goes it maps the sea floor. Researchers from all over Australia and indeed the world conduct research on the ship. Each voyage has a new team of researchers and every voyage has a different focus. On the last voyage of 2019 we asked a few of them to tell us their story. There were quite a few surprises but they all had two things in common, curiosity and a desire to keep on learning.

Dr Joshua Soderholm

Storm Chaser

Occupation: Research Scientist

Fields: Weather Radar and Thunderstorm Science

Organisation: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Enjoys: Chasing storms, building new research sensors, surfing and spot of gardening

Growing up in stormy Southeast Queensland I was always perplexed why the thunderstorms split and went around my parents’ home. A couple decades later with a PhD, I still have more questions than answers whenever I see a storm. Working on the Investigator is part of my new position at the Bureau of Meteorology. I support Alain Protat’s meteorology team launching radiosondes, operating the weather radar, developing software, storm chasing with the Investigator and arranging movie nights. Hopefully the first trip of many.

Quick facts

• No thunderstorm is the same, but often follow common tracks, this gives rise to thunderstorm ‘hotspots’

• Tornadoes occur in Australia, with our own little tornado alley along the NSW/VIC border

• Australia gets plenty of severe hail, with most of it falling in the sub-tropics (especially through Brisbane and Sydney). Almost every year there are reports of 10 cm diameter hailstones – watch out for those ones!

 

More information

Read more about Dr Joshua Soderholm’s work