Expertise
The research that Avissar conducts is at the interface between science and engineering, typically developing new software and hardware that can be used to provide new insights on fundamental and complex scientific questions. This is best illustrated with the development of the Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Model (OLAM), a state-of-the-art numerical Earth System Model that he uses to investigate and predict the track and intensity of hurricanes (among other meteorological events) as well as various climate processes at multiple spatial and temporal time scales. He also developed the Helicopter Observation Platform (HOP) that he equipped with sophisticated sensors to observe air-sea and land-atmosphere interactions near the Earth's surface. These observations are essential to improve our understanding of the exchanges of heat, momentum and gases (carbon dioxide, moisture, etc.) taking place at the Earth's surface, where we live and where much of the climate “action” is taking place.