Dr. Abby Hutson

Biography

Abby Hutson is an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability, with a specialized focus on numerical modeling of weather and climate, particularly within the Great Lakes region. Her research program at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by standard atmospheric models, which often struggle to accurately replicate the unique dynamical interactions between the Great Lakes and the surrounding land and atmosphere. Hutson employs calibrated regional climate models to dynamically downscale large global models, allowing for the assessment of realistic regional variability while maintaining overarching climate trends. In addition to long-term climate projections, she collaborates with fellow researchers to evaluate model performance through observations of short-term weather events across the region. Her recent investigations have also explored the influence of extratropical cyclones on the Great Lakes, particularly in the context of a warming climate.

Research Interests