Julie K. Lundquist

About

Prof. Julie K. Lundquist is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science and Wind Energy at Johns Hopkins University. She leads an interdisciplinary research group within the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences and Mechanical Engineering, with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer, emphasizing atmosphere-wind energy interactions through observational and computational approaches. Prof. Lundquist joined Johns Hopkins University in July 2024, also becoming a member of the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute and serving on its Leadership Council. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master's degree in the same field from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a B.A. in English and Physics from Trinity University. Her previous roles include professorship at the University of Colorado Boulder and a scientist position at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Research topics

• Environmental science
• Physics
• Engineering
• Meteorology
• Political Science
• Mechanics
• Marine engineering
• Geology
• Computer Science
• Geography

Selected publications

• Simulations suggest offshore wind farms modify low-level jets

  Wind energy science · 2025-01-14 · 13 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract. Offshore wind farms are scheduled to be constructed along the East Coast of the US in the coming years. Low-level jets (LLJs) – layers of relatively fast winds at low altitudes – also occur frequently in this region. Because LLJs provide considerable wind resources, it is important to understand how LLJs might change with turbine construction. LLJs also influence moisture and pollution transport; thus, the effects of wind farms on LLJs could also affect the region’s meteorology. In the…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Simulated meteorological impacts of offshore wind turbines and sensitivity to the amount of added turbulence kinetic energy

  Wind energy science · 2025-07-10 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. Offshore wind energy projects are currently in development off the east coast of the United States and may influence the local meteorology of the region. Wind power production and other commercial uses in this area are related to atmospheric conditions, and so it is important to understand how future wind plants may change the local meteorology. In the absence of measurements of potential wind plant impacts on meteorology, simulations offer the next-best possible insight into wake effe…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Influence of simple terrain on the spatial variability of a low-level jet and wind farm performance in the AWAKEN field campaign

  Wind energy science · 2025-10-24 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. In wind energy research, scientific challenges are often associated with complex terrain sites, where orography, vegetation, and buildings disrupt flow uniformity. However, even sites characterized as simple terrain can exhibit significant spatial variability in wind speed, particularly during stable boundary layers (SBLs) and low-level jets (LLJs). This study investigates these terrain interactions using both simulations and observations from the American WAKe ExperimeNt (AWAKEN). We…

  PublisherDOI

• Toward Understanding the Differences between Mesoscale and Large-Eddy Simulations of Tropical Cyclones

  Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences · 2025-05-20 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract In this work, we investigate the ability of mesoscale and large-eddy simulation (LES) model configurations to predict the mean wind speed profile within the boundary layer of tropical cyclones (TCs). To this end, we perform idealized simulations of five hypothetical intense storms ranging from categories 1 to 5 on the Saffir–Simpson scale and extract time-averaged quantities near the eyewall region. We compare the model-generated data against mean wind speed profiles compiled from drops…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating mesoscale model predictions of diurnal speedup events in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area of California

  Wind energy science · 2025-07-02 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. Mesoscale model predictions of wind, turbulence, and wind energy capacity factors are evaluated in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area of California (APWRA), where the diurnal regional sea breeze and associated terrain-driven speedup flows drive wind energy production during the summer months. Results from the Weather Research and Forecasting model version 4.4 using a novel three-dimensional planetary boundary layer (3D PBL) scheme, which treats both vertical and horizontal turbulent…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: BREEZE: Boundary-layer REsearch and Education ZonE

  NSF · $549k · 2016–2023

• CNH-Ex: Legal, Economic, and Natural Science Analyses of Wind Plant Impacts and Interactions

  NSF · $249k · 2014–2018

• Microfronts 1995 and Cases 1999: Boundary Layer Influences on Fronts and Inertial Oscillations

  NSF · $348k · 1999–2004

Frequent coauthors

• Joseph B. Olson

  NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory

  192 shared

• Yelena L. Pichugina

  NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory

  187 shared

• Robert M. Banta

  NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory

  186 shared

• L. Bianco

  170 shared

• Aditya Choukulkar

  168 shared

• Jaymes S. Kenyon

  Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

  156 shared

• Irina V. Djalalova

  Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

  145 shared

• Katherine McCaffrey

  Joint Research Centre

  133 shared

Awards & honors

• Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science and…

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