Livia Souza Freire Grion
Geosciences
Since childhood, Lívia Souza Freire Grion has been captivated by science. As a girl, she gazed at the sky with awe and a hint of fear. Today, Grion is an engineer focused on one of meteorology’s greatest mysteries: the “gray zone,” where weather phenomena between 1 and 10 kilometers defy accurate prediction. She graduated from the Federal University of Paraná, where she completed a master’s degree in numerical methods. She later earned her doctorate in meteorology from Pennsylvania State University.
With storms and extreme weather always on her mind, Grion finds balance at home with her partner by relaxing with jigsaw puzzles and going on daily runs. A dedicated supporter of Brazil in any sport, Grion is also passionate about fiction and is a steadfast advocate for curiosity and wonder.
Projects
Computer models of the atmosphere are fundamental to weather and climate forecasts. These simulations perform well for large-scale phenomena, such as cold fronts or hurricanes, as well as for localized events, including pollutant dispersion within a 1-km radius. However, they struggle with intermediate-sized phenomena spanning 1 to 10 km—a range known as the “gray zone.” In this range, models encounter significant limitations due to turbulence, which is the chaotic atmospheric motion experienced by aircraft in clouds and near the ground. This project will systematically investigate the dynamics of the atmospheric gray zone by integrating mathematical, statistical, and computational approaches. The primary aim is to enhance our ability to predict weather phenomena occurring on scales ranging from 1 to 10 km.
Amount invested
Institutions
- Universidade de São Paulo
