Research

Fog and turbulence interactions

Marine fog raises numerous visibility issues for aviation, seafaring and directed energy applications, making its understanding and accurate prediction imperative in many areas including transportation, emergency response and defense. Nevertheless, accurately simulating and predicting the onset, duration, and dissolution (lifecycle) of sea fog remains a highly challenging problem, due in large part to sensitivity of the fog lifecycle to microphysical processes, including atmospheric surface-layer turbulence and physicochemical properties of aerosols on which fog droplets develop. To investigate the role on environmental turbulence in the fog lifecycle, a slew of atmospheric instruments (for visibility, precipitation, humidity, velocity, temperature, and fog droplet distribution etc.) were deployed in the Fog and Turbulence Interaction in the Marine Atmosphere (FATIMA) ONR MURI project. Specifically, the novel super combo probe was able to capture simultaneous velocity and temperature fluctuations down to the microscales under foggy and clear conditions for the first time.

High resolution velocity and temperature field measurements

Representing land-atmosphere exchange processes as lower boundary conditions remains a challenge in numerical weather predictions. Yet, experimentally probing turbulent transport in the atmospheric surface layer remains a challenge due to the lack of adequate tools to capture its behavior over various surface heterogeneities. To address some of the difficulties encountered in probing the atmospheric surface layer, a unique and economically scalable field measurement platform was designed around the nanoscale thermal anemometry probe technology. The measurement platform was deployed at the Surface Layer Turbulence and Environmental Science Test site in Utah’s West Desert as part of the Idealised horizontal Planar Array study for Quantifying Surface heterogeneity. Streamwise velocity and temperature data were acquired within the first meter above ground with good agreement in spectral behavior to well-known scaling laws in wall-bounded flows.

Turbulent scalar plumes and mosquito orientation

Host-seeking female mosquitos utilize a variety of sensory cues to locate potential hosts. These include CO2, volatile skin emanations, humidity, and thermal cues, each of which can be considered as a passive scalar in the environment. In order to bridge between laboratory findings and the natural, ecologically relevant setting, a unique active flow modulation system consisting of a grid of independently operated paddles was developed to study mosquito orientation behavior. Preliminary investigations have shown that the grid yields a high degree of freedom in its ability to shape the velocity field, is efficient at increasing the turbulence energy level over all frequencies, and that energy can be injected in pre-specified wavelengths.

Education

PhD Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | Princeton University
September 2021

MA Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | Princeton University
April 2018

BS Mechanical Engineering | Cornell University
January 2016

Publications

T.J. Hintz, K. Y. Huang, S. W. Hoch, J. Ruiz-Plancarte, and H. J. S. Fernando, “A Mechanism for Coastal Fog Genesis at Evening Transition", Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society (in prep).

K. Y. Huang, M. K. Fu, C. Byers, G. G. Katul, and A. D. Bragg, “Logarithmic scaling of higher-order temperature moments in the atmospheric surface layer”, International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow (2023).

K. Y. Huang, G. G. Katul, T. J. Hintz, J. Ruiz-Plancarte, and H. J. S. Fernando, “Fog intermittency and criticality”, Atmosphere (2023).

H.J.S. Fernando, S. Wang, K. Y. Huang, and E. Creegan, “Fog-laden density staircases in marine atmospheric boundary layer”, Environmental Fluid Mechanics (2023).

K. Y. Huang and G. G. Katul, “Profiles of high-order moments of longitudinal velocity explained by the random sweeping decorrelation hypothesis”, Physical Review Fluids (2022).

K. Y. Huang, C. E. Brunner, M. K. Fu, K. Kokmanian, T. Morrison, A. O. Perelet, M. Calaf, E. Pardyjak, and M. Hultmark, “Investigation of the Atmospheric Surface Layer Using a Novel High-resolution Sensor Array”, Experiments in Fluids (2021).

K. Y. Huang, G. G. Katul, and M. Hultmark, “Velocity and Temperature Dissimilarity in the Surface Layer Uncovered by the Telegraph Approximation”, Boundary-Layer Meteorology (2021).

Presentations

Huang, K. Y., Experimental Methods for Understanding Turbulence in the Lower Atmosphere, University of Notre Dame (2021). Environmental Fluid Mechanics Seminar.

Huang, K. Y., From Mosquitos to Weather Models — Understanding Turbulence in the Lower Atmosphere, Cooper Union (2020). Guest Lecture.

Huang, Y., Katul, G., and Hultmark, M., Velocity and Temperature Dissimilarity in the Surface Layer Uncovered by the Telegraph Approximation, American Geophysical Union: Fall Meeting (2020). Poster.

Huang, Y., Brunner, C., Pardyjak, E., and Hultmark, M., Simultaneous and Wellresolved Velocity and Temperature Measurements in the Atmospheric Surface Layer, American Geophysical Union: Fall Meeting (2018). Poster.

Huang, Y., Vickers, N., and Hultmark, M., Mimicking Atmospheric Flow Conditions to Examine Mosquito Orientation Behavior, American Physical Society: Division of Fluid Dynamics (2018). Talk.

Huang, Y., Roth-Robbins A., and Williamson, C. H. K., Novel Blade Designs for Urban Mini-Turbines, Cornell Atkinson Center: Creating a Sustainable Future (2015). Pitch and poster.

Outreach

I believe that a comprehensive diversity and inclusion initiative should put equal emphasis on both attracting diversity and retaining it. That is, in addition to activities that break down historic misconceptions and promote minorities to pursue STEM from a young age, there also needs to be an active community creating a sense of belonging for minorities to stay in these disciplines.

To address the former, I have undertaken coursework on effective science pedagogy for children, and have designed many demonstrations aimed towards children (here is a pamphlet I created to complement a demo on the concept of waves). I have also participated in many outreach events around the Princeton area, e.g. visits to the local French Elementary School of Princeton, participating in the annual day of demonstrations for children visiting from the Harlem Preparatory School in NYC, NY, and speaking to Rutgers University undergraduate students regarding my research and experiences.

I also strive to create an inclusive environment so that everyone feels safe and encouraged to pursue their interests. To this end, I have attended numerous workshops (and have received the Inclusive Leadership Learning Cohort Co-Curricular Certificate), and tried to incorporate what I have learned into my role as a teaching assistant. For my efforts, I have received Cornell's Diversity Programs in Engineering Undergraduate Student of the Year award, Princeton MAE Luigi Crocco Teaching Award, and Princeton's student-nominated School of Engineering and Applied Science Excellence in Teaching Award.

Design

I have designed several T-shirts and other paraphernalia for the department, our lab, and personal use; some of these can be viewed here!