2026 Donald R. MacGorman: Environmental Sciences Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Environmental Sciences	56	3674	3508	1404	1294	149	10396

Overview

Donald R. MacGorman is affiliated with the University of Oklahoma in the United States. Their research primarily spans environmental science, physics and astronomy, and earth and planetary sciences, focusing extensively on global and planetary change, astronomy and astrophysics, and atmospheric science.

The scientist's main research topics cover fire effects on ecosystems, lightning and electromagnetic phenomena, meteorological phenomena and simulations, atmospheric aerosols and clouds, atmospheric chemistry and aerosols, climate variability and models, and ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics.

MacGorman has contributed to several peer-reviewed research publications including:

"Extreme oxidant amounts produced by lightning in storm clouds" (2021), Science
"Assimilation of GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper Flash Extent Density Data in GSI EnKF for the Analysis and Short-Term Forecast of a Mesoscale Convective System" (2020), Monthly Weather Review
"GLM and ABI Characteristics of Severe and Convective Storms" (2020), Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
"Upward propagation of gigantic jets revealed by 3D radio and optical mapping" (2022), Science Advances
"Intraregional Comparisons of the Near-Storm Environments of Storms Dominated by Frequent Positive Versus Negative Cloud-to-Ground Flashes" (2021), Earth and Space Science

Their frequent co-authors include Eric C. Bruning, Conrad L. Ziegler, Vanna Chmielewski, Sean Waugh, and Edward R. Mansell.

MacGorman's work has been published most notably in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, where they have five publications. Other common venues include Earth and Space Science, Science, Monthly Weather Review, and Science Advances.

Best Publications

The electrical nature of storms

Donald R. MacGorman;W. David Rust;Earle R. Williams

1115
Citations
Charge structure and lightning sensitivity in a simulated multicell thunderstorm

Edward R. Mansell;Donald R. MacGorman;Conrad L. Ziegler;Jerry M. Straka

399
Citations
Simulated three‐dimensional branched lightning in a numerical thunderstorm model

Edward R. Mansell;Donald R. MacGorman;Conrad L. Ziegler;Jerry M. Straka

365
Citations
Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment: VORTEX

Erik N. Rasmussen;Jerry M. Straka;Robert Davies-Jones;Charles A. Doswell

339
Citations
Lightning Rates Relative to Tornadic Storm Evolution on 22 May 1981

Donald R. MacGorman;Donald W. Burgess;Vladislav Mazur;W. David Rust

306
Citations
The Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study

Timothy J. Lang;L. Jay Miller;Morris Weisman;Steven A. Rutledge

297
Citations
Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning in Tornadic Storms and Hailstorms

Donald R. MacGorman;Donald W. Burgess

287
Citations
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning: Climatological Characteristics and Relationships to Model Fields, Radar Observations, and Severe Local Storms

Ronald M. Reap;Donald R. MacGorman

267
Citations
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Activity in the 10–11 June 1985 Mesoscale Convective System Observed during the Oklahoma–Kansas PRE-STORM Project

Steven A. Rutledge;Donald R. MacGorman

266
Citations
TELEX The Thunderstorm Electrification and Lightning Experiment

Donald R. MacGorman;W. David Rust;Terry J. Schuur;Michael I. Biggerstaff

258
Citations
Inverted-polarity electrical structures in thunderstorms in the Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study (STEPS)

W. David Rust;Donald R. MacGorman;Eric C. Bruning;Stephanie A. Weiss

255
Citations
Theory and Observations of Controls on Lightning Flash Size Spectra

Eric C. Bruning;Donald R. Macgorman

240
Citations
The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) Field Campaign

Mary C. Barth;Christopher A. Cantrell;William H. Brune;Steven A. Rutledge

225
Citations
A model evaluation of noninductive graupel‐ice charging in the early electrification of a mountain thunderstorm

Conrad L. Ziegler;Donald R. MacGorman;James E. Dye;Peter S. Ray

224
Citations
The Electrical Structure of Two Supercell Storms during STEPS

Donald R. MacGorman;W. David Rust;Paul Krehbiel;William Rison

199
Citations
A Lightning Parameterization for Numerical Cloud Models

Donald R. MacGorman;Jerry M. Straka;Conrad L. Ziegler

193
Citations
Application of a Lightning Data Assimilation Technique in the WRF-ARW Model at Cloud-Resolving Scales for the Tornado Outbreak of 24 May 2011

Alexandre O. Fierro;Edward R. Mansell;Conrad L. Ziegler;Donald R. MacGorman

180
Citations
The Implementation of an Explicit Charging and Discharge Lightning Scheme within the WRF-ARW Model: Benchmark Simulations of a Continental Squall Line, a Tropical Cyclone, and a Winter Storm

Alexandre O. Fierro;Edward R. Mansell;Donald R. MacGorman;Conrad L. Ziegler

166
Citations
Positive cloud‐to‐ground lightning flashes in severe storms

W. David Rust;Donald R. MacGorman;Roy T. Arnold

166
Citations
Numerically Simulated Electrification and Lightning of the 29 June 2000 STEPS Supercell Storm

Kristin M. Kuhlman;Conrad L. Ziegler;Edward R. Mansell;Donald R. MacGorman

164
Citations
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Activity in Mesoscale Convective Complexes

S. J. Goodman;D. R. Macgorman

153
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Conrad L. Ziegler National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

W. David Rust National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Paul R. Krehbiel New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

William Rison New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Walter A. Lyons American Meteorological Society

Timothy J. Lang Marshall Space Flight Center

Steven A. Rutledge Colorado State University

Ronald J. Thomas New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Jerry M. Straka University of Oklahoma

Steven A. Cummer Duke University

External Links

Personal website of Donald R. MacGorman

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