Climate System Dynamics
The Earth's climate system involves interactions between the atmosphere, land, ocean, and cryosphere. Scientists in ESS aim to characterize and model the fundamental dynamics of the climate system in order to predict its response to anthropogenic forcing and to provide possible mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Examines how remote conditions affect local extremes in temperature and precipitation using observations, specifically designed model experiments and analysis of coordinated large ensembles of historical and projected climate simulations
Investigates climate variability and change, focusing on ocean–atmosphere interactions, ENSO complexity, inter-basin interactions, jet stream dynamics, winter storms, and major climate phenomena such as monsoons and marine heatwaves, along with their impacts on global and regional climate variability and extremes, using observations, theory, and climate models.
Uses high-resolution and multi-scale atmospheric models to study interactions between cloud physics, large-scale dynamics, and the regional water cycle. Exploits high-performance computing and machine learning for turbulent process emulation and neural-network assisted dynamical inquiry
Uses satellite remote sensing techniques (interferometric SAR, radio echo sounding, laser altimetry, high resolution optical), airborne geophysical surveys (radar sounder, laser, gravity), field survey (GPR, GNSS, GPRI, multibeam sonar, CTD, S4, ocean AUVs) and ice sheet (ISSM, GlaDs), ocean (MITgcm) and atmospheric modeling to understand the evolution of ice sheets and their past, present and future contributions to sea level rise.
Employs advanced multi-sensor geophysical techniques, including satellite time-variable gravity (GRACE), to study the mass balance of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets and glaciers worldwide
Improves realism of physical processes (albedo, emissivity, snow, firn, aerosols) for climate prediction, and develops high performance data analysis software
Reconstruct past climate (paleoclimate) over the past several glacial-interglacial cycles at seasonal to millennial resolution and to compare these records with other paleoclimate data and model output
Studies how atmosphere and ocean dynamics influence regional climate and climate extremes, with an eye to climate change and policy applications
The fluid dynamics and thermodynamics of the global ocean, its role in coupled Earth System dynamics, and its implications for climate solutions (mitigation and adaptation).
Uses climate models to investigate Arctic and Antarctic sea ice change, focusing on the processes driving polar amplification and the impacts of cryosphere loss on the global climate system; and understand the causes and effects of our rapidly changing polar regions, with a focus on the role of individual climate forcers on the climate system. Leading the MethaneMIP project (methanemip.org) to investigate the climate and health benefits of methane mitigation according to the current generation of Earth System Models.
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