Colloquia for Fall 2019
Microphysical and Chemical Processes on Saharan Dust Aerosols during Their Atmospheric Life Cycle
October 10, 2019
Vernon Morris
Hosted by Emily Fischer
The Saharan Desert is responsible for one of the largest contributors of natural aerosols emitted worldwide and has numerous implications on climate, health, and regional weather systems. For well over a decade, the Saharan Dust Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE) cruises have collected in-situ data of Saharan dust plumes as they enter the marine boundary layer above the tropical…
Climate versus weather: Planning the climate observing system of the future is more than collecting weather observations
September 19, 2019
Elizabeth Weatherhead
Hosted by Christine Chiu
Climate is often described of statistical summaries of weather: means, extremes, variability. This can sometimes lead to the conclusion that climate observations are well served by appropriately storing weather data. This seminar will try to dissuade you from this way of thinking. As various aspects of the Earth change, including land use, greehouse gas concentrations and pollution, the…
Ecosystem reorganization: understanding resilience in the context of disturbances and climate change
September 05, 2019
Camille Stevens-Rumann
Hosted by Jeff Pierce
Wildfires are an ever increasing threat across the western U.S. As human communities grapple with the toll of these fires on human health, values, and infrastructure, ecosystems are similarly faced with numerous ecological changes. Forested ecosystems are highly adapted to wildfires, however after a century of fire suppression coupled with a changing climate, the resilience of these systems…
Prediction of the Madden-Julian Oscillation: Progress and challenges
August 29, 2019
Hyemi Kim
Hosted by Eric Maloney
There has been an accelerating interest in forecasting the weather and climate within the subseasonal time range. The subseasonal forecast is particularly important since many management decisions, such as in water management, as well as agriculture and food security, fall into this range. The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), an organized envelope of tropical convection, is recognized as…