Climate dynamics of Earth and other planets; turbulence and turbulent transport in atmosphere and ocean; cloud dynamics; climate modeling.
Research Options
Environmental Science and Engineering;
Our climate dynamics group studies atmospheric dynamics, both here on Earth and on other planets, on scales from clouds to the globe.
We aim to elucidate fundamental questions about climate such as, What controls the surface temperatures and winds? What shapes rainfall patterns? Where and when do clouds form in the atmosphere?
To answer such questions, we analyze observational data and perform systematic studies with numerical models, with which we simulate flows ranging from the meter-scale motions in clouds to global circulations. Thanks to the availability of unprecedented observations from space and ever increasing computational power, ours is the age in which the physical laws that govern climate as an aggregate system will likely be discovered. Our goal is to contribute to that discovery.
We strive to translate scientific discoveries into improved models for weather forecasting and climate prediction. The same observations and numerical tools that enable new scientific discoveries have the potential to transform modeling of the climate system. We are contributing to the development of next-generation models and model components that will allow us to predict the climate system more accurately.
ESE 101. Earth's Atmosphere.9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2020-21.
Introduction to the fundamental processes governing atmospheric circulations and climate. Starting from an overview of the observed state of the atmosphere and its variation over the past, the course discusses Earth's radiative energy balance including the greenhouse effect, Earth's orbit around the Sun and climatic effects of its variations, and the role of atmospheric circulations in maintaining the energy, angular momentum, and water balances, which determine the distributions of temperatures, winds, and precipitation. The focus throughout is on order-of-magnitude physics that is applicable to climates generally, including those of Earth's past and future and of other planets.
Instructor: Schneider
ESE 132. Tropical Atmosphere Dynamics.9 units (3-0-6); third term, 2020-21.Prerequisites: ESE 130 or instructor’s permission.
Phenomenological description of tropical atmospheric circulations at different scales, and theories or models that capture the underlying fundamental dynamics, starting from the large-scale energy balance and moving down to cumulus convection and hurricanes. Topics to be addressed include: large-scale circulations such as the Hadley, Walker, and monsoonal circulations, the intertropical convergence zone, equatorial waves, convectively coupled waves, and hurricanes. Offered 2020-21.
Instructor: Schneider
ESE 134. Cloud and Boundary Layer Dynamics.9 units (3-0-6); third term, 2020-21.Prerequisites: ESE 130 or instructor's permission.
Introduction to the dynamics controlling boundary layers and clouds and how they may change with climate, from a phenomenological overview of cloud and boundary layer morphologies to closure theories for turbulence and convection. Topics include similarity theories for boundary layers; mixed-layer models; moist thermodynamics and stability; stratocumulus and trade-cumulus boundary layers; shallow cumulus convection and deep convection. Not offered 2020-21.
Instructor: Schneider
ESE 101. Earth's Atmosphere.9 units (3-0-6); first term, 2019-20.
Introduction to the fundamental processes governing atmospheric circulations and climate. Starting from an overview of the observed state of the atmosphere and its variation over the past, the course discusses Earth's radiative energy balance including the greenhouse effect, Earth's orbit around the Sun and climatic effects of its variations, and the role of atmospheric circulations in maintaining the energy, angular momentum, and water balances, which determine the distributions of temperatures, winds, and precipitation. The focus throughout is on order-of-magnitude physics that is applicable to climates generally, including those of Earth's past and future and of other planets.
Instructor: Schneider
Course Website:http://climate-dynamics.org/courses/ese-101-earths-atmosphere/
ESE 134. Cloud and Boundary Layer Dynamics.9 units (3-0-6); third term, 2019-20.Prerequisites: ESE 130 or instructor's permission.
Introduction to the dynamics controlling boundary layers and clouds and how they may change with climate, from a phenomenological overview of cloud and boundary layer morphologies to closure theories for turbulence and convection. Topics include similarity theories for boundary layers; mixed-layer models; moist thermodynamics and stability; stratocumulus and trade-cumulus boundary layers; shallow cumulus convection and deep convection. Offered 2019-20.
Instructor: Schneider
Research Website