Skip to main content
DEI in GPS
Access
Directory
Quick Links Click here to open the "Quick Links" submenu Down arrow
Quick Links for Faculty Quick Links for Staff Quick Links for Students
Caltech Logo
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
People
Professorial Faculty
Emeritus Faculty
Research Faculty
Visiting Faculty and Visitors
Postdoctoral Scholars
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students
JPL Scientist
Research Staff
Support Staff
Research
Research Programs Open Research Programs Submenu
Geology Geobiology Geochemistry Geophysics Planetary Sciences Environmental Science and Engineering
Research Centers Open Research Centers Submenu
The Bruce Murray Lab Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution (3CPE) Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA) Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG) The Linde Center Seismological Laboratory Terrestrial Hazards Observation and Reporting (THOR)
Research Lab Schedule
Research Facilities - On Campus
Research Facilities - Off Campus
Research Administration
Academics
Undergraduate Program Open Undergraduate Program Submenu
Program Requirements GPS Minor
Graduate Program Open Graduate Program Submenu
Program Requirements Grad Program FAQs Admissions Advising Information for new grad students Master's Degree Doctoral Degree
Student Resources
Courses Open Courses Submenu
Online Courses Winter 2021 Course Offerings 2020-2021 Course Descriptions Setup a Class Website GPS Courses (2020-21)
Field Trips Open Field Trips Submenu
Contact Information Form for Class Field Trips Contact Information Form for Research Field Trips Field Vehicle Availability
Resources
DEI in GPS Open DEI in GPS Submenu
DEI Committee DEI Funding DEI Comment Form DEI Meeting Agendas and Minutes References on DEI in Geosciences Related Activities
Libraries Open Libraries Submenu
GPS Library Caltech Library Mineral Collection
Meeting Facilities Open Meeting Facilities Submenu
GPS Patio Tables
Safety Resources Open Safety Resources Submenu
GPS Emergency Procedures Emergency Action Plan (PDF) Safety Contacts Workplace Safety Checklist Evacuation Map
Quick Links
News & Events
GPS Events this Week Open GPS Events this Week Submenu
GPS Group Calendar
Award Announcements
News
Calendar
About
GPS History
GPS at a Glance
Contact Open Contact Submenu
Administrative and Grants Management Contact List (PDF) GPS Directory (PDF) Academic Leadership
Visit
Positions Available Open Positions Available Submenu
Faculty Positions Postdoctoral Positions Staff Positions
Support
In the News
Open search form
Menu Main Menu
Close
People Click here to open the "People" Submenu
Research Click here to open the "Research" Submenu
Academics Click here to open the "Academics" Submenu
Resources Click here to open the "Resources" Submenu
News & Events Click here to open the "News & Events" Submenu
About Click here to open the "About" Submenu
DEI in GPS
Access
Directory
Quick Links
Quick Links for Faculty Quick Links for Staff Quick Links for Students
People
Back
Professorial Faculty Emeritus Faculty Research Faculty Visiting Faculty and Visitors Postdoctoral Scholars Graduate Students Undergraduate Students JPL Scientist Research Staff Support Staff
Research
Back
Research Programs Geology Geobiology Geochemistry Geophysics Planetary Sciences Environmental Science and Engineering Research Centers The Bruce Murray Lab Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution (3CPE) Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA) Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG) The Linde Center Seismological Laboratory Terrestrial Hazards Observation and Reporting (THOR) Research Lab Schedule Research Facilities - On Campus Research Facilities - Off Campus Research Administration
Academics
Back
Undergraduate Program Program Requirements GPS Minor Graduate Program Program Requirements Grad Program FAQs Admissions Advising Information for new grad students Master's Degree Doctoral Degree Student Resources Courses Online Courses Winter 2021 Course Offerings 2020-2021 Course Descriptions Setup a Class Website GPS Courses (2020-21) Field Trips Contact Information Form for Class Field Trips Contact Information Form for Research Field Trips Field Vehicle Availability
Resources
Back
DEI in GPS DEI Committee DEI Funding DEI Comment Form DEI Meeting Agendas and Minutes References on DEI in Geosciences Related Activities Libraries GPS Library Caltech Library Mineral Collection Meeting Facilities GPS Patio Tables Safety Resources GPS Emergency Procedures Emergency Action Plan (PDF) Safety Contacts Workplace Safety Checklist Evacuation Map Quick Links
News & Events
Back
GPS Events this Week GPS Group Calendar Award Announcements News Calendar
About
Back
GPS History GPS at a Glance Contact Administrative and Grants Management Contact List (PDF) GPS Directory (PDF) Academic Leadership Visit Positions Available Faculty Positions Postdoctoral Positions Staff Positions Support In the News
Open search form
Tapio Schneider
Office: 238 Linde+Robinson Laboratory
Phone: 626-395-6143
Mail Code:
Administrative Assistant
Sabrina Pirzada
Email: spirzada@caltech.edu
Phone: 626-395-6920
link Research Website
link Personal Website
Home  /  People  /  Tapio Schneider

Tapio Schneider

Theodore Y. Wu Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Senior Research Scientist
Vordipl., Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, 1993; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2001. Assistant Professor, Caltech, 2002-08; Associate Professor, 2008-09; Professor, 2009-10; Gilloon Professor, 2010-18; Wu Professor, 2018-;Director, Linde Center, 2011-12; Executive Officer, 2011-12; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Senior Research Scientist, 2016-.
  • Profile
  • Publications
  • Teaching
Research Summary
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.

Selected Awards

2019 Rosenstiel Award, University of Miami (in recognition of "outstanding contributions to atmospheric science and climate dynamics")
2012 World Economic Forum Young Scientist
2010 Houghton Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2008 Discover Magazine "20 Best Brains under 40"
2005-2010 David and Lucile Packard Fellow
2004-2006 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
2004 James R. Holton Junior Scientist Award, American Geophysical Union

For a complete publications list, see feeds.library.caltech.edu
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
Caltech Torch
Caltech Logo
California Institute of Technology
map marker
1200 East California Boulevard
Pasadena, California 91125
Contact Us Report a Copyright Infringement Website Feedback Privacy Notice Site Content Copyright © 2021 Log In