Understanding storm tracks shifts: From the seasonal cycle to future climate change - Tiffany Shaw (U Chicago)

Talk Title: Understanding storm tracks shifts: From the seasonal cycle to future climate change

Abstract: Storm tracks dominate weather and climate in the extratropics. In response to forcing, e.g. seasonal insolation, ENSO, ozone depletion, increased CO2, storm tracks exhibit robust meridional shifts. Here we develop an energetic framework for storm track position. We apply it across a range of timescales to reveal robust regimes that help to explain why storm tracks shift meridionally.

About the Speaker: The goal of my research program is to advance the understanding of atmospheric and climate dynamics and improve state-of-the-art numerical models that inform society of the future impacts of climate change. To that end I combine theoretical principles of classical mechanics and modern tools from applied mathematics with observational analysis and numerical modeling. I am particularly interested in the role of waves and turbulence in the atmosphere and how they shape the Earth's climate. More specifically, I am interested in understanding how moisture is transported and how it interacts with large-scale flow patterns to shape regions of precipitation and evaporation and how the largest waves on the planet, which can propagate into the stratosphere, impact surface climate.

About the Series: The PAOC Colloquium is a weekly interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars take place on Monday from 12-1pm. Lunch is provided after the seminars to encourage students and post-docs to meet with the speaker. Besides the seminar and lunch, individual meetings with professors, post-docs, and students are arranged. EVENT WEBSITE