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Climate Dynamics Seminar: Dr. Da Yang, "From Rising Air to Basin-Wide Rainstorms: Unveiling the Dynamics of Atmospheric Convection"

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Event Details:

Please join us for a special seminar presented by Da Yang, Ph.D. The seminar will help build the research community in Climate Dynamics in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

 

Da Yang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Geophysical Sciences

University of Chicago


Thursday, February 6, 2025

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Y2E2 299

 

“From Rising Air to Basin-Wide Rainstorms: Unveiling the Dynamics of Atmospheric”

 

Atmospheric convection and clouds are among the largest sources of uncertainty in predicting future climate change and extreme weather events. Central questions in this field include: What makes air rise to form clouds? How do individual convective clouds organize into planetary-scale rainfall patterns, such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation? Dr. Yang will present recent advances in addressing these fundamental yet challenging questions by integrating theory, observations, a hierarchy of numerical models, and machine learning methods. He will first show that cold air rises in the tropical atmosphere. This counterintuitive discovery is due to the buoyancy eRect of water vapor, which has pioneered the exploration of its eRect on Earth’s climate. He will then show that the Madden-Julian Oscillation can be a planetary-scale envelope of individual convective events linked by small-scale atmospheric waves. These discoveries challenge conventional paradigms, lead to new research directions, and oRer specific guidance for improving climate models, enabling more reliable future projections. Additionally, time permitting, he will introduce a novel dynamic framework for understanding the development and movement of atmospheric rivers—powerful weather systems that deliver strong winds and heavy precipitation to the west coast of North America.

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