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Research Projects |
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Climate model land surface datasets
We have recently developed new global land surface parameters for the Community Land Model (CLM 3.0) for use in climate modeling experiments. The new parameters represent the Current Day from MODIS land surface products and Potential Vegetation from Ramankutty and Foley, (1999). The new parameters have been produced at 0.05 degrees so can be aggregated to a range of climate model resolutions.
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Tropical/subtropical Monsoons
We have recently been working on prediction models for the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and its relation with land and ocean surface forcing. We have found that the EASM can be subdivided into a northern and southern component with distinctly different driving mechanisms. The northern EASM (NEASM) is affected by heat sources in the tropical oceans related to El Niño events while the southern EASM (SEASM) is affected by the subtropical oceans related to a North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) dipole mode.
We are currently addressing how land and ocean surface forcing affect the strength, seasonality, and sub-seasonal variability of the EASM and the relationship of the Indian summer monsoon with changes in vegetation.
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Global Landcover change
We are adressing the impact of historical landcover changes through global model simulations using our newly derived land surface datasets. We have also revised and assessed the role of land surface hydrology on model performance and have found it of critical importance in simulating climate and climate change. |
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Climate Change Observations
We have been working on observational studies related to climate change. Recent papers or submitted manuscripts have dealt with monsoon trends, observed vegetation changes and their relation with monsoons, combined changes in ENSO and the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the 2003 European summer heatwave.
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Non-linear Geophysics
We have ongoing work examining hydrological cycle feedbacks to changing climate forcings in simple climate system models, examing how solar variability affects climate variability and in applying the idea of maximum entropy production to model parameterization.
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216 UCB