Climate

Atmospheric Science

 

Climate research in the department covers a broad range of topics using both modeling and experimental approaches. The effects of aerosols (e.g., mineral dust, wildfire aerosols, pollution aerosols) on clouds and the hydrological cycle as well as what we can learn about the Earth's climate system are investigated using remote sensing and global climate models (McCoy). Moreover, numerical techniques are applied to understand how precipitation efficiency will change in a future climate and what factors (i.e., microphysical and/or dynamical) are responsible. Regional climate modeling focused on orographic precipitation and snowpack dynamics is utilized to improve observational areal estimates of precipitation and snowpack and in order to estimate changes to these variables in a changing global climate (Geerts). Another focus area is the the constraint of cloud feedback feedback (McCoy). After carbon dioxide, methane and absorbing aerosol, which are both being observed using state-of-the-art observation platforms, are the two species with the largest positive radiative forcing and understanding their sources is critical to quantifying the anthropogenic influence on climate (Murphy and Caulton). Currently, UW is working to quantify emissions from oil and gas extraction, wildfires, and other major sources.