Daniel McCoy

Atmospheric Science

Assistant Professor

Contact Information

(307) 766-3245daniel.mccoy@uwyo.edu

Room 6029, Engineering Building

Visit Dr. McCoy's Research Website
headshot of professor daniel mccoy

Education:

  • B.S., Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 2010
  • Ph.D., Atmospheric Science, University of Washington, 2016
  • Postdoc, Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, 2016-2020

 

Research Statement

Dr. McCoy’s research focuses on understanding how small, fast processes affect the Earth system. He has worked with Earth system models, in situ measurements, and remote sensing with a focus on questions related to cloud feedback, aerosol forcing, and water availability. Dr. McCoy has worked on applying various machine learning methods to exploring Earth system model uncertainty and better constraining seasonal to decadal predictions.

 

Research Areas

  • Cloud and precipitation physics
  • Earth system modeling
  • Perturbed process ensembles
  • Aerosol-cloud interactions
  • Cloud feedback

For an up to date list of publications, please visit my google scholar.

Selected Publications

  • Mikkelsen, A., McCoy, D. T., Eidhammer, T., Gettelman, A., Song, C., Gordon, H., & McCoy, I. L. (2025). Constraining aerosol–cloud adjustments by uniting surface observations with a perturbed parameter ensemble. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25(8), 4547–4570. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4547-2025
  • Song, C., McCoy, D. T., Eidhammer, T., Gettelman, A., McCoy, I. L., Watson-Parris, D., et al. (2024). Buffering of Aerosol-Cloud Adjustments by Coupling Between Radiative Susceptibility and Precipitation Efficiency. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(11), e2024GL108663. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108663
  • McCoy, D. T., Frazer, M. E., Mülmenstädt, J., Tan, I., Terai, C. R., & Zelinka, M. D. (2023). Extratropical Cloud Feedbacks. In Clouds and their Climatic Impacts (pp. 133–157). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119700357.ch6
  • McCoy, I. L., McCoy, D. T., Wood, R., Regayre, L., Watson-Parris, D., Grosvenor, D. P., et al. (2020). The hemispheric contrast in cloud microphysical properties constrains aerosol forcing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201922502. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1922502117
  • McCoy, D. T., Field, P., Frazer, M. E., Zelinka, M. D., Elsaesser, G. S., Mülmenstädt, J., et al. (2022). Extratropical shortwave cloud feedbacks in the context of the global circulation and hydrological cycle. Geophysical Research Letters, n/a(n/a), e2021GL097154. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097154