AOSC Seminar by Dr. Geoff Vallis, 3/25/2021

AOSC Seminar

Dr.  Geoff Vallis

University of Exeter

Title: A Distillation of the Mechanism of the Madden-Julian Oscillation

Abstract:

Although some comprehensive three-dimensional models are now able to simulate MJO-like events, the underlying mechanism has remained mysterious —– cloud-radiative feedbacks, wind-induced evaporation and various other effects all play greater or lesser roles in different models. Without denying the possible importance of these processes, here we distill the mechanisms of the MJO into a posited essence that captures its large-scale structure and its eastward propagation. The assumptions and requirements that give rise to the model MJO are transparent and thereby suggest why it is that many comprehensive models still have trouble simulating the phenomenon. 

Bio:

Geoffrey K. Vallis is a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Exeter, UK. Prior to taking up his position there, he taught for many years at Princeton University in the USA. He has carried out research in the atmospheric sciences, oceanography and the planetary sciences, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is the recipient of various prizes and awards, including the Adrian Gill Prize (Royal Meteorological Society) in 2014, and the Stanislaw M. Ulam Distinguished Scholar award (Los Alamos National Laboratory) in 2013. He is also the author of several textbooks in GFD and climate, including Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics and Climate and the Oceans. 

Please Note: Meet-the-Speaker will be held before seminar

Contact: Sumant Nigam

AOSC Seminar

Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A

Meet-the-Speaker: 2:30-3:15pm, Zoom [For AOSC Students only]
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Zoom

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