AOSC Seminar by Dr. Henrique M. J. Barbosa, 04/17/2025
AOSC Seminar
Henrique M. J. Barbosa
Dept. of Physics, UMBC
Title
The life-cycle of tropical clouds
Abstract
Clouds are a major driver of Earth’s energy and moisture budgets, affecting both weather and climate. In the tropics, convection dominates the picture and spans a wide range of spatial (10’s of m to 100’s of km) and temporal (min to days) scales, making it hard to observe and to model. Things are more complicated over land, where the atmosphere responds to and interacts with the surface diurnal cycle. In this talk I will give an overview of the life cycle of tropical clouds, with a focus on convective clouds developing over rainforests. I will discuss our recent findings about the environmental conditions that favor the transition of shallow to deep convection, based on both observations and numerical modeling experiments. I will also explore the symbiosis between the forest and the atmosphere that allows for the production of the cloud nuclei, which are needed for the tropical clouds to form.
Bio
Dr. Barbosa is an associate professor at the Department of Physics of UMBC. His research focuses on understanding the role of water vapor and clouds on the climate system and how anthropogenic influences might change it. His interests also include biosphere-atmosphere interactions, the hydrological cycle, and moisture transport. He was a member of the International Commission on Clouds and Precipitation (ICCP), a visiting professor at the University of Granada – Spain, and the University of Manchester – UK. Prior to joining UMBC, Dr. Barbosa was a professor at the University of Sao Paulo, where he served as the head of the Applied Physics Department.
Contact
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AOSC Seminar
Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Room: ATL 2400(only when in-person)
Meet-the-Speaker: 4:30-5:00pm, Room: ATL 3400(only when in-person) [For AOSC Students only]
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