A few words about the

AOES Dept and Climate Dynamics PhD

Barry Klinger, April 2010SAC COLA visit

July (2008), Merger of

Climate DynamicsDepartment

Geologists (inenvironmental ScienceAnd Policy Department)

…Gave Birth To A New Creation…

6 full-time faculty,Including 4 tenure-stream,2 term

Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth

Sciences

George Mason University/COLAClimate Dynamics PhD

Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences

Understanding and PredictingClimate and its Variability

www.aoes.gmu.edu

•Some key research components: Atmospheric Dynamics Physical Oceanography Land-Air Interactions Predictability Climate Modeling

Climate Dynamics PhD - Overview

•Started as concentration of Computational Sciences and Informatics PhD•Separate program since Fall 2003

Climate Dynamics PhD - Overview

•Started as concentration of Computational Sciences and Informatics PhD•Separate program since Fall 2003

•Mission to help train the next generation of scientists in climate dynamics and related fields•Builds on the great strengths in numerical modeling and predictability studies of GMU/COLA scientists•Students take classes at GMU, collaborate with scientists at both GMU and COLA

Climate Dynamics PhD - Overview

•Started as concentration of Computational Sciences and Informatics PhD•Separate program since Fall 2003

•Mission to help train the next generation of scientists in climate dynamics and related fields•Builds on the great strengths in numerical modeling and predictability studies of GMU/COLA scientists•Students take classes at GMU, collaborate with scientists at both GMU and COLA

•11 graduates from 2003-04 to 2008-09•Student enrollment 13-19 in recent years

PhD Program in Climate Dynamics

Faculty [Name (Ph.D. Institution), Research Focus], Spring 2010:

J. Shukla (M.I.T.) Climate variability and predictabilityZ. Boybeyi* (N Carolina State) Mesoscale, natural hazards, air qualityT. DelSole (Harvard) Atmospheric dynamicsB. Doty Computing for geophysical research; GrADSB. Huang (Univ. of MD) Coupled ocean-atmospheric systemE. Jin (Seoul) Predictability of ocean-atmosphere-land systemJ. Kinter (Princeton) Climate variabilityB. Klinger (M.I.T.) Large-scale ocean circulation and climateV. Krishnamurthy (M.I.T.) Monsoons; nonlinear dynamicsJ. Lu (Dalhousie) Atmosphere-ocean dynamics; climate change dynamicsE. Schneider (Harvard) Mechanisms of climate mean and variabilityP. Schopf (Princeton) Oceanography, ocean modeling, climate dynamics D. Straus (Cornell) Atmospheric dynamics; chaotic and forced variability

*GMU only.

Climate Dynamics Students and Advisors, Spring 2010(Currently 18 students)

Arsenault, K. HouserBucher, G. DelSoleChen, H. SchneiderColfescu, I. SchneiderCruz, C. KlingerFeng, X. HouserHazra, A. KrishnamurthyJang, Y. StrausJia, L. DelSoleKrishnamurthy, L. KrishnamurthyLaJoie, E. DelSoleLi, J. HuangNarapusetty, B. Schopf (First Place poster presentation, AMS Annual Meeting 2009)Nattala, J. KinterPalipane, E. LuStofferahn, E. BoybeyiSwenson, E. Straus (East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Fellowship, 2009)Xu, L. Shukla

Some recent thesis topics:

Jang: Interannual variability of Indian summer monsoon

Li: SST diurnal variability and its influence on the tropical atmospheric intraseasonal variability

Feng: Identifying the predictability of water cycle by detecting and attributing variability and change

Narapusetty: Impact of Tropical Instability Waves on Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Cruz: Global Circulation Variability Induced by Southern Ocean Winds

Achuthavarier: Role of the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the Indian Summer Monsoon Variability

Pan: The Influence of Mean Climate on the ENSO Simulation and Predictability

Fan: Low Frequency Climate Variability in the North Atlantic: Stochastic Forcing and Coupled Response

Where do our graduates go?

D. Achuthavarier (2009) COLAX. Pan (2009) NOAA NCEPM. Fan (2008) NESDIS NOAAD. Jin (2008) RSMAS, U. Miami, currently U. MarylandK. Pegion (2007) CIRES/ESRLL. Feudale (2006) ICTP, TriesteR. Burgman (2006) RSMAS, U. MiamiS. Bates (2006) U. Washington, currently NCARY. Vikhliaev (2005) U. Maryland Baltimore CountyW. Anderson (2004) GFDLM. Manganello (2004) COLA

Curriculum Overview

Core Climate Science Requirements

Introduction to the Physical Climate SystemIntroduction to Atmospheric DynamicsPhysical and Dynamical OceanographyLand-Climate InteractionsSeminar (1 hour, repeated for 3 semesters)

Core Computational Methods Requirements

Numerical MethodsFoundations of Computational SciencesNumerical Simulation of Weather and Climate

Selected Electives

Geophysical Fluid DynamicsAtmosphere-Ocean InteractionsPredictability of Weather and ClimateGeneral Circulation of the AtmosphereOcean General Circulation Statistical Methods in Climate ResearchData Assimilation and Advanced Statistical MethodsAnthropogenic Climate Change

High Performance ComputingThe Mathematics of the Finite Element MethodWavelet TheoryObservations of the Earth and its ClimateEarth Observing/Remote Sensing Data Systems