Workshop on Storm Tracks, Jets, and their Modes of Variability in Switzerland; August 24-28, 2015

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This workshop will review recent advances on the dynamics of storm tracks, jets and their modes of variability and to address key questions related to the regional response to climate change. The conference will focus on areas of research in which recent progress has been notable, along with emerging themes: characterization of storm track response to climate change, model hierarchies of the storm tracks, model biases, low-frequency variability, coupling to the cryosphere, ocean, stratosphere and tropics, coupling with moisture and clouds and connection to extreme events. Storm tracks and jets, together with their modes of variability, affect the regional distribution of precipitation, temperature, and wind in the midlatitudes of both hemispheres. One of the most pressing questions regarding the impacts of climate change concerns how storm tracks will change. While comprehensive climate models predict a poleward shift of the zonal-mean midlatitude westerlies in response to global warming, observational evidence is mixed, and such a shift does not necessarily occur regionally, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The importance of understanding the dynamics and robustness of the regional response cannot be understated. It requires a better understanding of the conditions setting the time-mean structure of the storm tracks and jets, their low-frequency variability, and the role of boundary conditions (cryosphere, ocean, stratosphere, and tropics). The resulting changes to climate and weather (e.g., likelihood of extreme events) are also affected by coupling with moisture and clouds. The workshop will be held in Grindelwald, Switzerland 24-28 August 2015. NSF funds will support travel costs for approximately 6 early career scientists from the U.S.