Support for a Symposium Honoring Isaac Held's Contributions to Atmospheric and Climate Dynamics; Princeton, New Jersey; October 29-31, 2018

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Issac Held has been a leader in the field of climate dynamics for over three decades, and has made fundamental and original contributions to the study of the dynamics of Earth's climate, ranging from theory of the atmospheric circulation, planetary wave dynamics, climate sensitivities, and geophysical turbulence to leadership in the developing the current generation of climate models. His advocacy and practice of hierarchical modeling, spanning the gap between theories and computationally intensive simulations, and using insights from theoretical atmospheric dynamics to understand the forces maintaining the current climate and at work under climate change have inspired many across the fields of atmospheric dynamics and climate dynamics. The three-day symposium, to be held at Princeton University on Monday, October 29 through Wednesday, October 31, 2018, aims to foster cross-disciplinary scientific exchange at the interface of the fields of atmospheric dynamics and climate dynamics and provide forward-looking perspectives and new directions in the areas to which Dr. Held has contributed greatly. The science-focused symposium consists of a series of invited presentations focusing on 5 research topics that bring in mind the approaches championed by Isaac Held: Theory of the atmospheric circulation, Teleconnections, Dynamical insights on climate change, Geophysical turbulence, and Tropical dynamics. The symposium will provide an opportunity to bring undergraduate/graduate students, early career scientists, and established researchers/educators from across these areas together in dialogue. Funds provided through this grant will be used to cover the travel costs of students, postdocs, and early-career researchers. Travel funds will be advertised to the community and made available through a competitive process. The invited presentation will be made available to the community through the meeting website, which helps make the material rapidly accessible to the research community worldwide. The contribution to the science and to education will come through personal exchanges at the meeting and through the educational emphasis on involvement of students. Using the role model of an influential researcher, such as Dr. Held, provides inspiring insights into themes and approaches that help the new generation tackle complex challenges of hierarchical and earth system modelling for advancing weather and climate dynamics research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.