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John C. H. Chiang Associate
Professor |
547
McCone Hall tel: 510 642 3900 fax:
510 642 3370 |
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My research
focuses on the dynamics of the large-scale tropical atmosphere, ocean, and
land systems and its interactions with the global climate. An
early interest was on the large-scale convective climate of the tropical
Atlantic, which possesses a remarkable property of being exquisitely
sensitive to change; and in changing, become agents of climate change
elsewhere. It got me to thinking
about the larger role the tropics play in the global climate system, in
particular the way it responds to, and feeds back on, climate forcing. This line of questioning has led me
to consider ocean-atmosphere interactions in different ocean basins, and the
interactions between them; to interactions between the extratropics and
tropics, considering processes as far removed as the thermohaline
circulation, and building ice sheets.
Past climates motivate much of my research, as it offers valuable
clues on the linkages between various climate processes and just how
susceptible our climate is to change.
My ultimate goal is to understand how the global climate reorganizes
in the face of climate forcings, past and future; while that goal is still in the
far distance, all signs point to the tropical climate as key. I
use a variety of tools in my research, from statistical analysis of climate
data, to developing simple models, to using more complex models of the atmosphere
and ocean. My most effective research tool by far, however, is the mug
of coffee at the neighborhood café! |
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Courses [previous
semesters] Fall 2009
GeogC139 / EPS C181 Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics MW 9:30a-11a, 575 McCone Hall Syllabus TBA Geog 257 Topics in Climatology T 1-4p, 55A McCone Hall This semester’s topic TBA |
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Group [past members]
[group photo] Postdoctoral scholars Yue Fang Shih-Yu Lee Ching-Yee Chang Graduate students Hyo-Seok
Park Yuwei Liu |
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New stuff Vizcaino, M, S Rupper, and JCH Chiang: ”Permanent El Niño” and the
onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciations: mechanism and comparison with other
hypotheses. In revision,
Paleoceanography, Mar 2009. pdf Park, H.-S., J. C H. Chiang, B. R. Lintner, and
G. J. Zhang, The delayed effect of major El Nino events on Indian monsoon
rainfall. In revision, Journal of Climate, Mar 2009.
pdf |
Last
updated 18 June 2009