Aug
10
2012
Steven Rife
Program or topic
Global climate variability and climate change through atmospheric interaction
Department(s) or unit(s)
Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Contact information
Gang Chen
Assistant Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Bradfield Hall, Room 1115
gc352@cornell.edu
Program goals
Understanding the large-scale variability of the physical climate systems (with a focus on atmospheric circulation and hydrological cycle) and their changes under natural or anthropogenic forcings.
Brief Description
Through developing theories and models of the global atmospheric circulation, I investigate the dynamics of the physical climate systems and the implications for climate variability and climate change. I am also interested in the impacts of global climate change at a regional scale, for example, possible influences of climate change on the number of storms or the frequency of extreme weather over the Northeast of the US.
For further information
Web Links:
Gang Chen’s Homepage
Recent Publications:
- Chen, G., Lu. J and D.M.W. Frierson, 2008. Phase Speed Spectra and the Latitude of Surface Westerlies: Interannual Variability and Global Warming Trend. J. Climate, 21: 5942-5959.
- Lu, J., Chen, G. and D.M.W. Frierson, 2008. Response of the Zonal Mean Atmospheric Circulation of El Nino versus Global Warming. J. Climate, 21: 5835-5851.
Oct
20
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
Atmospheric sciences, biogeochemistry/climate interactions with aerosols
Department(s) or unit(s)
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Contact information
Natalie Mahowald, Associate Professor
nmm63@cornell.edu
Program goals
Global modeling of climate change feedbacks, especially aerosols.
Brief Description
My research group is focused on understanding global and regional scale atmospheric transport of biogeochemically important species such as desert dust. We are interested in how humans are perturbing the natural environment, especially through perturbations to aerosols. We look at these issues through a combination of 3-dimensional global transport and climate models, as well as analysis of satellite and in situ data.
For more information
Natalie Mahowald’s profile page.
Oct
20
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
Genomics-enabled biogeochemical ecology of marine microorganisms
Department(s) or unit(s)
Microbiology
Contact information
Ian Hewson, Assistant Professor
ih88@cornell.edu
Program goals
To elucidate marine microbial community diversity, function and interactions between food web components as it relates to biogeochemical cycling in the ocean.
Brief Description
Marine bacteria comprise about 80% of open ocean biomass, remineralize most organic matter into inorganic forms (which are then bioavailable to phytoplankton), and play crucial roles in most elemental cycles. Marine viruses infect and kill bacteria, phytoplankton, eukaryotic microorganisms and metazoa, and in doing so influence the overall biogeochemical cycling of the ocean.
Hence, viral activities in the ocean are directly linked to ocean-atmosphere fluxes. Research in the marine microbiology laboratory focuses on the biogeochemical impacts of marine viruses on communities of microorganisms, and understanding how variability in the composition, function, and interactions between components of pelagic microorganisms relates to ecosystem-scale processes.
For more information
Hewson Lab
Apr
10
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
Biophysical modeling of plant-environment interaction (Riha Research Group)
Department(s) or unit(s)
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Contact information
Susan Riha
Director, NYS Water Resources Institute
Charles L. Pack Research Professor of Forest Soils
Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
(607)255-1729
sjr4@cornell.edu
Program goals
To better understand the dynamic interactions of plants with their physical environment. This broad subject includes such topics as the effects of deforestation on the Amazon hydrological cycle, climate change and water competition in competitive zones of agriculture, the effects of climate change on agricultural practices such as herbicide use, and carbon dioxide out gassing in the Amazon.
Brief description
With current climate predictions calling for an increased frequency of drought and flooding events due to changes in the annual distribution of rainfall, water resource managers and researchers are faced with an ever increasing array of challenges. Dr. Riha and her research group are addressing these issues of change in New York State and throughout the world with cutting-edge research that uses biophysical models to analyze experimental data and address applied ecological problems. This research has greatly contributed to our understanding of the effect of flooding on plant-water relations, the impact of soil drying on plant growth and water use, and the importance of different surfaces to vapor transport under various crop, forestry, and agroforestry systems.
For more information
Websites:
Key Publications:
- Johnson, M.S., M. Weiler, E.G. Couto, S. Riha and J. Lehmann. 2007. Storm pulses of dissolved CO2 in a forested headwater Amazonian stream explored using hydrograph separation. Water Resources Research. (In press).
- Feldpausch, T.R., C. Prates-Clark, E.C.M. Fernandes and S.J. Riha. 2007. Secondary forest growth deviation from chronosequence predictions in central Amazonia. Global Change Biology. 13, 967-979.
Apr
10
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
New York State Water Resources Institute
Department(s) or unit(s)
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Contact information
Susan Riha
Director, NYS Water Resources Institute
Charles L. Pack Research Professor of Forest Soils
Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
(607)255-1729
sjr4@cornell.edu
Program goals
To study the effects of climate change on various water resource issues, such as rising sea levels and current groundwater uses, storm water surges, flooding, drought, and water quality.
Brief description
New York State Water Resources Institute collaborates with regional, state, and national partners to increase awareness of emerging water resources issues and to develop and assess new water management technologies and policies. The institute connects the water research and water management communities.
Current climate predictions will challenge water managers in many ways, including:
- Evaporation will intensify and total precipitation may increase 10% by end of the century, with most of the increase concentrated in the winter months and a higher proportion of winter precipitation falling as rain rather than snow.
- Average precipitation on rainy days, the number of heavy events with more than 2 inches of rainfall in a single day, and the total rainfall in the biggest storms are projected to increase substantially by the end of the century. More rain on rainy days and more frequent large rainfall events will increase surface runoff, thereby influencing flooding risks and diminishing groundwater recharge.
- Increasing evaporative demand with rising summer temperatures coupled with stable summer rainfall, will increase the frequency of summer drought.
- Reduced snowpack and an increase in winter rainfall, higher frequencies of summer drought, and a change in rainfall intensity will all impact streamflow, groundwater recharge, and the reliability of water supply systems. In coastal areas, rising sea level will exacerbate saltwater intrusion into groundwater.
For more information
Websites:
New York State Water Resources Institute
Key Publications:
- Johnson, M.S., M. Weiler, E.G. Couto, S. Riha and J. Lehmann. 2007. Storm pulses of dissolved CO2 in a forested headwater Amazonian stream explored using hydrograph separation. Water Resources Research. (In press).
-
Feldpausch, T.R., C. Prates-Clark, E.C.M. Fernandes and S.J. Riha. 2007. Secondary forest growth deviation from chronosequence predictions in central Amazonia. Global Change Biology. 13, 967-979.
Apr
08
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
Northeast Regional Climate Center
Department(s) or unit(s)
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Contact information
Art DeGaetano
Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Director, Northeast Regional Climate Center
(607)255-0385
atd2@cornell.edu
Program goals
Northeast Regional Climate Center’s goal is to model climate influences on man-made and biological systems, documenting observed variations in the climate system, improving climate data quality, and assessing impacts and adaptations to climate change.
Brief Description
With climate researchers depending on an ever-expanding pool of historical and projected future climatological data, Dr. DeGaetano and the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) are working to enhance the accuracy and usefulness of that information in the Northeast U.S. DeGaetano and his collaborators analyze how various conditions including temperature and precipitation change through time, and apply rigorous quality control standards to this information. By questioning whether historical trends are a result of true changes in the climate or simply modifications in the way they are measured, the NRCC applies rigorous new standards to how climate information is interpreted. DeGaetano and his collaborators employ this climate data in an interdisciplinary fashion which allows for the viewing of many aspects of society through a climate change lens. In this way, diverse groups from farmers to health-care specialists can gain a better understanding of how a changing climate will affect management decisions.
For more information
Websites:
Art DeGaetano’s Home Page
Northeast Regional Climate Center
The Applied Climate Information System
Key publications:
- Tryhorn, L. and A.T. DeGaetano, 2011: ‘2100? It Doesn’t Keep Me Up at Night!’: Lessons for the Next Generation of Climate Assessments, Bull. of the Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 92, 1137-1148.
- Brown, P.J. and A.T. DeGaetano, 2011: A paradox of cooling winter soil surface temperatures in a warming northeastern United States, Agric. and For. Meteorol.,151, 947-956.
- DeGaetano, A.T. 2006. Overview of Climate Change Science. Climate Change and Northeast Agriculture, Promoting Practical and Profitable Responses. [Available online at http://www.climateandfarming.org/]
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Apr
08
2009
cdc25
Program or topic
Climate change impacts on agricultural and natural ecosystems
Department(s) or unit(s)
- Department of Horticulture
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Contact information
David Wolfe
Professor, Horticulture
(607)255-7888
dww5@cornell.edu
Program goals
To examine plant responses to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change, and the impact this may have on natural and managed ecosystems, and regional and global food supplies.
Brief description
For the last 20 years, David Wolfe and other Cornell researchers have been gathering evidence of climate change, its impact on plants and ecosystems, and developing adaptation strategies. The Cornell group has been directly involved in both regional and national assessment efforts, and Wolfe’s research documenting earlier spring flowering in the northeast was cited in the most recent (2007) United Nations intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) report. Other aspects of Wolfe’s research include: the effects of reduced snow cover in the northeast on winter soil temperatures affecting nitrogen cycling and retention; effects of rising carbon dioxide and heat stress on growth of weeds and crops; projected shifts in insect pest ranges in response to climate change; and soil management to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Collectively, this interdisciplinary work provides information for land managers and policy-makers on how climate change affects agricultural and natural ecosystems, and identifies management practices to adapt to a changing climate and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information
Websites:
Key publications:
- Creating a Role for Agriculture and Forestry in Emerging Carbon Markets, white paper (PDF)
- The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in Emerging Carbon Markets, presentation (PDF)
- Wolfe, DW, L Ziska, C Petzoldt, A Seaman, L Chase, K Hayhoe. 2008. Projected change in climate thresholds in the Northeastern U.S.: Implications for crops, pests, livestock, and farmers. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. 13: 555-575.
- Hayhoe, K, C Wake, T Huntington, L Luo, M Schwartz, J Sheffield, E Wood, B Anderson, J Bradbury, A Degaetano, T Troy, D Wolfe. 2007. Past and future changes in climate and hydrological indicators in the U.S. Northeast. Climate Dynamics 28(4): 381-407.
- Hatfield, JL, KJ Boote, BA Kimball, DW Wolfe, DR Ort, RC Izaurralde, AM Thomson, JA Morgan, HW Polley, PA Fay, TL Mader, GL Hahn. 2008. Agriculture. IN: The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. Washington D.C. Chapter 2.
- Bento A., D Wolfe. 2009. Creating a role for agriculture and forestry in emerging carbon markets. Cornell Policy Brief (presented to House and Senate in November, 2009). 6. pp..