Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

SLS - Richard Grotjahn (UC Davis)
Date Time Location
April 13th, 2018 11:00am-12:00pm

     My talk first reviews some of our recent researchinto extreme weather events. Then the large scale meteorological patterns(LSMPs) context is reviewed. Most of the presentation illustrates LSMP-basedanalyses of West Coast heat waves (HWs) and cold air outbreaks (CAOs). 


     California HWs are set up by an LSMP that spans theNorth Pacific. Simple statistics identify what parts of the LSMP are essentialto the HW and reveal two ways the LSMP at HW onset can form. HW LSMPs are usedto assess climate models (since they resolve the LSMP). Assuming historicalmodel skill predicts future simulation skill, LSMP analysis characterizesfuture HWs and even how summer variability over the West Coast may (or may not)change in the future.


     The CAO LSMP spans much of the North Pacific and NorthAmerica. It develops through a complex process including: multiple coldcenters, highly unusual surface high pressure near the Gulf of Alaska, andfeatures in the tropical North and South Pacific and Southeast Asia. We don’tunderstand how these remote connections work and audience input is welcome. 


     Finally, our ongoing work with precipitation,precipitation extremes, and LSMPs is briefly outlined.