Climate Dynamics Group
at the University of California, Santa Cruz

The Climate Dynamics Group at the University of California, Santa Cruz is led by Professor Nicole Feldl1. We seek to understand how atmospheric circulations, ocean interactions, radiative transfer, and land surface processes control regional and global climate. Our perspective is generally informed by the radiative feedbacks associated with changes in water vapor, atmospheric temperature, clouds, and snow and sea ice. By regulating the energetics of the climate system, they govern the Earth’s climate sensitivity and provoke changes in circulations and precipitation. Recent research has focused on polar amplification, investigating the mechanisms that produce the greater warming of the high latitudes, as well as the consequences for midlatitude weather. To carry out such investigations, we specialize in combining hierarchical numerical modeling, theory, and observational analysis. Models range from simple energy balance models, to idealized aquaplanet models with realistic atmospheres but devoid of continents, to comprehensive climate models used in state-of-the-art projections. Theories meanwhile help interpret changes in past, present, and future climates.

  1. CV