Research

My current work involves analyzing the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in idealized aquaplanet climate simulations. In an aquaplanet configuration of a full-complexity climate model, all terrain is replaced by a global ocean with prescribed sea surface temperatures and the seasonal cycle is removed. Aquaplanet models thus permit the simulation of key atmospheric dynamics processes without the complexity of atmosphere-surface interactions.  I am investigating how aquaplanet stratospheric dynamics, such as the Brewer-Dobson circulation and the QBO, respond to uniform carbon dioxide forcings. 

I am also interested in the climate impacts of stratospheric water vapor. The 2022 Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption injected an unprecedented amount of water vapor into the stratosphere, causing significant shifts in the stratospheric climate that are still present today. Modeling studies conducted under the Stratosphere-troposphere Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC)  group  provided a quantitative assessment of the stratospheric and tropospheric impacts of the Hunga Tonga water vapor and sulfur dioxide emissions. My future work will include analyzing model output from the SPARC efforts to identify novel impacts of the Hunga Tonga eruption, which has been termed a natural testbed for  studying stratospheric water vapor injections.

Modeling studies have predicted long term increases in stratospheric water vapor due to global warming. Such increases may amplify anthropogenic warming via the stratospheric water vapor feedback mechanism. The magnitude of the stratospheric water vapor feedback has been shown to be highly dependent on the concentration of water vapor in the lowermost stratosphere. I recently submitted a proposal to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) for a project that will involve quantifying the contribution of various stratosphere-troposphere transport pathways of water vapor to the stratospheric water vapor budget using process-oriented tracers. I expect that this work will yield more accurate estimates of the stratospheric water vapor feedback, and help to identify model deficiencies in the stratosphere-troposphere exchange of water vapor. This work will likely be the focus of my dissertation.