Andrea Lopez Lang

Associate Professor
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Understanding the drivers of extreme weather variability and predictability

As an atmospheric scientist, my expertise centers on understanding the drivers of extreme weather variability and predictability. My work lies at the intersection between basic and applied research and involves collaborations ranging from undergraduate students to the international research community. My work is supported by 10 federal research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) and Climate Prediction Office (CPO). My research led to my role as a co-lead for NOAA/CPO's Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Prediction Task Force, the role of chair of the American Meteorological Society's Board on Enterprise Economic Development, and my membership in the National Academies Board of Atmospheric Science and Climate.

Basic and applied research projects with focus the extratropical atmosphere 

Our group works on understanding the processes that allow us to forecast high-impact weather events at longer forecast lead times, identifying and categorizing the sources of uncertainty and biases in subseasonal forecasts, and assessing the risk and potential impacts in extreme weather events. Some of our on going research includes these projects:

Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Prediction

My research in subseasonal prediction contributes to a growing body of work suggesting that by accounting for the coupled dynamics of the troposphere-stratosphere system, we can better resolve variability in weather systems and better realize forecast skill at timescales of days to weeks.

Figure from Lang et al. (2020) 

Extratropical Dynamics & Variability

Fully understanding the drivers of the dynamics and variability of extreme weather events can improve decision making and mitigate against the most substantial consequences. Our research considers the multi-scale processes that impact the dynamics and variability of extreme events in the extratropics.

Figure from Attard and Lang (2019) 

Collaborative Applied Science

The growing value of weather and climate data and information in a variety of sectors has increased the need for multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. My research includes an applied component, working with practitioners and experts in the weather and climate risk space.

Figure from Dines MS Thesis (2023)

Paquette and Lang (2024) poster at the 37th Conference on Climate Change and Variability titled “Examining the Influence of Stratospheric Polar Vortex Variability and Tropopause Polar Vortices on Rossby Wave Breaking Regimes” 

My research spans the basic science to improve our understanding and knowledge about the drivers of variability on subseasonal timescales and the application of that science to inform risk assessment and decision making in a variety of sectors. I've adapted the figure from the Earth System Prediction Capability assessment to highlight the applications of the science.

Dines and Lang (2022) poster at the 17th Conference on Polar Meteorology and Oceanography titled "The Role of High-Latitude Variability in the February 2021 North American Cold Air Outbreak: Analysis and Predictability at S2S Timescales" 

Convening Science & Expert Discussions

2024 Conference Chair, AMS Washington Forum on Science and Policy, College Park, MD

2024 Moderator, “Enabling US Leadership in Artificial Intelligence for Weather” National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Spring 2024 Meeting, Washington, DC

2024 Invited Expert, "The Science of Cold: A Focus on Extreme Events” Climate READi Regional Workshop, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) & DOE/Oak Ridge National Lab, Knoxville, TN 

2024 Invited Chair, “Navigating the Changing World: Charting New Paths for Equity and Resiliency in Workforce Development for Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise.” AMS Annual Meeting Presidential Conference, Baltimore, MD

2023 Session Moderator, “Advancing Subseasonal to Seasonal Forecasting” National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Fall Meeting, Washington, DC

2023 Conference Co-Chair, AMS Washington Forum on Science and Policy, Washington, DC

2022 Workshop Chair, NSF sponsored 2nd Workshop on Mind the Gap: Educating the Next Generation of Atmospheric Scientists for Industry Needs. Albany, NY

2020 Co-Chair, “Mind the Gap: Efforts to Prepare Students for the Real World Luncheon.” Eighth Conference for Early Career Professionals, 2020 AMS Annual Meeting, Boston, MA

2019 Workshop Co-organizer, NSF sponsored 1st Workshop on Mind the Gap: Educating the Next Generation of Atmospheric Scientists for Industry Needs. NCAR, Boulder, CO.

Research & Science Leadership

2023 – Member of the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

2020 – Chair & Member of the AMS's Board of Enterprise Economic Development

2020 – Chair & Member of AMS Committee on Minding the Gap

2020 – Member of the AMS Committee for Hispanic and Latinx Advancement (CHALA)

2013 – Steering Committee of the Stratospheric Network for the Assessment of Predictability

2021 – 2024 Councilor of the American Meteorological Society

2018 – 2024 Member of the AMS Middle Atmosphere Committee

2016 – 2020 Co-Lead, NOAA/CPO/MAPP Task Force on Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction

Publications