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Associate Professor
Understanding the drivers of extreme weather variability and predictability
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.
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
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:
NOAA/CPO: Assessing the influence of lower stratospheric Rossby wave dynamics in North American winter extreme events
ONR: Understanding the role of the stratosphere in sub-seasonal–to–seasonal variability and predictability of Arctic weather systems. Part of the ONR Departmental Research Initiative on Extended Range Arctic Prediction
NSF/RISE: Workshop to Promote Educating the Next Generation of Atmospheric Scientists for Industry Needs, the Mind the Gap Workshops
NSF: Industry-University Collaborative Research Center, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Convective Storms (CIRCS), Impacts and risks related to chaning severe weather, planning workshop held in Sept. 2024.
Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Prediction
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
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
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
Convening Science & Expert Discussions
2024 & 2025 Conference Chair, American Meteorological Society's 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
Research & Science Leadership
2023 – Member of the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
2020 – Chair & Member of the American Meteorological Society'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
Publications
Filipiak, B., N. P. Bassill, K. L. Corbosiero, A. L. Lang, and R. A. Lazear, 2023: Probabilistic Forecasting Methods of Winter Mixed Precipitation Events in New York State Utilizing a Random Forest. Artificial Intel. Ear. Sys. 2, e220080, https://doi.org/10.1175/AIES-D-22-0080.1
Morales, A., M. J. Molina, J. E. Trujillo-Falcón, K. M. Nuñez Ocasio, A. L. Lang, B. S. Barrett, L. Aviles, S. J. Camargo, C. Bieri, E. Murillo, 2023: Commitment to Active Allyship is Required to Address the Lack of Hispanic and Latinx Representation in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 104, E1290–E1313, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0075.1
Lawrence, Z. D., M. Abalos, B. Ayarzagüena, D. Barriopedro, A. H. Butler, N. Calvo, A. de la Cámara, A. Charlton-Perez, D. I. V. Domeisen, E. Dunn-Sigouin, J. García-Serrano, C. I. Garfinkel, N. P. Hindley, L. Jia, M. Jucker, A. Y. Karpechko, H. Kim, A. L. Lang, S. H. Lee, P. Lin, M. Osman, F. M. Palmeiro, J. Perlwitz, I. Polichtchouk, J. H. Richter, C. Schwartz, S.-W. Son, I. Statnaia, M. Taguchi, N. L. Tyrrell, C. J. Wright, and R. W.-Y. Wu, 2022: Quantifying stratospheric biases and identifying their potential sources in subseasonal forecast systems. Wea. Clim. Dynam. 3, 977-1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-977-2022
Cardinale, C. J., B. E. J., Rose, A. L. Lang, and A. Donohoe, 2021: Stratospheric and Tropospheric Flux Contributions to the Polar Cap Energy Budgets, J. Climate, 34, 4261-4278, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0722.1
Barnes, E. A., A. L. Lang, P. Dirmeyer, K. Pegion, E. Chang, A. Mariotti, 2021: Outcomes from the Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction Task Force, NOAA/MAPP S2S Task Force Final Technical Report. p. 101, DOI: 10.25923/795y-kn97
Lang, A. L., K. Pegion, and E. A. Barnes, 2020: Introduction to Special Collection: Bridging Weather and Climate: Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) Prediction. J. Geophy. Res. Atmos. 125, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031833
Mariotti, A., C. Baggett, E.A. Barnes, E. Becker, A. Butler, D.C. Collins, P.A. Dirmeyer, L. Ferranti, N.C. Johnson, J. Jones, B.P. Kirtman, A. L. Lang, A. Molod, M. Newman, A.W. Robertson, S. Schubert, D.E. Waliser, and J. Albers, 2020a: Windows of Opportunity for Skillful Forecasts Subseasonal to Seasonal and Beyond. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 101, E608–E625, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0326.1
Mariotti, A., C. Baggett, E.A. Barnes, E. Becker, A. Butler, D.C. Collins, P.A. Dirmeyer, L. Ferranti, N.C. Johnson, J. Jones, B.P. Kirtman, A. L. Lang, A. Molod, M. Newman, A.W. Robertson, S. Schubert, D.E. Waliser, and J. Albers, 2020b: Forecasts of Opportunity: Opening Windows of Skill, Subseasonal and Beyond. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 101, 597–601, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0326.A
Domeisen, D., A. Butler, A. Charlton-Perez, B. Ayarzagüena, M. Baldwin, E. Dunn-Sigouin, J. Furtado, C. Garfinkel, P. Hitchcock A. Karpechko, H. Kim, J. Knight, A. L. Lang, E.-P. Lim, A. Marshall, G. Roff, C. Schwartz, I. Simpson, S.-W. Son, M. Taguchi, 2020a: The role of the stratosphere in sub-seasonal to seasonal prediction. Part I: Predictability of the stratosphere. J. Geophys. Res.–Atmos. 124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030920
Domeisen, D., A. Butler, A. Charlton-Perez, B. Ayarzagüena, M. Baldwin, E. Dunn-Sigouin, J. Furtado, C. Garfinkel, P. Hitchcock A. Karpechko, H. Kim, J. Knight, A. L. Lang, E.-P. Lim, A. Marshall, G. Roff, C. Schwartz, I. Simpson, S.-W. Son, M. Taguchi, 2020b: The role of the stratosphere in sub-seasonal to seasonal prediction. Part II: Predictability arising from stratosphere - troposphere coupling. J. Geophys. Res.–Atmos. 124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030923
Attard, H. E. and A. L. Lang, 2019b: Troposphere-stratosphere coupling following tropospheric blocking and extratropical cyclones. Mon. Wea. Rev., 147, 1781–1804, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-18-0335.1
Mariotti, A., E. A. Barnes, E. K.-M. Chang, A. Lang, P. A. Dirmeyer, K. Pegion, D. Barrie, and C. Baggett, 2019: Bridging the weather-to-climate prediction gap, Eos, 100, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EO115819
Attard, H. E. and A. L. Lang, 2019a: The Impact of Tropospheric and Stratospheric Tropical Variability on the Location, Frequency, and Duration of Cool-Season Extratropical Synoptic Events. Mon. Wea. Rev., 147, 519–542, http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-18-0039.1
Attard, H. E. and A. L. Lang, 2017: Climatological and case analyses of lower-stratospheric fronts over North America. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 145. 1471–1484. https://doi.org/10.1002/ qj.3018
Tripathi, O. P., M. Baldwin, A. Charlton-Perez, M. Charron, J. C. H. Cheung, D. Decremer, S. D. Eckermann, E. Gerber, D. R. Jackson, Y. Kurodah, A. Lang, J. Mclay, R. Mizuta, C. Reynolds, G. Roff, M. Sigmond, S.-W. Son, T. Stockdale, 2016: Examining the predictability of the Stratospheric Sudden Warming of January 2013 using multiple NWP systems. Mon. Wea. Rev. 144, 1935-1960. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0010.1
Attard, H. E., R. Rios-Barrios, C. Guastini, A. L. Lang, 2016: Tropospheric and stratospheric precursors to the January 2013 sudden stratospheric warming. Mon. Wea. Rev., 144, 1321-1339. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0175.1
Schreck III, C. J., S. Bennett, J. M. Cordeira, J. Crouch, J. Dissen; A. L. Lang, D. Margolin, A. O'Shay, J. Rennie, M. Ventrice, 2015: Natural gas prices and the extreme winters of 2011/12 and 2013/14: Causes, indicators, and interactions. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 96, 1879–1894. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00237.1
Tripathi. O. P., M. Baldwin, A. Charlton-Perez, M. Charron, S. Eckermann, E. Gerber, G. Harrison, D. Jackson, B.-M. Kim, Y. Kurodag, A. Lang, C. Lee, S. Mahmood, R. Mizuta, G. Roff, M. Sigmond, S.-W. Son, 2015: Review: The predictability of the extra-tropical stratosphere and its impacts on the skill of tropospheric forecasts. Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 141: 987–1003. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2432
Lang, A. A. and J. E. Martin, 2013: The structure and evolution of lower stratospheric frontal zones. Part II: The influence of tropospheric convection on lower stratospheric frontal development. Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 139, 1798-1809. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2074
Lang, A. A. and J. E. Martin, 2013: Reply to comments on ‘The influence of rotational frontogenesis and its associated shearwise circulation on the development of an upper-level front.’ Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 139, 273-279. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2042
Lang, A. A. and J. E. Martin, 2012: The structure and evolution of lower stratospheric frontal zones. Part I: Examples in northwesterly and southwesterly flow. Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 138, 1350-1365. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.843
Lang, A. A. and J. E. Martin, 2010: The influence of rotational frontogenesis and its associated shearwise circulation on the development of an upper-level front. Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 136, 239-252. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.551
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