ATOC in the News

Ozone layer depletion has increased snowfall over Antarctica in recent decades, partially mitigating the ongoing loss of the continent’s ice sheet mass, new University of Colorado Boulder research finds.

Regional patterns of sea-level rise have been observed from satellites since 1993 and are associated with increased coastal impacts in many regions. It is unknown whether such patterns will be transient, arising from natural climate variations, or persistent, driven by external climate forcing.

The objective of the Antarctic Firn Aquifer expedition is to verify the presence of firn aquifers on the Antarctic Ice Sheet by surveying two key sites on the Antarctic Peninsula: the Wilkins Ice Shelf and the southern George VI Ice Shelf. These field sites were identified using our mapping method and data from two satellite microwave instruments: a C-band radar scatterometer (EUMETSAT’s Advanced SCATterometer – ASCAT) and an L-band microwave radiometer (aboard NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive Satellite–SMAP). The longer wavelength of ASCAT and SMAP microwaves, and their sensitivity to the presence of liquid meltwater, allow them to see firn aquifers on ice sheets or ice shelves as deep as ~60 meters (200 feet). Over time, distinct patterns in the microwave signals can be used to distinguish firn aquifers from areas that do not store meltwater at depth.

The study, by University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) scientists working with University of Denver and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers, combines economic analysis with atmospheric modeling to demonstrate that these wake effects -- which occur when groups of turbines reduce wind speed for up to several miles behind them -- are measurable and predictable, yet remain largely overlooked.

CU Boulder is ranked No. 1 in the world for geosciences, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Global Universities standings. In the four previous years, CU Boulder held the No. 2 spot for geosciences.

Please join ATOC in congratulating Assistant Professor Jen Kay for receiving the Provost's Faculty Achievement Award for her paper, “The Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble Project” published in BAMS.

There will be an additional plane in the air over wildfires in the northwestern United States in coming weeks, but it won't be there trying to put them out.

Congratulations to ATOC alumnus Pengfei Yu, now at NOAA, for being chosen by Forbes Magazine Chinas as one of 30 under 30 scientific leaders.

Please join ATOC in congratulating Jen Kay on being awarded the AGU 2018 Future Horizons in Climate Science: Turco Lectureship. The Future Horizons in Climate Science: Turco Lectureship was established through a donation by Richard P. and Linda S. Turco and highlights signal research on climate change through noteworthy lectures by recognized leaders in the field.

ATOC graduate student Michael 'Drew' Camron and ATOC/INSTAAR Research Associate Cheryl Harrison (soon to be Assistant Professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) both won a 'Make Our Planet Great Again' Awards from the Government of France! They were selected as Short-Stay Laureates from candidates all over the world ( https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/make-our-planet-great-again-154-laureats... ).