Examples of Mapes group climate research - 2005

    The mean seasonal cycle

    The seasonal cycle has its dominant annual and semiannual harmonics, but also some higher-frequency features, including both accidents of random sampling noise and real phenomena.

    A scientific hobby (at this stage) is a comprehensive exploration of the mean seasonal cycle of Earth's climate, as seen in both observations/analyses and climate model simulations, with special emphasis on "fast" features (rapid transitions, or what have been called climate "singularities" or "calendaricities"). Such features are the subject of much ancient folklore and even (mostly old) scientific literature, as well as unscientific quackery (such as the Farmer's Almanac). Such phenomena should be of interest in modern dynamical climatology too, IF THEY CAN BE SHOWN TO BE STATISTICLLY SIGNIFICANT, as incisive tests of nonlinear mechanisms in our climate models.

    The project includes development of a specialized, freely available software tool called ACE, which allows rapid, interactive inquiry. Write to me if you would like a DVD copy (runs on Linux, Mac, or PC).

    Clouds and climate change

    I am also a member of a CLIVAR-sponsored Climate Process Team (CPT) studying low-latitude cloud radiative feedbacks in climate change, especially attmpting to reconcile or understand differing sensitivities of the two major US climate models, GFDL's AM2 and NCAR's CCSM. This link goes to my (in progress) web page, not well oriented to the general public but perhaps of interest.

    Publications related to this theme

  • Mapes, B.E., N. Buenning, I.-S. Kang, G. N. Kiladis, D. M. Schultz, and K. M. Weickmann, 2005: Strides, steps and stumbles in the march of the seasons BAMS, in revision

  • Mapes, B.E., P. Liu, and N. Buenning, 2005: Indian monsoon onset and Americas midsummer drought: out-of-equilibrium responses to smooth seasonal forcing. J. Climate, 18, 1109-1115.

  • T.T. Warner, B.E. Mapes, and Mei Xu, 2003: Diurnal patterns of rainfall in northwestern South America. Part II: Model simulations. MWR, 131, 813-829

  • Mapes, B.E., T.T. Warner, and Mei Xu, 2003: Diurnal patterns of rainfall in northwestern South America. Part III: Diurnal gravity waves and nocturnal convection offshore. MWR, 131, 830-844

  • Zhang, C., B.E. Mapes, and B. Soden, 2003: Bimodality of tropical upper-tropospheric humidity. QJRMS, 129, 2847-2866.

  • Mapes, B.E., 2001: Water's two height scales: the moist adiabat and the radiative troposphere QJRMS, 127, 2253-2266. (October 2001, Part A)

  • Lee, M.-I., I.-S. Kang, J.-K. Kim, and B.E. Mapes, 2001: Influence of cloud-radiation interaction on simulating tropical intraseasonal oscillation with an atmospheric general circulation model JGR, 106, pp 14219-14233