Scientific Computing Seminar

Date:

Thursday, February 5, 2004

Time:

10:00am-11:30am

Location:

70A-3377

Seminar Speaker:

Jin-Ho Yoon
Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
Iowa State University

Title:

Summer rainfalls in Boreal forests

Abstract:

Boreal forests in the Eurasian and the North American continents comprise one third of he global woodlands. Summer rainfall provides necessary water resourse to these forests. They play a vital role in regulating the global climate by filtering/storing carbon dioxide and providing large amount of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean. Our study show that summer rainfall along boreal forests are essentially maintained by the convergence of water vapor flux associated with fronts and storms.

Significant year-to-year changes are observed which exhibit distinct characteristics, including short-scale wave and oscillation with 5-7 years period. Linkages to prominent inter-annual variation modes during summer season (NAO, and inter-annual variation of the East Asian monsoon) are found. Changes in freshwater flow pattern are due to wet/dry conditions over the northern land-masses. During Ice Age freshwater cycles in the global oceans differ from the current one significantly.

Sponsor of Seminar:

Chris Ding

Scientific Computing

Contact Esmond G. Ng EGNg@lbl.gov