Overview

Gang Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) at Cornell University. Before he joined Cornell, he was a postdoctral fellow in the Program of Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate (PAOC) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), supported by the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2007 from the Program of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) at Princeton University.

Research Focus

Generally speaking, Gang Chen`s research interest is theory and modeling of the atmospheric circulation of horizontal scale greater than approximately 1000 km and of time scale from intraseasonal to interannual, and their application to the large scale atmospheric response to natural or anthropogenic forcings. His current research concentration on jet streams and storm tracks, the dominant component of extratropical circulation in the troposphere and their role in stratosphere troposphere coupling. The generation and structure of baroclinic jets and storm tracks, the downstream development of cyclonic storms and associated momentum, heat and moisture flux transports are long-standing issues in climate theory. On the other hand, dominant modes of extratropical variability commonly used in climate diagnosis, i.e. North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation or Annular Modes, are generally manifestations of changes in the location or intensity of jet streams or storm tracks.

Instruction Focus

Atmospheric and climate dynamics

Additional Links

• http://sunspot.eas.cornell.edu/~gc352

Honors, Awards and Appointments

• NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2007-2009

Selected Publications

• Chen, G. and R.A. Plumb, 2009. Quantifying the Eddy Feedback and the Persistence of Zonal Index in an Idealized Atmospheric Model. J. Atmos. Sci., in press.
• Chen, G., Lu. J and D.M.W. Frierson, 2008. Phase Speed Spectra and the Latitude of Surface Westerlies: Interannual Variability and Global Warming Trend. J. Climate, 21: 5942-5959.
• Lu, J., Chen, G. and D.M.W. Frierson, 2008. Response of the Zonal Mean Atmospheric Circulation of El Nino versus Global Warming. J. Climate, 21: 5835-5851.
• Chen, G. and P. Zurita-Gotor, 2008. The tropospheric jet response to prescribed zonal forcing in an idealized atmospheric model. J. Atmos. Sci., 65: 2254-2271, doi: 10.1175/2007JAS2589.1.
• Chen, G. and I.M. Held, 2007. Phase speed spectra and the recent poleward shift of Southern Hemisphere surface westerlies. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34: L21805, doi:10.1029/2007GLO31200.
• Frierson, D.M.W., J. Lu, and G. Chen, 2007. Width of the Hadley cell in simple and comprehensive general circulation models. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L18804, doi:10.1029/2007GLO31115.
• Chen, G., I.M. Held, and W.A. Robinson, 2007. Sensitivity of the latitude of the surface westerlies to surface friction. J. Atmos. Sci., 64: 2899-2915, doi:10.1175/JAS3995.1.

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