Home Page for
John Lanzante
John Lanzante
Dr. John R. Lanzante
Position:
Research Meteorologist
Climate Diagnostics Group
Affiliation:
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)
/ NOAA
Forrestal Campus, US Route 1
P.O. Box 308
Princeton, NJ 08542-0308
Contacts:
E-mail: John.Lanzante@noaa.gov
FAX: (609) 987-5063
Phone: (609) 452-6529
An Overview of GFDL
The goal of research at GFDL is to expand the scientific knowledge of the behavior of the atmospheric and oceanic systems. A major emphasis involves simulation of these systems using complex numerical models. Since it's inception in 1955 GFDL has played a prominent role in the history of numerical modeling ( gcm family tree; pdf text). The scientific staff at GFDL frequently collaborates with scientists in the nearby (across the street) Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) Program which is a part of Princeton University, as well as with scientists from other government labs, universities, colleges, and private research corporations, both within and outside of the United States. The AOS Program is also a source of graduate students and visiting scientists.
Each member of the scientific research staff at GFDL belongs to one of six groups, each of which focuses on a different scientific area encompassing the lab's overall goals. These groups are: Climate Dynamics & Prediction, Oceans & Climate, Atmospheric Physics & Chemistry, Weather & Atmospheric Dynamics, Modeling Services, and the group to which I belong Climate Diagnostics. Since many of the problems of interest are broader than the group designations there is often collaboration across groups.
Climate Diagnostics Group
I am a member of the Climate Diagnostics Group and work directly under our group leader Ngar-Cheung "Gabriel" Lau, as do Mary Jo Nath, Jeffery Ploshay, and Gabriel Vecchi.
Historically, GFDL has maintained a strong commitment to the study of observed data as a compliment to the many activities involving "data" generated by computer models. While this commitment is evident in all of the other groups it is especially prominent in our group. Our group is unique at GFDL in that its mandate is broader than the other groups which each have a particular area of focus. And while we study observed data we also examine model generated data. Both observations and models each have shortcomings so they serve as "reality checks" for the other. The models, which can be quite complex, are still based on simplifications of the laws of physics which govern the real world. The observations, while based on the real world are subject to deficiencies and so they may not always be entirely representative of the real world.
My Position
My primary role at GFDL is to conduct scientific research using observed as well as model generated data. While this can include a wide variety of time and space scales, my research has tended to focus on large-scale climate diagnostics. I have studied phenomena on time scales ranging from days to decades. Since I am a meteorologist, my research focuses more on the atmosphere. However, since climate processes in the atmosphere are linked to the ocean, some of my research has also involved ocean data.
In order to facilitate research which utilizes observed data, at times some effort must be directed towards the preparation and maintenance of observational data bases. In recent years much of my focus in this regard has involved twice daily radiosonde soundings from around the globe. In the past I have also worked with gridded (analyzed) upper air data, land-surface temperature and precipitation, global sea surface temperatures, Ocean Weather Station observations, bathythermographic temperatures and most recently satellite radiances, as well as other data.
Although I am a meteorologist I have considerable interest in techniques from the realm of statistics and data analysis. In fact, most of my research involves the application of a variety of these techniques, where appropriate, to problems of scientific interest. My colleagues at GFDL frequently seek my advice on such matters but I must constantly remind them that I am not a statistician!
More Details About Me
- Curriculum Vita (minus publications)
- Publications Prior To 1991 (pre-GFDL)
- Publications 1991 To Present (from GFDL webpage)
- Publications Pending
- Research Areas
- Some Data Sets Of Mine [GFDL/AOS ONLY]
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work-related items ... but if I had my way ...
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