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Lecturer with rank of Professor for the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, the Department of Geosciences, at Princeton University.
Lead Scientist of the Climate Diagnostics Project at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory which is part of the U.S. Federal government's Office of Atmospheric and Oceanic Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Other Responsibilities
- Project Scientist, NOAA Seasonal Diagnostics Consortium
- Advisory Academic Committee, National Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics,
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Scientific Advisor, Hong Kong Observatory
- Science Steering Committee, Taiwan Consortium for Ocean Research
- Associate Editor,Advances in Atmospheric Sciences
- Editorial Board, World Scientific Series on Meteorology of East Asia
- Editor (1996-1999), Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, American Meteorological Society
- Co-Principal Investigator, NOAA/Universities Collaborative Project for Climate Diagnosis using General
Circulation Models (1990-2000)
Points of contact
- Postal address:
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA
Princeton University
P.O. Box 308
Princeton, NJ 08542
- Phone Number: (609)-452-6524
- Fax Number: (609)-987-5063
E-mail address: gabriel.lau@noaa.gov
Education
1970: St. Francis Xavier's School, Hong Kong
1974: B.Sc. (Physics), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
1978: Ph.D. (Atmospheric Sciences), University of Washington, Seattle
Awards and Honors
1990: Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award, American Meteoroogical Society,
- for `Outstanding Studies
of Low-Frequency Variability in the Atmosphere by a Synthesis of Modeling and Diagnostics'
1991: Unusually Outstanding Performance Award, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
1993: Chen-Ning Yang Visiting Fellow, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Courses taught at Princeton University
GEO 427: Introduction to Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres
AOS 577: Weather and Climate Dynamics
AOS 580: Special Topics
Research Interests
- Observational and modeling studies of the atmospheric general circulation
- Impact of large-scale air-sea interaction on atmospheric variability
- Properties of tropical circulation systems
- Analysis of datasets collected by meteorological satellites
Summary of recent research activities
- My primary research focus is on the origin of atmospheric variability on time scales ranging from several days to a few years, and the dynamical
interactions between observed atmospheric phenomena residing in different
parts of the frequency spectrum. I have demonstrated that month-to-month
changes in the preferred trajectory and intensity of synoptic-scale disturbances
are closely related to the pattern of the quasi-stationary flow field.
- I also take advantage of the extensive datasets resulting from multi-year
general circulation model (GCM) at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. I am intrigued by the role of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in altering the atmospheric circulation. The model diagnoses
have led to insights on the influences of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon on atmospheric
variability in both tropical and midlatitude regions. These atmospheric perturbations can in turn lead to changes in the near-surface oceanics conditions
in many parts of the globe.
Click on figure to get larger image.
The above figure illustrates the response of the atmospheric 500 mb geopotential height field (units: m) during typical warm El Nino episodes, based on observational data (top), and on GCM integrations forced by SST anomalies located in the midlatitude North Pacific only (MOGA, bottom left), the tropical Pacific only (TOGA, bottom center), and in the near-global ocean domain (GOGA, bottom right). - My investigation on tropical circulation features is mainly concerned with the atmospheric behavior during episodes of cold
air outbreaks along the East Asian seaboard, the structure and propagation
characteristics of synoptic-scale and intraseasonal disturbances in the tropical zone,
the space-time evolution of monsoon circulation, and the modulation of the above tropical
phenomena by El Nino events.
Click on figure to get larger image.
The above figure illustrates the distribution of different cloud types associated with typical convective systems observed over the tropical western Pacific during summer. The density of the color pixels indicates the relative abundance of various cloud types with different tops and optical thicknesses (see legend at bottom). The contours and arrows depict the pressure and wind fields near the sea level, respectively. - I make use of the vast amount satellite-derived information to analyze the spatial and temporal characteristics of cloud systems associated
with recurrent meteorological systems, such as warm and cold fronts in the
midlatitudes and convective systems in the tropics.
Click on figure to get larger image.
The above figure illustrates the distribution of different cloud types associated with typical extratropical cyclones observed over the western North Atlantic during winter. The cloud information is deduced from satellite measurements. The density of the color pixels indicates the relative abundance of various cloud types with different tops and optical thicknesses (see legend at bottom). The contours and arrows depict the pressure and wind fields near the sea level, respectively.
