Atmosphere Ocean Science Colloquium

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Confronting the multi-scale complexity of clouds with idealized models: from Earth to lava planets

Speaker: Kaitlyn Loftus, Columbia

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 1302

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 3:30 p.m.

Synopsis:

From Earth to Solar System bodies to exoplanets, clouds are fundamental drivers of planetary climate. However, because of their multi-scale nature and dependence on diverse, non-linear, and often poorly understood processes, many fundamental questions about cloud behavior remain unanswered, even for modern Earth. Here, I use different forms of idealized modeling—including stand-alone reduced-order models and parameterizations embedded in dynamical models—to investigate cloud processes on Earth and other planets. I use observations and physical arguments to design and test idealized models that isolate the key mechanisms governing cloud behavior. Topics include the role of cloud feedbacks in driving extreme temperature variability on the lava planet 55 Cancri e, microphysical controls on precipitation efficiency across planetary environments, and the calibration of uncertain cloud parameters in large-eddy simulations and Earth system models.