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Anthony J. Broccoli 14 College Farm Road |
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My
research group focuses on the dynamics of the climate system, with a specific
emphasis on understanding the fundamental mechanisms that are involved in
changes in climate. Climate models are powerful tools for learning about
such mechanisms, as they enable us to test hypotheses about climate system
behavior by performing controlled experiments. A substantial part of our
research involves the simulation of past climates, such as the climate of the
last ice age or the response of climate to changes in the earth's orbit. The
value in studying past climates derives from the large changes in climate that
have taken place over geologic time, which provide a framework for developing a
better understanding of the key feedbacks and processes that determine how the
climate system responds to external forcing.
In recent deacdes, human-induced climate change has grown in importance and is
expected to be the dominant driver of climate change in the next century.
Thus we are also interested in understanding the mechanisms that
will govern the response of the climate system to anthropogenic forcing.
Such work is complementary to our research on past climates, for it is
likely that similar mechanisms are involved. An important point is that
our goal is not to simply project future changes in climate, but also to
understand the mechanisms by which such changes are expected to occur.
Rutgers Activities:
Undergraduate
Program in Meteorology
Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science
Rutgers Climate Institute
Center for Environmental Prediction