Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

jacob_seeley@fas.harvard.edu

My research connects the basic building blocks of atmospheric physics to the emergent phenomena of planetary climate, using a hierarchy of tools ranging from pencil-and-paper theory to numerical simulation. I am particularly interested in clouds, radiative transfer, and severe weather.

In my current position, I am working with Prof. Robin Wordsworth to understand convective clouds in very warm and moist atmospheres approaching the "runaway greenhouse" state.

I got my PhD in December 2018 from the Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Berkeley, where my advisor was David Romps. Prior to graduate school, I studied physics and philosophy at Haverford College.

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News

September 2021

The radiative forcing from doubling CO₂ varies significantly across the globe, showing a significant pole-to-equator gradient, for example. In a new paper out in Journal of Climate, we build a simple analytical model for CO₂ forcing that quantitatively explains this spatial variability.

• An analytical model for spatially varying clear-sky CO₂ forcing

April 2021

In a paper led by Yang Chen of UC Irvine, we project that lightning in the Arctic will double by the end of the century in a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5).

• Future increases in Arctic lightning and fire risk for permafrost carbon

December 2020

Just in time for AGU, our new paper about the state-dependence of equilibrium climate sensitivity is out now in GRL! Coauthored with Nadir Jeevanjee.

• H₂O windows and CO₂ radiator fins: a clear-sky explanation for the peak in ECS
• For an explanation of the main idea, check out my AGU talk!