A Career Development Plan with Primary Emphasis on a Process Study of Upper Troposphere Water Vapor in Middle Latitudes

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9507987 Fu This project involves the application of state-of-the-art climate observations, especially satellite data, and simple numerical models to clarify the processes that control the amount and distribution of water vapor in the upper troposphere in the middle latitudes. Understanding these processes is critical to understanding the earth's radiation budget and the potential for global warming. The objectives of the project are to: (1) identify the main sources of and mechanisms controlling upper tropospheric water vapor in the middle latitudes, especially the relative importance of large-scale horizontal advection and vertical transport by local convection and (2) examine whether these processes are adequately represented in general circulation models. The research will contribute directly to the goals of NSF's Water and Energy - Atmospheric, Vegetative, and Earth Interactions (WEAVE) effort. The educational component of this CAREER award consists of a variety of activities involving both graduate and undergraduate students and an effort to encourage underrepresented groups, particularly women, to pursue careers in the physical sciences.***