Rachel White
Assistant Professor
I am an Atmospheric Scientist with a focus on large-scale atmospheric dynamics. I have a wide range of research interests within atmospheric dynamics; a major focus of my current work is studying how large-scale atmospheric dynamics (circulation patterns, planetary-scale atmospheric waves...) contribute to extreme weather events such as heat waves and cold snaps. I am also interested in understanding fundamental aspects of our current climate, and how atmospheric circulation may change in the future under anthropogenic warming. I run and analyze results from climate models and analyze data from atmospheric observations to explore a wide variety of questions about our climate, from: How accurately can we predict the probability of summer heat waves weeks to months in advance? to: What differences would we see in atmospheric circulation patterns if the Earth rotated backwards?
Current Projects
Atmospheric Waveguides and Extreme Events
Long term goals: to increase understanding of extratropical extreme weather events, by determining how the probability of such events is influenced by large-scale atmospheric flow and associated compounding factors.
We explore connections between the propagation of atmospheric Rossby wave (large-scale waves in atmospheric flow) and extreme weather events such as heat waves, cold snaps, heavy precipitation events, and droughts.
Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Predictability of Extreme Weather Events
Long-term goals: increase sub-seasonal to seasonal predictability, and reduce the impacts, of extratropical extreme weather events, by harnessing connections between large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and extreme events.
By studying the seasonal predictability of Rossby wave propagation pathways, in particular 'atmospheric waveguides', we will study how this may be used to provide enhanced predictability of the probability of extreme events at sub-seasonal to seasonal timescales (two weeks to three months).
Effects of Large-scale Orography on Earth's Climate
Long term goals: improve understanding of how large-scale orography (e.g. the North American Rockies, or the Himalaya) affects the circulation and variability of our current climate.
Using idealized climate model simulations in which orography is removed, or the Earth is rotated backwards (or both!) we explore the effects of orography on stationary waves (large-scale, stationary, circulation patterns), atmospheric teleconnections (Rossby waves propagating from source regions and impacting weather and climate in regions far from the source), and how changes in the background atmospheric flow conditions affect teleconnections from the tropics (e.g. from the El Niño Southern Oscillation).
Modelling Past Climates
Long term goals: expand our understanding of past climates through idealized and realistic climate model simulations.
Simulations using general circulation model simulations help us explore the climates of Earth's past, from the surface to the stratosphere. Studies include simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum using the WACCM6 model, which includes interactive chemistry, and an idealized modelling experiment looking at the influence of the narrower Atlantic basin during the early Eocene period.
Graduate Students
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PhD Atmospheric Sciences
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MSc Atmospheric Sciences
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PhD Atmospheric Sciences
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PhD Atmospheric Sciences
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MSc Atmospheric Sciences
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MSc Atmospheric Sciences
Wang, M., Q. Fu, S. Solomon, B. Alexander, R. H. White, 2022, Stratosphere-troposphere exchanges of air mass and ozone concentration in the Last Glacial Maximum, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 10.1029/2021JD036327
White, R. H., K. Kornhuber, O. Martius, and V. Wirth, 2022, From Atmospheric Waves to Heatwaves: A Waveguide Perspective for Understanding and Predicting Concurrent, Persistent and Extreme Extratropical Weather. BAMS, 10.1175/BAMS-D-21-0170.1
Prodhomme, C., S. Materia, C. Ardilouze, R.H.White, J. Garcia Serrano, L. Batté, V. Guemas, and G. Fragkoulidis, 2021, Seasonal prediction of European Summer Heatwaves. Climate Dynamics 10.1007/s00382-021-05828-3
Madonna, E., D.S. Battisti, C. Li and R.H.White, 2021, Reconstructing winter climate anomalies in the Euro-Atlantic sector using circulation regimes. Weather and Climate Dynamics 10.5194/wcd-2-777-2021
White, R.H., Wallace, J.M., and Battisti, D.S., 2021, Revisiting the Impact of Mountains on Atmospheric Circulation: Zonal Mean Impacts and Stationary Waves. Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 10.1175/JAS-D-20-0300.1
Wang, M., Fu, Q., Solomon, S., White, R H., and Alexander, B., 2020, Stratospheric ozone in the Last Glacial Maximum. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 10.1029/2020JD032929
Fu, Q., Wang, M., White, R.H., Pahlavan, H., Alexander, B., Wallace, J.M., 2020, Quasi-biennial oscillation and sudden stratospheric warmings during the last glacial maximum. Atmosphere, 10.3390/atmos11090943
Fu, Q., White, R.H., Wang, M., Alexander, B., Solomon, S., Gettelman, A., Battisti, D.S. and Lin, P., 2020, The Brewer-Dobson Circulation during the Last Glacial Maximum. GRL, 10.1029/2019GL086271
White, R.H., 2019, Detecting Waveguides for Atmospheric Planetary waves: Connections to Extreme Weather Events. Proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Climate Informatics: CI 2019, 10.5065/y82j-f154
White, R.H., Hilgenbrink, C., and Sheshadri, A., 2019, The Importance of Greenland in setting the Northern Preferred Position of the North Atlantic Eddy-driven Jet. GRL, 10.1029/2019GL084780
Liu, X., Battisti, D.S., White, R.H., and Baker, P.A., 2019, South American Climate during the Early Eocene: Impact of a Narrower Atlantic and Higher Atmospheric CO2. J. Climate, 10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0170.1
Wills, R. C. J., White, R.H. and Levine, X. J., 2019, Midlatitude Stationary Waves in a Changing Climate. Current Climate Change Reports, 10.1007/s40641-019-00147-6
White, R.H., McFarlane, A.A., Frierson, D.M.W., Kang, S. M., Shin, Y., Friedman, M., 2018, Tropical Precipitation and Cross-Equatorial Heat Transport in Response to Localized Heating: Basin and Hemisphere Dependence, GRL, 10.1029/2018GL078781
White, R.H., Battisti, D.S., Sheshadri, A., 2018, Orographic impacts on boreal winter stratospheric circulation: Mongolian mountains matter most, GRL, 10.1002/2018GL077098
White, R.H., Battisti, D.S., and Skok, G., 2017, Global precipitation events tracked in time and space in gridded observational data, GRL, 10.1002/2017GL074011
White, R.H, Battisti, D.S., and Roe, G.H., 2017, Mongolian Mountains Matter Most: impacts of the latitude and height of Asian orography on the Winter Pacific Jet Stream, J. Clim, 10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0401.1
Stiller-Reeve, M.A., Heuze, C., Ball, W.T., White, R.H. et al., 2016 Improving together: better science writing through peer learning, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 10.5194/hess-20-2965-2016
White, R.H., 2015, Using multiple passive tracers to identify the importance of the North Brazil undercurrent for Atlantic Cold Tongue variability, QJRMS, 10.1002/qj.2536
White, R.H. and Toumi, R., 2014: River Flow and Ocean Temperatures: The Congo River, JGR Oceans, 119, 2501–2517, 10.1002/2014JC009836
White, R.H. and Toumi, R., 2013: The limitations of bias correcting regional climate model inputs, GRL, 10.1002/grl.50612
White, R. and Toumi, R., 2012: A Tightly Bound Soil-Water scheme within an atmosphere-land-surface model, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Hydrology 452/453, 51-63, 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.05.028