Robert X. Black
Associate Professor

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Environmental Science and Technology Building
311 Ferst Drive
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
phone: (404) 894-1756
fax: (404) 894-5638
rob.black_at_eas.gatech.edu

  • Education:

              B.Sc.
              Ph.D.

Meteorology
Meteorology

1984
1990

McGill University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Employment History:

              Graduate Research Assistant
              Postdoctoral Research Associate
              Senior Research Associate
              Research Scientist II
              Senior Research Scientist
              Associate Professor

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology

1984-1990
1990-1991
1991-1993
1993-1999
1999-2002
2002-present
  • Honors, Awards and Recognitions: 


2002 Top Ten journal article of American Meteorological Society
1998 Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award, Georgia Institute of Technology.
1987 Victor P. Starr Prize, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1984 Howard H. Hanks Jr. Scholarship, American Meteorological Society.
1984 University Scholar with Great Distinction, McGill University.
1983 GISS/Lamont-Doherty Summer Fellowship.
 

  • Current Fields of Interest:


Diagnostic validation of climate models
Stratosphere-troposphere dynamic interactions
Regional climate variability
Dynamical diagnoses of large-scale phenomena
Potential vorticity diagnostic analyses
Atmospheric blocking and weather regimes
Cyclogenesis and storm tracks
 

  • Professional Service - National/International:


Member - NASA/GSFC Modern Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) External Users Group Committee (2005-2006)
Associate Editor - Journal of Climate (2000-present)
Ex-Officio Member - AMS Committee on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (2004-2005)
Chairperson - AMS Committee on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (2001-2004)
Chairperson - American Meteorological Society (AMS) Nomination Panel for the Bernhard Haurwitz Memorial Lecture (2003)
Member - AMS Committee on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (1999-2001).
Member - Program Committee for the 14th AMS Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (2003).
Chairperson - Program Committee for the 13th AMS Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (2001).
US EPA Fellowship Peer Review Committee: Geography/Atmospheric Science (1998-99)
Reviewer for Monthly Weather Review, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal of Climate, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Geophysical Research Letters, Atmospheric Science Letters, Climate Dynamics, Journal of Geophysical Research, International Journal of Climatology, and Journal of Geoscience Education.
Reviewer of proposals submitted to NSF, NASA, NOAA, and NSERC (Canada)
 

  • Committees and Service - Georgia Tech:


Chair, Graduate Studies Committee (2004/05; 2005/06)
Chair, Graduate Admissions Committee (1999-2004)
Institute Advisory Committee on Promotion of Research Faculty (2002, 2003)
School Advisory Committee (1996/97; 1998/99; 2000-2002)
Graduate Studies Committee (2000-2002)
Faculty Search Committee (1998/99; 2000/01)
Graduate Admissions Committee (1997-1999)
Awards Committee (1996-1998)
Comprehensive Exam Revision Committee (ad hoc - 1997/98)
Facilities Committee (1995/96)
Undergraduate Studies Committee (1994/95)
 

  • Membership in Professional and Honor Societies:


AMS (American Meteorological Society)
AGU (American Geophysical Union)
 

  • Teaching Experience:


EAS 3511 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Fall 94 (18), 96 (12), 97 (11), 98 (16)
EAS 6812 Dynamic Meteorology II Fall 95 (6)
EAS 6511 Introductory Fluid Dynamics and Synoptic Laboratory Fall 99 (8), Fall 00 (11), Fall 01 (11), Fall 02 (17)
EAS 4470 Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulations Fall 03 (8), Spring 05 (6), Spring 06 (7)
EAS 6532 Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulations Fall 03 (12), Spring 05 (6), Spring 06 (4)
EAS 6502 Introductory Fluid Dynamics and Synoptic Meteorology Fall 03 (12), Fall 04 (9), Fall 05 (6)

  • Selected Journal Publications:

Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2006c: The Polar Annular Mode: Submonthly Stratosphere-Troposphere coupling in the Arctic. Geophys. Res. Lett., (submitted).

Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2006b: The annular dynamics of Northern Hemisphere stratospheric warming events.  J. Atmos. Sci., (in press).

 

Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2006a: Interannual variability in the Southern Hemisphere circulation organized by stratospheric final warming events. J. Atmos. Sci., (in press).

Black, R.X., B.A. McDaniel, and W.A. Robinson, 2006: Stratosphere-Troposphere coupling during spring onset.  J. Climate, 19, 4891-4901.

Robinson, D.P., R.X. Black, and B.A. McDaniel 2006: A Siberian precursor to midwinter intraseasonal variability in the North Pacific storm track. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L15811, doi:10.1029/2006GL026458.

Robinson, D.P., and R.X. Black, 2006: Baroclinic development in observations and General Circulation Models.  Mon. Wea. Rev., 134, 1161-1173.

McDaniel, B.A., and R.X. Black, 2005: Intraseasonal dynamical evolution of the Northern Annular Mode.  J. Climate, 18, 3820-3839.

Robinson, D.P., and R.X. Black, 2005: The statistics and structure of subseasonal variability in NASA/GSFC GCMs.  J. Climate, 18, 3294-3316.

Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2004: Diagnostic case studies of the Northern Annular Mode. J. Climate, 17, 3990-4004.

Evans, K.J., and R.X. Black, 2003: Piecewise tendency diagnosis of weather regime transitions.  J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 1941-1959.

Black, R.X., 2002: Stratospheric forcing of surface climate in the Arctic Oscillation.  J. Climate, 15, 268-277.

Black, R.X., and R.M. Dole, 2000:  Storm tracks and barotropic deformation in climate models. J. Climate, 13, 2712-2728.

Black, R.X., 1998: The maintenance of extratropical intraseasonal transient eddy activity in the GEOS-1 assimilated dataset. J. Atmos Sci., 55, 3159-3175.

Black, R.X., and K.J. Evans, 1998: The statistics and horizontal structure of anomalous weather regimes in the Community Climate Model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 841-859.

Hartley, D.E., J. Villarin, R.X. Black, and C.A. Davis, 1998: A new perspective on the dynamical link between the stratosphere and troposphere. Nature, 391, 471-474.

Black, R.X., 1997: Deducing anomalous wave source regions during the life cycles of persistent flow anomalies. J. Atmos. Sci., 54, 895-907.

Black, R.X., D.A. Salstein, and R.D. Rosen, 1996: Interannual modes of variability in atmospheric angular momentum. J. Climate, 9, 2834-2849.

Hartley, D.E., and R.X. Black, 1995: Mechanistic analysis of interhemispheric transport. Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 2945-2948.

Black, R.X., and R.M. Dole, 1993: The dynamics of large-scale cyclogenesis over the North Pacific Ocean. J. Atmos Sci., 50, 421-442.

Dole, R.M., and R.X. Black, 1990: Life cycles of persistent anomalies. Part II: The development of persistent negative height anomalies over the North Pacific Ocean. Mon. Wea. Review, 118, 824-846.
 

  • Non-Refereed Publications and Conference Abstracts.


Black, R.X., B.A. McDaniel, and W.A. Robinson, 2006: Stratosphere-troposphere coupling during polar vortex breakdown, The James Holton Symposium, American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/Annual2006/techprogram/paper_100323.htm)
           
Black, R.X., B.A. McDaniel, and W.A. Robinson, 2005: Spring onset in the Northern Hemisphere: A role for the stratosphere?, 17th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/Cambridge/techprogram/paper_92721.htm)
       
Robinson, D.P., and R.X. Black, 2005: Storm tracks and synoptic eddy dynamics in NASA model simulations, 15th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, American Meteorological Society. 
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/Cambridge/techprogram/paper_92726.htm)
       
McDaniel, B.A, and R.X. Black, 2005: Intraseasonal dynamical evolution of the Northern Annular Mode, 13th Conference on Middle Atmosphere. American Meteorological Soc.
        (Abstract: http://ams.confex.com/ams/Cambridge/techprogram/paper_92702.htm)
       
Black, R.X., and B.W. Whitesides, 2005:  Interannual Variability in the Troposphere- Stratosphere Climate System and the Solar Cycle, 16th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/Annual2005/techprogram/paper_85889.htm)
           
Black, R.X., B.A. McDaniel, and W.A. Robinson, 2005: Stratosphere-Troposphere Coupling During Spring Onset, 16th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/Annual2005/techprogram/paper_85860.htm)
           
Black, R.X., and B.W. Whitesides, 2004: Stratosphere-Troposphere Coupling and the Solar Cycle, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Committee on Space Research.
        (Abstract:  http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/COSPAR04/02048/COSPAR04-A-02048.pdf)
       
Black, R.X., B.A. McDaniel, and W.A. Robinson, 2004:  Spring Onset in the Northern Hemisphere: a role for the stratosphere?, 29th Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, US Dept. of Commerce/NOAA.
        (Powerpoint presentation at:  http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/proceedings/cdw29_proceedings/black.ppt)
       
Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2004: Mechanisms for Intraseasonal Variability in the Northern Annular Mode, Fifteenth Symposium on Global Change and Climate Variations. American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/84Annual/techprogram/paper_70921.htm)
       
Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2003: Stratosphere-Troposphere Interactions: Case Studies of the NAM, Fourteenth Conference on Atmospheric and Ocean Fluid Dynamics. American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/14Fluid/14Fluid/abstracts/62061.htm)
       
McDaniel, B.A, and R.X. Black, 2003: Stratosphere-Troposphere Interactions: Intraseasonal Variations in the NAM, Fourteenth Conference on Atmospheric and Ocean Fluid Dynamics. American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/14Fluid/14Fluid/abstracts/62062.htm)
       
Robinson, D.P., and R.X. Black, 2003: Dynamical Assessment of Midlatitude Subseasonal Variability in NASA/GSFC GCMs, Fourteenth Conference on Atmospheric and Ocean Fluid Dynamics. American Meteorological Society.
        (Abstract:  http://ams.confex.com/ams/14Fluid/14Fluid/abstracts/62063.htm)

Black, R.X., and B.A. McDaniel, 2003: Stratosphere-troposphere interactions:  Case studies of the NAM.  Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 84, 900.

Black, R.X., D.P. Robinson, and B.A. McDaniel, 2002:  Assessment of midlatitude subseasonal variability in NASA/GSFC General Circulation Models, Workshop Proceedings, Workshop on Prospects for Improved Forecasts of Weather and Short-term Climate Variability on Subseasonal (2 Week to 2 Month) Time Scales.  NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 159-162.

Black, R.X., and D.P. Robinson, 2002: Diagnostic analyses of short-term climate variability in NASA/GSFC general circulation models, Preprint Volume, 13th Symposium on Global Change and Climate Variations, 222.

Black, R.X., 2002: A stratospheric influence on Northern Hemisphere climate.  Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 83, 174.

McDaniel, B.A, and R.X. Black, 2001: Stratosphere-Troposphere Coupling During Intraseasonal Variations in the Arctic Oscillation, Preprint Volume, 13th Conference on Atmospheric and Ocean Fluid Dynamics, 256-257.

Black, R.X., 2001: Stratospheric-Troposphere Interactions During Intraseasonal Variations in the Arctic Oscillation, Proceedings of the 25th Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop. US Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 27-30.

Black, R.X., 2000: Stratospheric forcing of tropospheric climate: Potential vorticity inversions of the Arctic Oscillation, Proceedings of the 24th Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop. US Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 252-255.

Black, R.X., and M.P. Baldwin, 1999:  Potential vorticity inversions of the Arctic Oscillation: Stratospheric forcing of tropospheric climate?. EOS Transactions, AGU, 80, F241.

Evans, K.J., and R.X. Black, 1999: Piecewise tendency diagnosis of weather regime transitions, Preprint Volume, 12th Conference on Atmospheric and Ocean Fluid Dynamics, 268-272.

Black, R.X., 1999:  Storm track dynamics in general circulation models:  The impact of barotropic deformation.  Preprint Volume, 12th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, 143-147.

Black, R.X., 1998: Potential vorticity-based diagnoses of the general circulation from reanalysis datasets. Proceedings of the First World Climate Research Program International Conference on Reanalyses. NOAA/NASA/NSF/WMO, 25-28.

Black, R.X., 1997: Potential enstrophy budgets in assimilated datasets: Uncertainties in the sources of synoptic eddy activity. Proceedings of the 21st Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop. US Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 199-202.

Black, R.X., and K.J. Evans 1997: Piecewise tendency diagnosis: Quantifying the sources for regime transition. Preprint Volume, 11th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics. American Meteorological Society, 282-284.

Black, R.X., 1997: Potential enstrophy analyses of synoptic-scale eddies. Preprint Volume, 11th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics. American Meteorological Society, 150-152.

Black, R.X., 1996: Tropical-extratropical interaction during regime transition in GCM simulations. Preprint Volume, Conference on the Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System. American Meteorological Society, 341.

Black, R.X., 1996: The maintenance of intraseasonal transient eddy activity in the GEOS-1 assimilated data set. Proceedings of the 20th Annual Climate Diagnostics Workshop. U.S. Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 176-179.

Hartley, D.E., and R.X. Black, 1995: Preferred longitudinal regions of tropical/ midlatitude mixing in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, EOS Transactions, 76, F128.

Black, R.X., R.M. Dole, and J.S. Whitaker, 1995: Potential vorticity-based diagnoses of seasonal and intraseasonal variability in an assimilated dataset. Workshop Proceedings, Workshop on Results from the GEOS-1 Five-Year Assimilation. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 85-87.

Black, R.X., 1995: Weather regime transitions in the CCM2. Part I: Model validation. Preprint Volume, Tenth Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Waves and Stability. American Meteorological Society, 162-163.

Hartley, D.E., and R.X. Black, 1994: Interhemispheric transport: A new perspective on the dynamical mechanisms. EOS Transactions, Amer. Geophys. Union, 75, 136.

Black, R.X., 1994: Large-scale cyclogenesis in a general circulation model. Preprint Volume, International Symposium on the Life Cycles of Extratropical Cyclones. American Meteorological Society, NOAA, ONR, and NSF, 128-133.

Black, R.X., 1993: Diagnosing the seasonal climate of NASA/Goddard's GEOS GCM. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Climate Diagnostics Workshop. U.S. Dept. of Commerce/ NOAA, 236-241.

Black, R.X., 1993: Deducing the source regions for persistent flow anomalies. Workshop Proceedings, Workshop on Numerical Extended Range Weather Prediction. NSF and U.S. Dept. of Commerce/NOAA, 32-37.

Black, R.X., 1993: Deducing the source regions for persistent flow anomalies. Preprint Volume, Ninth Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Waves and Stability. American Meteorological Society, 440-443.

Salstein, D.A., R.X. Black and R.D. Rosen, 1993: Interannual variations in angular momentum from a rawinsonde-based climate data set. Preprint Volume, Fourth Symposium on Global Change. American Meteorological Society, 339-344.

Black, R.X., 1992: Validating seasonal and intraseasonal wave activity in GLA GCM's and data assimilations. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Climate Diagnostics Workshop. University of Oklahoma, U.S. Dept. of Commerce/ NOAA, 236-241.

Black, R.X., and R.M. Dole, 1991: Diagnosing the sources for persistent flow anomaly development. Preprint Volume, Ninth Conference on Numerical Weather Prediction. American Meteorological Society, 520-523.

Black, R.X., and R.M. Dole, 1991: Large-scale cyclogenesis over the North Pacific Ocean. Preprint Volume, First International Winter Storm Symposium. American Meteorological Society, 34-39.

Dole, R.M., and R.X. Black, 1988: Persistent large-scale flow anomalies: Characteristics of developments. Annales Geophysicae, 6, 101-102.

Dole, R.M., and R.X. Black, 1988: Large-scale cyclogenesis. Palmen Memorial Symposium on Extratropical Cyclones and Their Role in the General Circulation of the Atmosphere. American Meteorological Society, 140-143.

  • Symposia and Invited Seminars:


University of Wisconsin - The David Houghton Symposium, March 2006 (Invited Speaker).
AMS - The James Holton Symposium, January 2006.
AGU - Chapman Conference on Jets and Annular Structures in Geophysical Fluids, January 2006 (Invited Speaker).
AMS - 15th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics/13th Conference on Middle Atmosphere/17th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, June 2005.
AMS - 16th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, January 2005.
NOAA/CPC - 29th Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, October 2004.
Commitee on Space Research - 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, July 2004.
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Weather Regime Dynamics, March 2004 (Invited Speaker).
AMS - 15th Symposium on Global Change and Climate Variations, January 2004.
AMS - 14th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, June 2003.
Whistler, British Columbia - Workshop:  The Role of the Stratosphere in Tropospheric Climate,  April 2003 (Invited Speaker).
North Carolina State University - The Role of the Stratosphere in Recent Climate Variability, April 2002 (Invited Seminar).
NASA - Workshop on Prospects for Improved Forecasts of Weather and Short-Term Climate Variability on Subseasonal (2 week to 2 month) Time Scales, April 2002.
AMS - 13th Symposium on Global Change and Climate Variations, January 2002.
AMS - 13th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, June 2001.
NOAA/CPC - 25th Climate Diagnostics and Predictions Workshop, October 2000.
AMS - 11th Conference on the Middle Atmosphere, January, 2000.
AGU - The Arctic Oscillation, December, 1999.
NOAA/CPC - 24rd Climate Diagnostics and Predictions Workshop, November 1999.
AMS - 12th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, June, 1999.
University of Washington - Stratospheric Forcing of Tropospheric Climate: Potential Vorticity Inversions of the Arctic Oscillation, June 1999 (Invited Seminar)
NOAA/CPC - 23rd Climate Diagnostics and Predictions Workshop, October 1998.
Georgia Tech - A New Perspective on the Dynamical Interaction Between the Stratosphere and Troposphere, January, 1998 (Invited Seminar).
NOAA/NASA/NSF - First World Climate Research Programme International Conference on Reanalyses, October, 1997.
IUGG - Assembly of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, July, 1997.
NOAA Climate Diagnostics Center - Potential Vorticity-Based Diagnoses of the Northern Hemisphere Wintertime Circulation using Modern Reanalysis Datasets, May, 1997 (Invited Seminar).
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center - Potential Vorticity-Based Diagnoses of the Northern Hemisphere Wintertime Circulation using the GEOS-1 Assimilated Dataset, April, 1997 (Invited Seminar).
NOAA/CPC - 21st Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, October, 1996.
NCAR - Evaluating the Statistics and Structure of Anomalous Weather Regimes in the CCM, April, 1996 (Invited Seminar).
AMS - Conference on the Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System, February, 1996.
Georgia Tech - Persistent Abnormal Weather Patterns during Northern Hemisphere Winter, February, 1996 (Invited Seminar).
AGU - Tropical/Midlatitude Interaction and Transport, December, 1995.
AMS - Tenth Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Waves and Stability, June, 1995.
NOAA/CAC - 20th Climate Diagnostics Workshop, October, 1995.
University of South Alabama - Weather Regimes in the Northern Hemisphere Wintertime Circulation, April, 1995 (Invited Seminar).
NASA - Workshop on Results from the GEOS-1 Five-Year Assimilation, March,1995.
NOAA/ONR/NSF - International Symposium on the Life Cycles of Extratropical Cyclones, June, 1994.
AMS - Sixth Conference on Climate Variations, January, 1994.
NOAA/CAC - 18th Climate Diagnostics Workshop, November, 1993.
NOAA/NSF - Workshop on Numerical Extended Range Weather Prediction, June, 1993.
AMS - Ninth Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Waves and Stability, May, 1993.
NOAA/NASA - Errors in Atmospheric Model Climate, March, 1993.
NOAA/CAC - 17th Climate Diagnostics Workshop, October, 1992.
McGill University - The Dynamics of Large-Scale Cyclogenesis over the North Pacific Ocean, February, 1992 (Invited Seminar).
AMS - Ninth Conference on Numerical Weather Prediction, October, 1991.
IUGG/IAMAP - Large-Scale Atmospheric Flow and Variability, August, 1991.
AMS - First International Symposium on Winter Storms, May, 1991.
NCAR - Workshop on Numerical Long-Range Prediction, June, 1990.


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