Frank Talks: Understanding the Atmosphere: From Winter Weather to Future Climate

Understanding the Atmosphere: From Winter Weather to Future Climate

Featuring Jessie Oehrlein '16

When most people think about the atmosphere, they either think about the weather in their local area today, or they think about global climate decades from now. But there's a lot of space in between those, and atmospheric scientists use remarkably similar tools in different ways across those contexts! This talk focuses on what we know about the atmosphere at different time and spatial scales, how we know it, and what we do with that information.

About Jessie

Jessie studies the part of the atmosphere 20-30 miles above the poles and how it affects weather and climate at the surface. She earned her PhD in Applied Math from Columbia University in 2021 and now teaches statistics at Fitchburg State University, about 35 miles northwest of Olin. She is a fan of public transit, queer books, and ballet, and she has ridden 201 distinct roller coasters.