[Eoas-seminar] MET Seminar - Tuesday September 29 - 3 PM - Dr. Kaighin McColl (Harvard University)

[eoas-seminar at lists.fsu.edu]

Dear all,

Please join us for the third Meteorology seminar of Fall 2026 this coming Tuesday, September 29, at 3 PM, given by Dr. Kaighin McColl from Harvard University. He will speak about "An analytic theory of near-surface relative humidity over land” (abstract below).

Dr. McColl will be joining us remotely, but we will meet in person to watch the seminar together in EOA 1044. A Zoom link is available for those with a medical excuse or approved work off-campus. Please contact Michael Diamond (msdiamond at fsu.edu) for the link.

DATE: Tuesday September 29
TIME: 3-4 PM, please join early for refreshments
LOCATION: EOA 1044
SPEAKER: Dr. Kaighin McColl (https://www.kaighin.org/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaighin.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ceoas-seminar%40lists.fsu.edu%7Cb6a495d730f54781ac6f08df197899bb%7Ca36450ebdb0642a78d1b026719f701e3%7C0%7C0%7C639257677914583561%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=t4BT9qPI4Fgjx54IPyPEgiaHM2n9OqlZYGZ%2BiCssrWE%3D&reserved=0>)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Best,
Michael on behalf of the MET seminar committee (Allison, Chelsea, & Michael)

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An analytic theory of near-surface relative humidity over land

Abstract: There is no simple explanation for the spatial structure of near-surface relative humidity (RH) over land, despite its importance for human health and ecosystem productivity. The explanation is not obvious: for example, why is the latitudinal profile of RH over land shaped like the letter ‘W’, when both specific humidity and saturation specific humidity essentially decline monotonically from the equator to the poles? I will present a simple theory for RH that shows it is largely set by the land surface state, particularly soil moisture, and directly answers this question. The theory also naturally reconciles two apparently conflicting models of hydrological sensitivity, the fractional change in global mean precipitation per degree of global mean warming. Finally, the theory is used to address a basic question: do land surfaces get wetter or drier, on average, as the planet warms? It is widely believed that land surfaces rapidly dry, on average. Yet, the same climate models used to project strong aridification show no obvious signs of drastic drying in relevant land surface variables, such as soil water storage or ecosystem productivity. This discrepancy – termed the “aridity paradox” – remains largely unresolved. I will show that the simple theory parsimoniously resolves the aridity paradox, and conclude that there is no reason to expect drier land surfaces, on average, as the planet warms.


--
Dr. Michael S. Diamond
Assistant Professor of Meteorology
https://michael-s-diamond.github.io/camp/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmichael-s-diamond.github.io%2Fcamp%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ceoas-seminar%40lists.fsu.edu%7Cb6a495d730f54781ac6f08df197899bb%7Ca36450ebdb0642a78d1b026719f701e3%7C0%7C0%7C639257677914689670%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZWDdrIVeKba%2BFpMar2mJpblr%2F6cAgtaatNJ9G3xSbLA%3D&reserved=0>
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