Adam Sobel's Publications

(And manuscripts in review, press, etc., with links to collaborators)

Peer-reviewed journal articles


  • Maloney, Sobel, and Hannah 2009: Intraseasonal variability in an aquaplanet general circulation model. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems - Discussion.
  • Wright, Sobel, and Galewsky, 2009: Diagnosis of relative humidity changes in a warmer climate using tracers of last saturation. Journal of Climate, submitted 10/09. PDF file.
  • Biasutti and Sobel, 2009: Delayed Sahel rainfall and global seasonal cycle in a warmer climate Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2009GL041303, in press. PDF file.
  • Sessions, Sugaya, Raymond, and Sobel, 2009: Multiple equilibria in a cloud-resolving model . Journal of Geophysical Research, submitted 10/09. PDF file of main text; supplement (also PDF).
  • Sobel and Schneider 2009: Single-layer axisymmetric model for a Hadley circulation with parameterized eddy momentum forcing. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 1, doi:10.3894/JAMES.2009.1.10.
  • Raymond, Sessions, Sobel, and Fuchs, 2009: The mechanics of gross moist stability Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 1, doi:10.3894/JAMES.2009.1.9.
  • Wright, Sobel, and Schmidt 2009: The influence of condensate evaporation on water vapor and its stable isotopes in a GCM Geophysical Research Letters, 36, L12804, doi:10.1029/2009GL038091. PDF file.
  • Camargo, Wheeler, and Sobel 2009: Diagnosis of the MJO modulation of tropical cyclogenesis using an empirical index Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 66, 3061-3074. PDF file.
  • Bellon and Sobel 2009: Multiple equilibria of the Hadley circulation in an intermediate-complexity axisymmetric model Journal of Climate, in press. PDF file.
  • Biasutti, Sobel, and Camargo 2009: The role of the Sahara low in Sahel rainfall variability and change in the CMIP3 models. Journal of Climate, 22, 5755-5771. PDF file.
  • Sobel and Bellon 2009: The effect of imposed drying on parameterized deep convection, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 66, 2085-2096. PDF file.
  • Sobel, Maloney, Bellon and Frierson, 2009: Surface fluxes and tropical intraseasonal variability: a reassessment. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, in press.
  • Sobel, Maloney, Bellon and Frierson, 2008: The role of surface fluxes in tropical intraseasonal oscillations. Nature Geoscience, 1, 653-657.
  • Bellon, Sobel, and Vialard 2008: Ocean-atmosphere coupling in the monsoon intraseasonal oscillation: a simple model study. Journal of Climate, 21, 5254-5270. PDF file
  • Holder, Yuter, Sobel, and Aiyyer 2008: The mesoscale characteristics of tropical oceanic precipitation during Kelvin and mixed Rossby-gravity wave events. Monthly Weather Review, 136, 3446-3464. PDF file
  • Bellon and Sobel 2008b: Instability of the axisymmetric monsoon flow and intraseasonal oscillation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, D07109, doi:10.1029/2007JD008968. PDF file
  • Biasutti, Held, Sobel, and Giannini 2008: SST forcings and Sahel rainfall variability in simulations of the 20th and 21st centuries. Journal of Climate, 21, 3471-3486. PDF file
  • Krouse, Sobel, and Polvani 2008: On the wavelength of the Rossby waves radiated by tropical cyclones. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 65, 644-654. PDF file.
  • Bellon and Sobel 2008a: Poleward-propagating intraseasonal monsoon disturbances in an intermediate-complexity axisymmetric model. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 65, 470-489. PDF file
  • Giannini, Biasutti, Held, and Sobel 2008: A global perspective on African climate. Climatic Change, DOI 10.1007/s10584-008-9396-y. PDF file
  • Sobel, Bellon and Bacmeister 2007: Multiple equilibria in a single-column model of the tropical atmosphere. Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L22804, doi:10.1029/2007GL031320. PDF file.
  • Wing, Sobel, and Camargo 2007: The relationship between the potential and actual intensities of tropical cyclones on interannual time scales. Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L08810, doi:10.1029/2006GL028581. PDF file
  • Camargo, Sobel, Barnston, and Emanuel 2007: Tropical cyclone genesis potential index in climate models. Tellus, 59A, 428-443. PDF file
  • Camargo, Emanuel, and Sobel 2007: Use of a genesis potential index to diagnose ENSO effects on tropical cyclone genesis. Journal of Climate, 20, 4819-4834. PDF file
  • Herceg, Sobel, and Sun 2007: Regional modeling of decadal rainfall variability over the Sahel. Climate Dynamics, 29, 89-99. PDF file
  • Maloney and Sobel 2007: Idealized hot spot experiments with a general circulation model. Journal of Climate, 20, 908-925. PDF file
  • Swann, Sobel, Yuter, and Kiladis 2006: Observed radar reflectivity in convectively coupled Kelvin and mixed Rossby-gravity waves. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, doi:10.1029/2006LG025979. PDF file
  • Galewsky, Stark, Dadson, Wu, Sobel, and Horng 2006: Tropical cyclone triggering of sediment discharge in Taiwan. Journal of Geophysical Research (Earth Surface), 111, F03014, doi:10.1029/2005JF000428. PDF file
  • Sobel and Neelin 2006: The boundary layer contribution to intertropical convergence zones in the quasi-equilibrium tropical circulation model framework. Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, 20, 323-350. Pdf file
  • Burns, Sobel, and Polvani 2006: Asymptotic solutions of the moist axisymmetric Hadley circulation in a model with two vertical modes. Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, 20, 443-467. PDF file
  • Zhou and Sobel 2006: Nonlinear shallow water solutions using the weak temperature gradient approximation. Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, 20, 469-484. PDF file
  • Biasutti, Sobel, and Kushnir 2006: GCM precipitation biases in the tropical Atlantic. Journal of Climate, 19, 935-958. PDF file
  • Herceg, Sobel, Sun, and Zebiak 2006: The big brother experiment and seasonal predictability in the NCEP Regional Spectral Model. Climate Dynamics, 27, 69-82. PDF file
  • Sobel and Camargo 2005: Influence of western north Pacific tropical cyclones on their large-scale environment. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 62, 3396-3407. PDF file
  • Camargo and Sobel 2005: Western north Pacific tropical cyclone intensity and ENSO. Journal of Climate, 18, 2996-3006. PDF file
  • Galewsky and Sobel 2005: Moist dynamics and orographic precipitation in Northern California during the New Year's flood of 1997. Monthly Weather Review, 133, 1594-1612. PDF file
  • Galewsky, Sobel, and Held 2005: Diagnosis of subtropical humidity dynamics using tracers of last saturation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 62, 3353-3367. PDF file
  • Gu, Adler, and Sobel 2005: The eastern Pacific ITCZ during the boreal spring. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 62, 1157-1174. PDF file
  • Maloney and Sobel 2004: Surface fluxes and ocean coupling in the tropical intraseasonal oscillation. Journal of Climate, 17, 4368-4386. PDF file
  • Shaevitz and Sobel 2004: Implementing the weak temperature gradient approximation with full vertical structure. Monthly Weather Review, 132, 662-669. PDF file
  • Camargo and Sobel 2004: Formation of tropical storms in an atmospheric general circulation model. Tellus, 56A, 56-67. PDF file
  • Sobel, Yuter, Bretherton, and Kiladis 2004: Large-scale meteorology and deep convection during TRMM KWAJEX. Monthly Weather Review, 132, 422-444. PDF file (about 2.1MB, lots of color figures.)
  • Sobel and Gildor 2003: A simple time-dependent model of SST hot spots. Journal of Climate, 16, 3978-3992. PDF file
  • Gildor, Sobel, Cane , and Sambrotto 2003: A role for ocean biota in tropical intraseasonal atmospheric variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(9), 1460, doi:10.1029/2002GL016759.
  • Sobel 2003: On the coexistence of an evaporation minimum and precipitation maximum in the warm pool. Journal of Climate, 16, 1003-1009. PDF file
  • Bretherton and Sobel 2003: The Gill model and the weak temperature gradient approximation . Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 60, 451-460. PDF file
  • Sobel and Bretherton 2003: Large-scale waves interacting with deep convection in idealized mesoscale model simulations. Tellus, 55A, 45-60. PDF file
  • Sobel 2002: Water vapor as an active scalar in tropical atmospheric dynamics Chaos, 12, 451-459. PDF file
  • Bretherton and Sobel 2002: A simple model of a convectively-coupled Walker circulation using the weak temperature gradient approximation. Journal of Climate, 15, 2907-2920. PDF file
  • Chiang and Sobel 2002: Tropical tropospheric temperature variations caused by ENSO and their influence on the remote tropical climate. Journal of Climate, 15, 2616-2631. PDF file
  • Sobel, Held, and Bretherton 2002: The ENSO signal in tropical tropospheric temperature Journal of Climate, 15, 2702-2706. PDF file
  • Polvani and Sobel 2002: The Hadley circulation and the weak temperature gradient approximation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 59, 1744-1752. PDF file
  • Sobel, Nilsson and Polvani 2001: The weak temperature gradient approximation and balanced tropical moisture waves. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 58, 3650-3665. PDF file
  • Sobel and Bretherton 2000: Modeling tropical precipitation in a single column. Journal of Climate, 13, 4378-4392. PDF file Correction to Sobel and Bretherton 2000 (there's a wrong equation, doesn't affect the results but makes it confusing to read one section).
  • Sobel and Maloney 2000: Effect of ENSO and the MJO on western north Pacific tropical cyclones. Geophysical Research Letters, 27, 1739-1742.
  • Sobel and Flierl 2000: Cross-channel advective-diffusive transport by a monochromatic traveling wave. Physics of Fluids, 12, 1377-1381. PDF or gzipped PS available from Phys. Fluids' web page.
  • Sobel and Horinouchi 2000: On the dynamics of easterly waves, monsoon depressions, and tropical depression type disturbances. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 78, 167-173.
  • Gettelman and Sobel 2000: Direct diagnoses of stratosphere-troposphere exchange. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 57, 3-16.
  • Sobel and Bretherton 1999: Development of synoptic-scale disturbances over the summertime tropical northwest Pacific. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 56, 3106-3127.
  • Sobel 1999: Diffusion vs. nonlocal models of stratospheric mixing, in theory and practice. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 56, 2571-2584.
  • Sobel and Plumb 1999: Quantitative diagnostics of mixing in a shallow-water model of the stratosphere. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 56, 2811-2829.
  • Sobel, Plumb and Waugh 1997: Methods of computing transport across the polar vortex edge. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 54, 2241-2260.
  • Goody and Sobel 1996: A graduate radiation course based upon numerical methods. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 77, 2919-2924.

    Book chapters

  • Sobel 2009: Going to extremes. Climate Change: Picturing the Science, G. Schmidt and J. Wolfe, Eds., Norton. (Popular science, not peer reviewed.)
  • Camargo, Sobel, Barnston, and Klotzbach 2009: The influence of natural climate variability, and seasonal forecasts of tropical cyclone activity. Global Perspectives on Tropical Cyclones, 2nd edition, J. Chan, Ed., in press. PDF file
  • Sobel 2007: Simple models of ensemble-averaged precipitation and surface wind, given the SST. The Global Circulation of the Atmosphere, T. Schneider and A. H. Sobel, Eds., Princeton University Press. PDF file
  • Sobel, Bretherton, Gildor, and Peters 2004: Convection, cloud-radiative feedbacks and thermodynamic ocean coupling in simple models of the Walker circulation. Earth's Climate: The Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction, C. Wang S.-P. Xie, and J. A. Carton, Eds., American Geophysical Union Geophysical Monograph 147, 393-405. PDF file (Book available from AGU)


    Book

  • Schneider, T., and A. H. Sobel, eds., 2007: The Global Circulation of the Atmosphere, Princeton University Press, 400pp.


    Meeting summaries

  • Biasutti, Giannini, Sobel, Held, and Chiang 2007: Sahel climate change. EOS, 88, (29), 295. PDF file
  • Camargo and Sobel 2007: Workshop on tropical cyclones and climate. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 88, 389-391. PDF file
  • Schneider and Sobel 2006: Global circulation of the atmosphere (2004). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 87, 807-809. PDF file

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