astronomy

Thomas L. Delworth

Thomas L. Delworth is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thomas L. Delworth rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas L. Delworth is an atmospheric and oceanic climate scientist and Senior Scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), part of NOAA.

Key takeaways

Thomas L. Delworth belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thomas L. Delworth to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thomas L. Delworth from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thomas L. Delworth is an atmospheric and oceanic climate scientist and Senior Scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), part of NOAA. He also serves on the faculty of Oceanic Science at Princeton University. Delworth is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and received its 2021 Bert Bolin Award for Climate research, for "major contributions in atmosphere ocean interactions through pioneering climate modeling that has advanced the understanding of climate variations, change, and extremes." He has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics for 2021 and multiple previous years for having "demonstrated significant influence through publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade".

Early life and education Delworth grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his B.S. in Integrated Science in 1979 from Northwestern University. He earned his MS in meteorology (1983) and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science (1994) from the University of Wisconsin.

Career In 1984, Delworth joined the Climate Dynamics Group of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), part of the Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in Princeton, NJ. He has served as a Research Meteorologist (1984–2001), a Group Leader (2001–2012) and Supervisory Physical Scientist (2012-). In addition Delworth has been a lecturer in atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Princeton University since 2008. Delworth has collaborated with many others including 2021 Nobel Laureate Syukuro Manabe, who created the first climate models to show the effects of carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere, Ronald J. Stouffer, Michael E. Mann, and Rong Zhang. Delworth serves on the Syukuro Manabe Climate Research Award Committee of the American Meteorological Society.

Research Delworth studies the global climate system through long-term global climate modeling at timescales ranging from seasons to decades and centuries with an emphasis on understanding climate variability, change and predictability. He has helped to develop climate modelling systems including CM2.1 and SPEAR. He has used hierarchies of models to examine climate variability and related changes. He compares the natural variability of the climate (changes that would occur without human influence) with responses to atmospheric changes in greenhouse gases and aerosols that result from human actions. Delworth's research focuses on the impact of oceans throughout the global climate system, affecting both oceans and continents worldwide. Delworth has done key research into the operation of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the related Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). He is credited with "major contributions in atmosphere ocean interactions through pioneering climate modeling that has advanced the understanding of climate variations, change, and extremes." He has collaborated widely on studies of the role of the ocean in extreme weather such as warming temperatures, drought, tropical cyclones, flooding and winter storms.

"The ocean is big. It covers 70 percent of the Earth. It stores a lot of heat and it moves heat around. If the Atlantic Ocean is warm, how does that impact climate? If the Arctic sea ice is melting, what does that do?" - Thomas L. Delworth, 2021

Awards and honors 2021, Bert Bolin Award for Climate Research, American Geophysical Union 2021, Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics (as well as multiple previous years) 2018, Fellow, American Geophysical Union 2015, Fellow, American Meteorological Society 2015, Department of Commerce Gold Medal, joint award, "For outstanding research, leading to improved capability to predict seasonal‐to‐decadal variations in regional hydrological conditions and extremes". 2008, NOAA Administrator's Award, joint award, "for outstanding dedication to developing U.S. CCSP Synthesis and Assessment Products integrating climate research for decision support." 2005, Department of Commerce Silver Medal, joint award, "For delivering state-of-the-art model simulations of past, present, and future climate and for enabling open access to the data sets. Results from a recent international workshop support the conclusion that the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory climate model is among the best in the world".

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas L. Delworth

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas L. Delworth claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thomas L. Delworth before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thomas L. Delworth ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thomas L. Delworth

In research: Thomas L. Delworth appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thomas L. Delworth in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thomas L. Delworth is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American climatologists, American meteorologists, Fellows of the American Geophysical Union, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas L. Delworth outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thomas L. Delworth in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomas L. Delworth means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thomas L. Delworth out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas L. Delworth in simple terms?

Thomas L. Delworth is an atmospheric and oceanic climate scientist and Senior Scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), part of NOAA.

Why does Thomas L. Delworth matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thomas L. Delworth?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thomas L. Delworth.