physics

William Ka Ming Lau

William Ka Ming Lau is a physics 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 William Ka Ming Lau rather than just read about it. In short: William Ka Ming Lau (born 22 March 1950) is a senior scientist at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, a research center at the University of Maryland and an adjunct professor of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Maryland. A physicist by training, his research spans over 4 decades covering a wide range of topics in climate dynamics, tropical meteorology, ocean-atmo…

Key takeaways

William Ka Ming Lau belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reference excerpt

William Ka Ming Lau (born 22 March 1950) is a senior scientist at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, a research center at the University of Maryland and an adjunct professor of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Maryland. A physicist by training, his research spans over 4 decades covering a wide range of topics in climate dynamics, tropical meteorology, ocean-atmosphere coupling, aerosol-water cycle interactions, and climate variability and change. Lau conducted pioneering research on atmospheric teleconnection, and the global monsoon climate system. He discovered the aerosol-monsoon regional feedback mechanism, i.e., the Elevated Heat Pump (EHP) effect that strongly modulate climate change in Asian monsoon regions. He was the senior author of a popular research reference book, "Intraseasonal Variability in the Atmosphere-Ocean Climate System".

Education Lau was born in Macau. He received his early education at a grade school run by the Jesuit China missions. In 1960, his family emigrated to Hong Kong, where he completed his high school education in New Method College. He received his BSc (Mathematics and Physics) in 1972; BSc Special (Applied Mathematics) in 1973 from the University of Hong Kong; PhD in Atmospheric Sciences in 1977, from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Academic career After graduating from the University of Washington, he was recruited as assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School (1978–1980). In 1981, he joined the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a civil servant scientist. At GSFC, he rose through the ranks serving as the Head of the Climate and Radiation Branch (1991–2000), Chief of the Laboratory for Atmospheres (2001–2010), and the Deputy Director for Science, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Science Division (2011–2014). In 2015, he retired from GSFC, and joined ESSIC. Lau frequently visits international research and academic institutions around the world to present invited lectures, keynote presentations in scientific meetings, and public speeches to promote awareness on impacts of climate change on regional weather extremes. He has served on numerous national and international science steering groups, committees and review panels, including as Chair of Climate Variability (CLIVAR) monsoon panel, and member of the science steering group of Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX), World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). He was a coauthor of the chapter on regional effects of climate change of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and a U.S. National Academy of Sciences report on "Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources and Security. In 2014–16, he served as the President of the Atmospheric Science Section of the American Geophysical Union.

Awards and honors Lau has received many awards and honors for his research accomplishments and leadership, including:

Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2020 Axford Distinguished Lecturer Award, Asia Oceania Geophysical Society (2017) Honorary Professor, Peking University(2016) Bromery Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University (2015) Honorary Professor from the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong (2011) Distinguished Alumni Award, Hong Kong University (2010) Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (2007) Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (2005) Distinguished Meteorologist Award, Hong Kong Observatory (2004) Goddard Senior Fellow NASA William Nordberg Award (1999) Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award, American Meteorological Society The John Lindsay Award for Science William Nordberg Medal in Earth Science (1999) President, the Chinese-American Ocean-Atmosphere Association (1991–1992) NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (1991), Goddard Senior Fellow American Meteorological Society Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award (1988) "for outstanding contributions enhancing our understanding of atmospheric low frequency oscillations" "Most Promising Young Scientist", Tenki, the bulletin journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan (1988) John Lindsay Award (1987), NASA/GSFC highest award in Science "Top ten science and technology talents in the Washington Area", selected by Washington Technology (1987) Graduate with First Class Honors, BSc (1972), and BSc Special (1973), University of Hong Kong

References

External links William Ka Ming Lau publications indexed by Google Scholar

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Ka Ming Lau

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Ka Ming Lau claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, 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 William Ka Ming Lau 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 William Ka Ming Lau 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 William Ka Ming Lau

In research: William Ka Ming Lau appears in physics 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 William Ka Ming Lau 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: William Ka Ming Lau is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950 births, Alumni of the University of Hong Kong, American people of Macanese descent, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Ka Ming Lau 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 William Ka Ming Lau in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what William Ka Ming Lau 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 William Ka Ming Lau out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is William Ka Ming Lau in simple terms?

Why does William Ka Ming Lau matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 William Ka Ming Lau?

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 William Ka Ming Lau.