Leila Carvalho

Biography

I was born and raised in Brazil. I obtained my BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences (meteorology) from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, USP (1998-2008) and began my academic career in the Department of Geography, UCSB, in 2009. I lead an interdisciplinary research group “Climate Variations and Change (CLIVAC)” that explores multiple problems related to the Earth’s atmosphere on a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. My research focuses on climate variability and change in monsoon systems, extreme weather, and climate, atmospheric rivers, mountain meteorology, downslope windstorms, and wildfires.

Research

The CLIVAC research group investigates multiple facets of the Earth’s climate. We are particularly interested in understanding physical and dynamical processes driving climate variability and change in monsoon systems, including the role of anthropogenic forcing in present and future changes. Additionally, we investigate dynamical processes leading to extreme precipitation in many areas of our planet. In this context, we examine tropical-extratropical interactions on multiple scales and impacts on precipitation, on the characteristics and frequency of Atmospheric Rivers, and other aspects of our atmosphere. At the opposite end, we have an interest in extreme fire weather in California and how climate change has exacerbated these conditions. We investigate dynamical mechanisms responsible for strong downslope winds in mountain regions, such as the “Sundowner Winds.” Our research uses multiple data sets, regional and global models, observations, and remote sensing of the atmosphere.

Selected Publications

Carvalho, L. M. V., G-J., Duine, C. Jones, K. Zigner, C. Clements, H. Kane, C. Gore, G. Bell, B. Gamelin, D. Gomberg, T. Hall, M. Johnson, J. Dumas, E. Boldt, R. Hazard, W. Enos, 2020: The Sundowner Winds Experiment (SWEX) Pilot Study: Understanding Downslope windstorms in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara, CA. Monthly Weather Review, 148(4), pp.1519-1539

Nash, D., and L. M. V. Carvalho, 2020: Brief Communication: An Electrifying Atmospheric River: Understanding the Thunderstorm Event in Santa Barbara County during March 2019. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 1931–1940, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-1931-2020

Zigner K , L. M. V. Carvalho, S. Peterson, F. Fujioka, G-J Duine, C. Jones, D. Roberts, M. Moritz, 2020: Evaluating the ability of FARSITE to simulate wildfires influenced by extreme, downslope winds in Santa Barbara, California. Fire 2020, 3(3), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire3030029

Jones, C., L. M. V. Carvalho, G-J. Duine, and K. Zigner, 2020: Climatology of Sundowner winds in Coastal Santa Barbara, California, based on 30-yr high resolution WRF downscaling. Atmospheric Research. DOI 10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.105305

Gamelin, B., L.M.V. Carvalho, M. Kayano, 2020: The Combined Influence of ENSO and PDO on the Spring UTLS Ozone Variability in South America. Climate Dynamics. 10.1007/s00382-020-05340-0

Carvalho, L. M. V. ,2019: Assessing precipitation trends in the Americas with historical data: a review. Climatic Change, https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.627

Norris, J., Carvalho, L.M.V., Jones, C. et al. Warming and drying over the central Himalaya caused by an amplification of local mountain circulation. npj Clim Atmos Sci 3, 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-019-0105-5

Zilli, M. T, L. M. V. Carvalho, and B. Lintner, 2019:The poleward shift of South Atlantic Convergence Zone in recent decades, Climate Dynamics 52(5-6), pp.2545-2563

Norris, J., L. M. V. Carvalho, C. Jones , and F. Cannon, 2017: Deciphering the Contrasting Climatic Trends between the Central Himalaya and Karakoram with 34 years of WRF Simulations, Climate Dynamics doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4133 (PDF).

Cannon, F., L. M. V. Carvalho, C. Jones , T. Hall, D. Gomberg, J. Dumas, and M. Jackson, 2017: WRF Simulation of Downslope Wind Events in Coastal Santa Barbara County, Atmospheric Research , 191, 57-73

Carvalho LM, Jones C, editors. The monsoons and climate change: Observations and modeling. Springer; 2015 Dec 22 253 pp