Justin P. Stachnik

Justin P. Stachnik
  • Assistant Professor

Contact Info

Office Phone:
785-864-1176
Fax:
785-864-5378
Lindley Hall, room #209

Biography —

Dr. Stachnik is an atmospheric scientist with a broad interest in clouds, climate, and precipitation. His recent work has focused on tropical meteorology including the dynamics and variability of the large-scale Hadley circulation, quantifying diabatic heating for tropical and subtropical cloud regimes, tropical easterly waves, and investigating fundamental processes related to the propagation and maintenance of the Madden-Julian oscillation. Using observations and models, he is especially interested in weather and climate interactions that may help improve weather forecasts and reduce model uncertainty for both current and future climates.

Education —

Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2013, College Station, TX
Atmospheric Science, Purdue University, 2007, West Lafayette, IN
Honors Curriculum in Synoptic Meteorology, Purdue University, 2005, West Lafayette, IN

Research —

Research interests:

  • Tropical meteorology
  • Climate variability and change
  • Cloud physics and dynamics
  • Mesoscale precipitating systems
  • Radar and satellite meteorology
  • Multi-scale interactions

Teaching —

Teaching interests:

  • ATMO 105, Introductory Meteorology (Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2018)
  • ATMO 499, Honors Course in Atmospheric Science (Spring 2019)
  • ATMO 505, Weather Forecasting (Fall 2018, Fall 2019)
  • ATMO 606, Forecasting Practicum - Private Industry (Fall 2016, Spring 2017)
  • ATMO 607, Forecasting Intern - National Weather Service (Fall 2016, Spring 2017)
  • ATMO 615 (Formerly ATMO 531), Tropical Meteorology (Fall 2019)
  • ATMO 630, Synoptic Meteorology (Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021)
  • ATMO 697, Senior Seminar (Fall 2016, Spring 2017)
  • ATMO 715 (Formerly ATMO 731), Tropical Meteorology (Fall 2019)
  • ATMO 725 (Formerly ATMO 731), Clouds, Climate & Precipitation (Fall 2017)

Selected Publications —

Chrisler, B., and J. P. Stachnik. “The Moist Entropy Budget of Terminating Madden-Julian Oscillation Events .” Journal Articles. J. Climate, 2021, 1–59. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0064.1.
Stachnik, J. P., and B. Chrisler. “An Index Intercomparison for MJO Events and Termination .” Journal Articles. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 125 (2020): e2020JD032507. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032507.
Stachnik, J. P., D. E. Waliser, A. J. Majda, S. N. Stechmann, and S. Thual. “Evaluating MJO Initiation and Decay in the Skeleton Model Using an RMM-like Index.” Journal Articles. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 120 (2015): 11486–508. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023916.
Stachnik, J. P., D. E. Waliser, and A. J. Majda. “Precursor Environmental Conditions Associated with the Termination of Madden-Julian Oscillation Events.” Journal Articles. J. Atmos. Sci. 72 (2015): 1908–31. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-14-0254.1.
Li, J.-L. F., W.-L. Lee, D. E. Waliser, J. P. Stachnik, E. Fetzer, S. Wong, and Q. Yue. “Characterizing Tropical Pacific Water Vapor and Radiative Biases in CMIP5 GCMS: Observation-Based Analyses and a Snow and Radiation Interaction Sensitivity Experiment.” Journal Articles. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 119 (2014): 10981–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021924.
Li, J.-L. F., W.-L. Lee, D. E. Waliser, J. D. Neelin, J. P. Stachnik, and T. Lee. “Cloud-Precipitation-Radiation-Dynamics Interaction in Global Climate Models: A Snow and Radiation Interaction Sensitivity Experiment.” Journal Articles. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 119 (2014): 3809–24. https://doi.org/10.1029/2013JD021038.
Hopper, L. J., Jr., C. Schumacher, and J. P. Stachnik. “Implementation and Assessment of Undergraduate Learning Experiences in SOAP: An Atmospheric Science Research and Education Program.” Journal Articles. J. Geosci. Educ. 61 (2013): 415–27. https://doi.org/10.5408/12-382.1.
Stachnik, J. P., C. Schumacher, and P. E. Ciesielski. “Total Heating Characteristics of the ISCCP Tropical and Subtropical Cloud Regimes.” Journal Articles. J. Climate 26 (2013): 7097–7116. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00673.1.
Stachnik, J. P., and C. Schumacher. “A Comparison of the Hadley Circulation in Modern Reanalyses.” Journal Articles. J. Geophys. Res. 116 (2011): D22102. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016677.
Lasher-Trapp, S., and J. P. Stachnik. “Giant and Ultragiant Aerosol Particle Variability over the Eastern Great Lakes Region.” Journal Articles. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol. 46 (2007): 651–59. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2490.1.

Selected Presentations —

Lewis-Merritt, C., & Stachnik, J. P. (5/10/2021). Easterly wave contributions to diabatic heating in the global tropics. 34th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Martin, E. R., McCrary, R., Stachnik, J. P., Hollis, M., & Lewis-Merritt, C. (5/10/2021). Precipitation and latent heating in tropical easterly waves. 34th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Stessman, M. M., & Stachnik, J. P. (5/12/2021). Regional variability of diabatic heating profiles by cloud type associated with ITCZ extremes. 34th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Chrisler, B., & Stachnik, J. P. (5/11/2021). The moist entropy budget of terminating Madden–Julian oscillation events. 34th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Stachnik, J. P., & Chrisler, B. (5/10/2021). Tropical wave – MJO interactions throughout the lifetime of intraseasonal oscillation events. 34th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Lewis-Merritt, C., & Stachnik, J. P. (1/15/2021). Diabatic heating profiles in tropical easterly waves: A comparison of TRMM/GPM and MERRA-2. Fourth Special Symp. on Tropical Meteor. and Tropical Cyclones (101st Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Stessman, M. M., & Stachnik, J. P. (1/12/2021). Heating Profiles of Individual Tropical and Subtropical Clouds from CloudSat and MERRA-2. 34th Conf. Climate Var. and Change (101st Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Chrisler, B., & Stachnik, J. P. (1/14/2021). The moist entropy budget of terminating Madden–Julian oscillation events. 9th Symp. Madden-Julian Oscillation and Sub-Seasonal Monsoon Var. (101st Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). New Orleans, LA (Virtual)
Martin, E. R., Stachnik, J. P., McCrary, R., Hollis, M., & Lewis-Merritt, C. (10/21/2020). Building a global tropical easterly wave and latent heating climatology in NASA data. NASA Precipitation Measuring Missions (PMM) Science Team Meeting. Phoenix, AZ (Virtual)
Chrisler, B., & Stachnik, J. P. (1/7/2019). Index intercomparison for MJO event termination. 7th Symp. Madden-Julian Oscillation and Sub-Seasonal Monsoon Var. (99th Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). Phoenix, AZ
Asherman, J. T., & Stachnik, J. P. (1/6/2019). Investigating the impact of graupel and hail parameterizations on idealized supercell thunderstorms in the WRF model. 18th Ann. Student Conf. (99th Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). Phoenix, AZ
Stachnik, J. P., & Schumacher, C. (1/7/2019). Observational changes in cloud regimes associated with the interannual variability of Hadley cell width. 32nd Conf. Climate Var. and Change (99th Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). Phoenix, AZ
Stachnik, J. P., & Schumacher, C. (1/11/2018). Tropical and subtropical cloud regimes in MERRA reanalyses using an ISCCP simulator. 31st Conf. Climate Var. and Change (98th Amer. Meteor. Soc. Ann. Meeting). Austin, TX
Stachnik, J. P., Waliser, D. E., Majda, A. J., Stechmann, S. N., Thual, S., & Ogrosky, H. R. (1/23/2017). MJO event sensitivities to tropical SSTs in observations, low-order, and global climate models. 5th Symp. Predict. Madden-Julian Oscillation: Proc., Predict., and Impact. Seattle, WA
Stachnik, J. P., Waliser, D. E., Majda, A. J., Stechmann, S. N., Thual, S., & Ogrosky, H. R. (4/22/2016). ENSO modulation of MJO event variability in observations, GCMs, and the skeleton model. 32nd AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. San Juan, PR
Stachnik, J. P., Waliser, D. E., Majda, A. J., Stechmann, S. N., & Thual, S. (12/15/2015). Evaluating MJO event initiation and decay in the skeleton model using an RMM-like index. 2015 AGU Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA
Li, J. -. F., Lee, W. -., Waliser, D., Stachnik, J. P., Tong, L., & Fetzer, E. J. (7/31/2014). Characterizing tropical Pacific radiative biases and their impacts on SSTs, upper ocean currents, and temperatures in CMIP5 GCMs. 11th Ann. Meeting. Asia Oceania Geos. Soc. Sapporo, Japan
Stachnik, J. P., Waliser, D. E., Majda, A. J., & Stechmann, S. N. (4/4/2014). Applications, sensitivities, and development of an RMM-like index for the MJO skeleton model. 31st AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. San Diego, CA
Li, J. F., Lee, W. L., Waliser, D. E., Neelin, J. D., Fetzer, E. J., Stachnik, J. P., ...Yue, Q. (4/4/2014). Cloud-precipitation-radiation-dynamics interaction in global climate models: A snow and radiation interaction sensitivity experiment. 31st AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. San Diego, CA
Stachnik, J. P., Waliser, D. E., Majda, A. J., & Stechmann, S. N. (12/11/2013). Preliminary work towards evaluating MJO initiation and decay in the skeleton model. 2013 AGU Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA
Li, J. F., Lee, W., Fetzer, E. J., Waliser, D. E., Lee, T., Stachnik, J. P., ...Lee, S. (12/10/2013). The impacts of cloud-radiation bias on circulations and temperatures simulations in CMIP5 and NCAR CESM sensitivity experiments. 2013 AGU Fall Meeting. San Francisco, CA
Stachnik, J. P., Schumacher, C., & Lappen, C. (4/19/2012). A mesoscale decomposition of the tropical Hadley cell. 30th AMS Conf. Hurricanes and Tropical Meteor. Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

Analysis of TRMM-GPM Observations to Improve our Process-Level Understanding and Modeling of Precipitation and Latent Heating in Tropical Easterly Waves. 1001251 UNI. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Precipitation Measuring Missions (PMM). $100562.00. Submitted 6/28/2018 (6/1/2019 - 5/31/2022). Federal. Status: Funded