Justin P. Stachnik

Contact Info

CV_Stachnik_1.pdf CV_Stachnik_1.pdf

Biography —

**Note: Dr. Stachnik is leaving the University of Kansas in January 2024. He can now be contacted at justin.stachnik@nasa.gov**

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 and Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), quantifying diabatic heating for tropical and subtropical clouds, 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 —

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

Teaching —

ATMO 105, Introductory Meteorology
ATMO 106, Introductory Meteorology (Honors)
ATMO 499, Honors Course in Atmospheric Science
ATMO 505, Weather Forecasting
ATMO 606, Forecasting Practicum - Private Industry
ATMO 607, Forecasting Intern - National Weather Service
ATMO 615 (Formerly ATMO 531), Tropical Meteorology
ATMO 630, Synoptic Meteorology
ATMO 697, Senior Seminar
ATMO 715 Tropical Meteorology
ATMO 725 Clouds, Climate & Precipitation

Selected Publications —

[13] Lewis-Merritt, C., J. P. Stachnik, M. A. Hollis, E. R. Martin, and R. R. McCrary, 2024: A global climatology of diabatic heating in tropical easterly waves. J. Climate. In-press.

[12] Hollis, M. A., R. R. McCrary, J. P. Stachnik, C. Lewis-Merritt, and E. R. Martin, 2023: A global climatology of tropical easterly waves. Clim. Dynam.. doi:10.1007/s00382-023-07025-w.

[11] Chrisler, B., and J. P. Stachnik, 2023: Tropical-wave activity and Madden–Julian oscillation termination. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 149, 61-83, doi:10.1002/qj.4393.

[10] Chrisler, B., and J. P. Stachnik, 2021: The moist entropy budget of terminating Madden-Julian oscillation events. J. Climate, 34, 4243-4260, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0064.1.

[9] Stachnik, J. P., and B. Chrisler, 2020: An index intercomparison for MJO events and termination. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 125, e2020JD032507, doi:10.1029/2020JD032507.

[8] Stachnik, J. P., D. E. Waliser, A. J. Majda, S. N. Stechmann, and S. Thual, 2015: Evaluating MJO initiation and decay in the skeleton model using an RMM-like index. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120, 11486-11508, doi:10.1002/2015JD023916.

[7] Stachnik, J. P., D. E. Waliser, and A. J. Majda, 2015: Precursor environmental conditions associated with the termination of Madden-Julian oscillation events. J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 1908-1931, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-14-0254.1.

[6] Li, J.-L. F., W.-L. Lee, D. E. Waliser, J. P. Stachnik, E. Fetzer, S. Wong, and Q. Yue, 2014: Characterizing tropical Pacific water vapor and radiative biases in CMIP5 GCMS: Observation-based analyses and a snow and radiation interaction sensitivity experiment. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119, 10981-10995, doi:10.1002/2014JD021924.

[5] Li, J.-L. F., W.-L. Lee, D. E. Waliser, J. D. Neelin, J. P. Stachnik, and T. Lee, 2014: Cloud-precipitation-radiation-dynamics interaction in global climate models: A snow and radiation interaction sensitivity experiment. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119, 3809-3824, doi:10.1029/2013JD021038.

[4] Hopper, L. J., Jr., C. Schumacher, and J. P. Stachnik, 2013: Implementation and assessment of undergraduate learning experiences in SOAP: An atmospheric science research and education program. J. Geosci. Educ., 61, 415-427, doi:10.5408/12-382.1.

[3] Stachnik, J. P., C. Schumacher, and P. E. Ciesielski, 2013: Total heating characteristics of the ISCCP tropical and subtropical cloud regimes. J. Climate, 26, 7097-7116, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00673.1.

[2] Stachnik, J. P., and C. Schumacher, 2011: A comparison of the Hadley circulation in modern reanalyses. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 116, D22102, doi:10.1029/2011JD016677.

[1] Lasher-Trapp, S., and J. P. Stachnik, 2007: Giant and ultragiant aerosol particle variability over the eastern Great Lakes region. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 46, 651-659, doi: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. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Precipitation Measuring Missions (PMM). $100,562.00. (6/1/2019 - 11/30/2023).