• Publications
• Awards
• Affiliations

SOMERVILLE, RICHARD

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Research Professor

Degrees:

• B.S., Pennsylvania State University
• Ph.D., New York University

Research Interests:

• Geophysical fluid dynamics
• Thermal convection
• Computational methods
• Predictability
• Atmospheric modeling
• Numerical weather prediction
• Radiative transfer
• Cloud physics
• Climate

Courses:

• ESYS190A: Envir Sys/Senior Project
• SIO217A: Atmospheric & Climate Sci I
• SIO218: Atmospheric Dynamics/Physics
• SIO219: Spec Topics/Physical Oceanogra
• SIO298: Spec Studies/Marine Sciences
• SIO299: Research

Honors and Awards:

• Appointed Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitor, Singapore, 2007
• Appointed Distinguished Professor, University of California, San Diego, 2004
• Appointed Distinguished Lecturer, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, 2002-2003
• Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993
• Outstanding Contributions to Science Education - University Level, from the San Diego Science Educator’s Association, 1991
• Elected Fellow, American Meteorological Society, Fellow, 1987
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 4th Assessment Report, Coordinating Lead Author
• American Meteorological Society, Louis J. Battan Author's Award for "for The Forgiving Air, an engaging and readable book filled with scientific insight and historical perspective about some of the most complex environmental problems we face today." 2007
• American Meteorological Society, Walter Orr Roberts Lectureship in Interdisciplinary Sciences “for significant contributions to the understanding and discussion of global environmental change derived from multidisciplinary research activities.” 1999
• Listed in Who's Who in America and similar biographical references in all recent editions

Mentoring:

• Kooperman, Gabe (Graduate; 2008-)
• Pritchard, Mike (Graduate; 2007-)
• Shell, Karen (Graduate; 1998-2004)
• Berque, Joannes (Graduate; 1997-2004)
• Lane-Veron, Dana (Graduate; 1995-2000)

Somerville, R. C. J., 2008: The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change. Second edition. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA. 224 pp.

Shell, K. M., and R. C. J. Somerville, 2007: Direct radiative effect of mineral dust and volcanic aerosols in a simple aerosol climate model. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, D03205, doi:10.1029/2006JD007197.

Shell, K. M., and R. C. J. Somerville, 2007: Sensitivity of climate forcing and response to dust optical properties in an idealized model, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, D03206, doi:10.1029/2006JD007198.

Rahmstorf, S., A. Cazenave, J. A. Church, J. E. Hansen, R. F. Keeling, D. E. Parker, R. C. J. Somerville, 2007: Recent climate observations compared to projections. Science, 316, 709 (2007); published online 1 February 2007 (10.1126/science. 1136843).

Le Treut, H., R. Somerville, U. Cubasch, Y. Ding, C. Mauritzen, A. Mokssit, T. Peterson, and M. Prather, 2007: Historical Overview of Climate Change. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K. B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H. L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, R. B. Alley, T. Berntsen, N. L., Bindoff, Z. Chen, A. Chidthaisong, J. M. Gregory, G. C. Hegeri, M. Heimann, B. Hewitson, B. J. Hoskins, F. Joos, J. Jouzel, V. Kattsov, U. Lohmann, T. Matsuno, M. Molina, N. Nicholls, J. Overpeck, G. Raga, V. Ramaswamy, J. Ren, M. Rusticucci, R. Somerville, T. F. Stocker, P. Whetton, R. A. Wood and D. Wratt, 2007: Technical Summary. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group[ I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K. B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H. L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K. B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H. L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

Jouzel, J., et R. C. J. Somerville, 2007: Le groupe intergouvernemental d’experts sur l’evolution du climat: le consensus a l’échelle planétaire. Comprendre le Changement Climatique, Odile Jacob (Paris), J.-L. Fellous et C. Gautier (eds.), pp. 27-44.

Iacobellis, S. F., and Richard C. J. Somerville, 2006: Evaluating parameterizations of the autoconversion process using a single-column model and ARM measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, D02203, doi:10.1029/2005JD006296.

Xie, S., M. Zhang, M. Branson, R. T. Cederwall, A. D. Del Genio, Z. A. Eitzen, S. J. Ghan, S. F. Iacobellis, K. J. Johnson, M. Khairoutdinov, S. A. Klein, S. K. Krueger, W. Lin, U. Lohmann, M. A. Miller, D. A. Randall, R. C. J. Somerville, Y. C. Sud, G. K. Walker, A. Wolf, X. Wu, K.-M. Xu, J. J. Yio, G. Zhang, and J. Zhang, 2005: Simulations of midlatitude frontal clouds by SCMs and CRMs during the ARM March 2000 Cloud IOP. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110, D15S03, doi:10.1029/2004JD005119, 2005.

Xu, K.-M., M. Zhang, Z. A. Eitzen, S. J. Ghan, S. A. Klein, X. Wu, M. Branson, A. D. DelGenio, S. F. Iacobellis, M. Khairoutdinov, W. Lin, U. Lohmann, D. A. Randall, R. C. J. Somerville, Y. C. Sud, G. K. Walker, A. Wolf, S. Xie, J. J. Yio, and J. Zhang, 2005: Modeling springtime shallow frontal clouds with cloud-resolving and single-column models. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110, D15S04, doi:10.1029/2004JD005153.

Berque, J., D. Lubin, and R. C. J. Somerville, 2004: Infrared radiative properties of the Antarctic Plateau from AVHRR Data. Part I: Effect of the snow surface. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 43, pp. 350-362.

Lane-Veron, D. E., and R. C. J. Somerville, 2004: Stochastic theory of radiative transfer through generalized cloud fields. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, D18113, doi:10.1029/2004JD004524, pp. 1-14, 2004.

Shell, K. M., and R. C. J. Somerville, 2004: A generalized energy balance climate model with parameterized dynamics and diabatic heating. Journal of Climate, 18, pp. 1753-1772, doi: 10.1175/JCLI3373.1.

McFarquhar, G. M., S. Iacobellis, and R. C. J. Somerville, 2003: SCM simulations of tropical ice clouds using observationally based parameterizations of microphysics. Journal of Climate, 16, pp. 1643-1664.

Iacobellis, S. F., G. M. McFarquhar, D. L. Mitchell, and R. C. J. Somerville, 2003: The sensitivity of radiative fluxes to parameterized cloud microphysics. Journal of Climate, 16, pp. 2979-2996.

Shell, K., R. Frouin, S. Nakamoto, and R. Somerville, 2003: Atmospheric response to solar radiation absorbed by phytoplankton. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, (D15), 4445, doi:10.1029/2003JD003440, 2003.

Xie, S., K-M. Xu, R. T. Cederwall, P. Bechtold, A. D. Del Genio, S. A. Klein, D. G. Cripe, S. J. Ghan, D. Gregory, S. F. Iacobellis, S. K. Krueger, U. Lohmann, J. C. Petch, D. A. Randall, L. D. Rotstayn, R. C. J. Somerville, Y. C. Sud, K. von Salzen, G. K. Walker, A. Wolf, J. J. Yio, G-J. Zhang, M. Zhang, 2002: Intercomparison and evaluation of cumulus parameterizations under summertime midlatitude continental conditions. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 128, pp. 1095-1136.

Lane, D. E., K. Goris, and R. C. J. Somerville, 2002: Radiative transfer through broken clouds: Observations and model validation. Journal of Climate, 15, pp. 2921-2933.

Lane, D. E., R. C. J. Somerville, and S. F. Iacobellis, 2001: Evaluation of a stochastic radiative transfer model using ground-based measurements. In IRS 2000: Current Problems in Atmospheric Radiation, W. L. Smith and Yu. M. Timofeyev (Eds.) A. Deepak Publishing, Hampton, Virginia, pp. 245-248.

Iacobellis, S. F., R. C. J. Somerville, and D. E. Lane, 2001: SCM sensitivity to microphysics, radiation and convection algorithms. In IRS 2000: Current Problems in Atmospheric Radiation, W. L. Smith and Yu. M. Timofeyev (Eds.) A. Deepak Publishing, Hampton, Virginia, pp. 1287-1290.

Lane, D. E., R. C. J. Somerville, and S. F. Iacobellis, 2000: Sensitivity of cloud and radiation parameterizations to changes in vertical resolution. Journal of Climate, 13, 915-922.

Iacobellis, S. F., and R. C. J. Somerville, 2000: Implications of microphysics for cloud-radiation parameterizations: Lessons from TOGA-COARE. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 57, 161-183.

Somerville, R. C. J., 2000: Using single-column models to improve cloud-radiation parameterizations. General Circulation Model Development: Past, Present and Future, Academic Press, D. Randall (ed.), pp. 641-657.

Ghan, S. J., D. Randall, K. Xu, R. Cederwall, D. Cripe, J. Hack, S. Iacobellis, S. Klein, S. Krueger, U. Lohmann, J. Pedretti, A. Robock, L. Rotstayn, R. Somerville, G. Strenchikov, Y. Sud, G. Walker, S. Xie, J. Yio, and M. Zhang, 2000: A comparison of single-column model simulations of Summertime midlatitude continental convection. Journal of Geophysical Research, D. (Atmospheres), 105 (D2), 2091-2124.

Iacobellis, S. F., R. Frouin, and R. C. J. Somerville, 1999: Direct climate forcing by biomass burning aerosols: Impact of correlations between controlling variables. Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, 12,031-12,045.

Somerville, R. C. J., and S. F. Iacobellis, 1999: Single-column models, ARM observations, and GCM cloud-radiation schemes. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (B), 24, 733-740.

Lubin, D., B Chen, D. H. Bromwich, R. C. J. Somerville, W.-H. Lee, and K. M. Hines, 1998: The impact of Antarctic cloud radiative properties on a GCM climate simulation. Journal of Climate, 11, 447-462.

Lee, W.-H., S. F. Iacobellis, and R. C. J. Somerville, 1997: Cloud-radiation forcings and feedbacks: General circulation model tests and observational validation. Journal of Climate, 10, 2479-2496.