Current Research

My research interests include: 1) cloud and aerosol processes and their influence on the coupled climate system, 2) polar climate feedbacks and mechanisms for recent Arctic sea ice loss, and 3) evaluation and improvement of climate models using data assimilation and satellite observations (especially CloudSat+CALIPSO). I am NCAR's COSP/CFMIP contact, and am also a co-chair of the CESM Polar Climate Working Group. Clara Deser and I are co-leading the CESM Large Ensemble Project. In January 2014, I will be starting as a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder: Kay Group Website.

 

Select Publications

Kay, J. E., Medeiros, B., Hwang, Y.-T., Gettelman, A., Perket, J. and M. G. Flanner (accepted Dec 9, 2013): Processes controlling Southern Ocean Shortwave Climate Feedbacks, Geophys. Res. Lett. Available here.

Kay, J. E. and T. L'Ecuyer (2013): Observational constraints on Arctic Ocean clouds and radiative fluxes during the early 21st century, J. Geophys. Res, 118, doi:10.1002/jgrd.50489.

Cesana, G., Kay, J. E., Chepfer, H., English, J.M., and G. de Boer (2012): Ubiquitous low-level liquid-containing Arctic clouds: New observations and climate model constraints from CALIPSO-GOCCP, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L20804, doi:10.1029/2012GL053385.

Kay, J. E., Holland, M. M., Bitz, C., Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, E.,Gettelman, A., Conley, A., and D. Bailey (2012): The influence of local feedbacks and northward heat transport on the equilibrium Arctic climate response to increased greenhouse gas forcing in coupled climate models, J. Climate, 25, 5433-5450, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00622.1

Kay, J. E., Hillman, B., Klein, S., Zhang, Y., Medeiros, B., Gettelman, G., Pincus, R., Eaton, B., Boyle, J., Marchand, R. and T. Ackerman (2012): Exposing global cloud biases in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) using satellite observations and their corresponding instrument simulators, J. Climate, 25, 5190-5207, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00469.1

Gettelman, A., Kay, J. E., and K. Shell (2012): The evolution of climate sensitivity and climate feedbacks in the Community Atmosphere Model, J. Climate, 25, 1453-1469, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00197.1

Kay, J. E., Holland, M. M., and A. Jahn (2011): Inter-annual to multi-decadal Arctic sea ice extent trends in a warming world, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L15708, doi:10.1029/2011GL048008

Kay, J. E., Raeder, K., Gettelman, A. and J. Anderson (2011): The boundary layer response to recent Arctic sea ice loss and implications for high-latitude climate feedbacks, J. Climate, 24, 428-447, doi:10.1175/2010JCLI3651.1

Hwang, Y-T., Frierson, D. W., and J. E. Kay (2011): Coupling between Arctic feedbacks and changes in poleward energy transport, Geophys. Res. Lett.,38,L17704, doi:10.1029/2011GL048546

Kay, J. E. and A. Gettelman (2009): Cloud influence on and response to seasonal Arctic sea ice loss, J. Geophys. Res.,114,D18204, doi:10.1029/2009JD011773

Kay, J. E., L'Ecuyer, T., Gettelman, A., Stephens, G., and C. O'Dell (2008): The contribution of cloud and radiation anomalies to the 2007 Arctic sea ice extent minimum, Geophys. Res. Lett.,35,L08503, doi:10.1029/2008GL033451

Kay, J. E., and R. Wood (2008): Timescale analysis of aerosol sensitivity during homogeneous freezing and implications for upper tropospheric water vapor budgets, Geophys. Res. Lett.,35,L10809, doi:10.1029/2007GL032628

Kay, J. E., Baker, M., and D. Hegg (2006): Microphysical and dynamical controls on cirrus cloud optical depth distributions, J. Geophys. Res.,111,D24205, doi:10.1029/2005JD006916

Kay, J. E., Tsemekhman, V., Larsen, B., Baker, M. and B. Swanson (2003): Comment on evidence for surface initiated homogeneous nucleation, Atmos. Phys. Chem.,3,1439-1443, doi:10.5194/acp-3-1439-2003

 

Education

Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle, 2006.

M.S. University of Washington, Seattle, 2002.

B.A. magna cum laude with honors, Brown University, 1999.