Abisha Mary Gnanaraj

Planetary rotation, what impact does it have on earth's climate? The rotation is a parameter of astrophysical interest that determines a planet's habitability. It structures the planet's atmospheric general circulation, especially the Hadley cell, it's extent and strength. The planet's humidity and cloud distribution, which are crucial for the radiation budget, are tied to the Hadley cell. The changes of the Hadley cell with the rotation rate imply changes in the descending branch and the humidity and cloudiness. In my PhD project, I try to understand how the rotation impacts the Hadley cell, humidity and cloud distribution and then link to the planet's radiation budget. Further, I lookforward to answer if rotation is an important parameter to determine a planet's climate sensitivity.

Supervisors: Jiawei Bao, Hauke Schmidt and Bjorn Stevens