Registration

Stephen Zebiak

Director General

The International Research
Institute for Climate and Society

128 Monell Building

61 Route 9W

Palisades, New York 10964

Phone: 845 680 4497

Fax: 845 680 4866

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Curriculum Vitae
IRI Publications
Profile


Background

Dr. Zebiak is director general of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University, which uses a science-based approach to enhance society's ability to understand, anticipate and manage climate risk to improve human welfare. As director, he leads an inter-disciplinary team of over 40 scientists specializing in climate prediction, agriculture, health, water, economics and development policy. Dr. Zebiak has worked in the area of ocean-atmosphere interaction and climate variability since completing his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. He and Dr. Mark Cane authored the first dynamical model used to predict El Niño successfully. He has published extensively in journals such as Science, Nature, the International Journal of Climatology, and has served as an advisor to a range of US and international climate science research programs.

Research Interests

Dr. Zebiak coordinates IRI coupled model efforts, data assimilation/forecast system development, predictability, and climate dynamics research for seasonal-to-interannual time scales. He also helps to foster active collaboration between IRI and other national and international centers engaged in climate modeling and prediction.

Recent Publications

Greene, A. M., A. Giannini, and S. E. Zebiak (2009), Drought return times in the Sahel: A question of attribution, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L12701, doi:10.1029/2009GL038868

McPhaden, M. J., S. E. Zebiak, and M. H. Glantz, 2006: ENSO and an integrating concept in Earth Science. Science, 314, 1710-1715.

Eichler, T., D. Rind & S. Zebiak 2006: Impact of Global Warming on ENSO Variability Using the Coupled GISS GCM/ZC Model. Intl. J. Climatology, 26, 1283-1314.

Herceg, D., A. Sobel, L. Sun and S.E. Zebiak, 2006: The Big Brother Experiment and seasonal predictability in the NCEP Regional Spectral Model. Climate Dynamics, 27, 69-82.

Sun, L., D. Moncunill, H. Li, A. Moura, F. Assis and S. Zebiak, 2006: An Operational Dynamical Downscaling Prediction System for Nordeste Brazil and the 2002-04 Real-Time Forecast Evaluation. J. Climate, 19,(10),1990–2007.

Camargo, S.J., A.G. Barnston, and S.E. Zebiak, 2005. A statistical assessment of tropical cyclone activity in atmospheric general circulation models, Tellus, 57A, 589-604.

Honda, M., Y. Kushnir, H. Nakamura, S. Yamane and S.E. Zebiak, 2005. Formation, mechanism & predictability of the Aleutian-Icelandic low seesaw in ensemble AGCM simulations. J. Climate, 18, 1423-1434.

Mann, M., M. Cane, A. Clement and S.E. Zebiak, 2005. Volcanic and solar forcing of El Nino over the past 1000 years. J. Climate, 18, 447-456.

Zhang, R.-H., S.E. Zebiak, R. Kleeman and N. Keenlyside, 2005. Retrospective El Nino forecasts using an improved intermediate coupled model. Monthly Weather Review, 133, 2777-2802.

Zhang, R.-H., R. Kleeman, S.E.Zebiak, N. Keenlyside and S. Raynaud, 2005. An empirical parameterization of subsurface entrainment temperature for improved SST simulations in an intermediate ocean model. J. Climate, 18 (2), 350-371.

Chen, D., M.A. Cane, A. Kaplan, S.E. Zebiak, and D.J. Huang, 2004. Predictability of El Nino over the past 148 years. Nature, 428, 733-736

Robertson, A., U. Lall, S.E. Zebiak and L. Goddard, 2004. Improved combination of multiple atmospheric general circulation model ensembles for seasonal prediction. Monthly Weather Review, 132, 2732-2744.

Shaman, J., J.F. Day, M. Stieglitz, S.E. Zebiak, and M. Cane, 2004. A seasonal forecast of St. Louis encephalitis transmission in Florida. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10 (5), 802- 809.

Zhang, R.-H., and S. E. Zebiak, 2004: An embedding method for improving interannual variability simulations in a hybrid coupled model of the tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere system. J. Climate, 17 (14): 2794-2812.

Barnston, A., S.J. Mason, L. Goddard, D. DeWitt and S. E. Zebiak, 2003. Multimodel ensembling in seasonal climate forecasting at IRI. Bull. Am. Met. Soc. 84, 1783-1796.

Nobre, P., S.E. Zebiak and B.P. Kirtman, 2003. Local and remote sources of Tropical Atlantic variability as inferred from the results of a hybrid ocean-atmosphere coupled model. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30 (5): 8008.

Qian, J., A. Seth and S.E. Zebiak, 2003. Reinitialized versus continuous simulations for regional climate downscaling. Monthly Weather Review, 131, 2857-2874.

Roads, J., S. Chen, S. Cocke, L. Druyan, M. Fulakeza, T. LaRow, P. Lonergan, J.-H. Qian and S. Zebiak, 2003. The IRI/ARCs regional model intercomparison over South America. J. Geophys. Res., 108(D14), 4425.

Shaman, J., M. Stieglitz, S. E. Zebiak and M. Cane, 2003. A local forecast of land surface wetness conditions derived from seasonal climate predictions. J. Hydrometeorology, 4: 611-626.

Zebiak, S. E., 2003. Research Potential for Improvements in Climate Prediction. Bull. of the Amer. Met. Soc., 84 (12): 1692-1696.

Zhang, R.-H., S. E. Zebiak, R. Kleeman, and N. Keenlyside, 2003: A New Intermediate Coupled Model for El Nino Simulation and Prediction. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30 (19) 2012. doi:10.1029/2003GL018010.

Zhang, R.-H., and S. E. Zebiak, 2003: Embedding a SST anomaly model into a z-coordinate oceanic GCM for producing El Nino oscillation in the tropical Pacific climate system. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(4): 1176.

Camargo, S. and S.E. Zebiak, 2002. Improving the detection and tracking of tropical cyclones in atmospheric general circulation models. J. Weather and Forecasting 17: 1152-1162.

Chang, P. and S.E. Zebiak, 2002. El Nino and the Southern Oscillation: Theory. Encycl. Atmos. Sciences.

Dickinson, R. E., S. E. Zebiak, J. Anderson, M. Blackmon, C. Delucca, T. Hogan, M. Iredell, M. Ji, N. Rood, M. Suarez, and K. Taylor, 2002. How can we advance our weather and climate models as a community? Bull. Am. Meteor. Soc., 83(3): 431-434.

Kukla, G., A.C. Clement, M.A. Cane, J.E. Gavin and S.E. Zebiak, 2002. Last interglacial and early glacial ENSO. Quaternary Research, 58, 27-31.

Rajagopalan, B., U. Lall and S.E. Zebiak, 2002. Categorical climate forecasts through Regularization and Optimal Combination of Multiple GCM Ensembles. Monthly Weather Review, 13: 1792-1811.

Zhang, R-H. and S.E. Zebiak, 2002: Effect of penetrating momentum flux over the surface boundary/mixed layer in a z-coordinate OGCM of the Tropical Pacific. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 32(12): 3616-3637.

Canizares, R., A. Kaplan, M.A. Cane, D. Chen and S.E. Zebiak, 2001. Use of data assimilation via linear low-order models for the initialization of El Nino-Southern Oscillation predictions. J. Geophys. Res. 106: 30947-30959.

Chiang, J. C. H., S. E. Zebiak, and M. A. Cane, 2001. Relative roles of elevated heating and surface temperature gradients in driving anomalous surface winds over tropical oceans. J. Atmos. Sci. 58: 1371-1394.

Goddard, L., S. J. Mason, S. E. Zebiak, C. F. Ropelewski, R. Basher,and M. A. Cane. 2001. Current approaches to climate prediction. Int. J. Climatology, 21 (9): 1111-1152.

Kug, J-S., I-S. Kang, and S.E. Zebiak, 2001. The impacts of the model assimilated wind stress data in the initialization of an intermediate ocean and the ENSO predictability. Geophys. Res. Lett. 28 (19): 3713-3716.

Sarachik, E., S.E. Zebiak et al., 2001. Improving the Effectiveness of United States Climate Modeling. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

Zhang, R-H., T. Kagimoto, and S.E. Zebiak, 2001: Subduction of decadal North Pacific thermal anomalies in an ocean GCM. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 2449-2452.

Chen, D., M. A. Cane, S. E. Zebiak, and R. Canizares, 2000. Bias Correction of an Ocean-Atmosphere Coupled Model. Geophys. Res. Lett. 27: 2585-2588.

Chiang, J.C.H. and S. E. Zebiak, 2000. Surface wind over tropical oceans: diagnosis of the momentum balance, and modeling the linear friction coefficient. J. Climate 13: 1733-1747.

Chiang, J. C. H., Y. Kushnir, and S. Zebiak, 2000. Interdecadal changes in eastern Pacific ITCZ variability and its influence on the Atlantic ITCZ. Geophys. Res. Lett, 27, 3687-3690.

Chen, D., M. A. Cane, and S. E. Zebiak, 1999. The impact of NSCAT winds on predicting the 1997-98 El Niño: A case study with the Lamont model. J. Geophys. Res. 104: 11321-11327.

Chen, D., W. T. Liu, S. E. Zebiak, M. A. Cane, Y. Kushnir, and D. Witter, 1999. The sensitivity of the tropical Pacific ocean simulation to the temporal and spatial resolution of wind forcing. J. Geophys. Res. 104: 11261-11271.

Zebiak, S. E., 1999. El Niño and the Science of Climate Prediction. Consequences 5: 3-15.

Submitted/In Press

Conference Proceedings/Abstracts/Presented Papers

Camargo, S.J., A.G. Barnston and S.E. Zebiak, 2004. Properties of Tropical Cyclones in Atmospheric General Circulation Models. IRI Technical Report 04-02.

Camargo, S. J., S. E. Zebiak, L. Goddard, and D. G. DeWitt, 2000. Precipitation Variability in CCM3.6, ECHAM4.5 and COLA 2.0 Atmospheric Models. 5th Annual CCSM (Community Climate System Model) Workshop, Breckenridge, CO, 27-29 June 2000.

Ropelewski, C.F., N. Graham, A. Moura, Y. Tourre, S. Zebiak, B. Blumenthal, K. Broad, L. Goddard and S. Mason, 1999. The Great 1997/98 Warm Episode: Lessons Learned. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop, p 8.