Join the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment for a seminar with L. Ruby Leung, a climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more water vapor. But climate models consistently project that land surfaces will actually become drier, with serious consequences for heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires.

L. Ruby Leung, a Battelle Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and chief scientist of the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model, will explore what's driving this trend. She'll examine the role of soil moisture in land drying and present a framework for reconciling conflicting humidity data across observations, models, and historical records. She'll also discuss what increased land aridity means for flash droughts and wildfires, and why projecting future extremes remains a scientific challenge.

Leung is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, AAAS, and American Geophysical Union. Her work spans Earth system modeling, the water cycle, and high-impact weather events.

This is the first of a new speaker series, Climate Horizons, which will bring leading climate scholars to Stanford to present frontier research and engage with the campus community.  Co-sponsored by the Department of Geophysics (SDSS) and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, the series will include seminars and presentations as well as discussions and informal meetings designed to foster interdisciplinary exchange and strengthen connections across climate-related fields at Stanford.

More information will be shared on upcoming speakers in the fall semester. Stay tuned! For more information, contact: woods-events@stanford.edu