Research Interests

I am a climate scientist working to better understand past and future changes in climate. To understand past changes in climate, I work with satellite records dating back to the late 1970s  to measure how much the Earth's atmosphere has warmed. I also work with climate models to predict future changes in climate. While I am largely focused on the physical climate system and understanding the Earth's sensitivity to greenhouse gases, I am also interested in understanding the effects of climate change on food security and human health.

Appointments

• Research Scientist, PCMDI | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2020 - present
• Postdoctoral Fellow, PCMDI | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2017 - 2020
• Graduate Fellow, Department of Atmospheric Sciences | University of Washington, Seattle, 2014 - 2016
• Medical Informatics Officer, Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo / Partners In Health, Malawi, 2013 - 2014
• Graduate Fellow, Department of Atmospheric Sciences | University of Washington, 2009 - 2013
• Minerva Fellow, Engeye Health, Uganda, 2008 - 2009

Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2016

M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2013

B.S. in Physics, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 2008

Submitted / in preparation

• Vo, T., S. Po-Chedley, J. Boutte, J. Lee, and C. Zhang, 2024: "xCDAT: A Python Package for Simple and Robust Analysis of Climate Data," Journal of Open Source Software, submitted.
• Sweeney, A. J., Q. Fu, S. Po-Chedley, H. Wang, and M. Wang, 2024: "Unique Global Temperature Trend Pattern Associated with Internally Driven Arctic Warming and Global Cooling during 1980-2022," submitted.
• Madakumbura, G., J. Norris, C. W. Thackeray, S. Po-Chedley, F. Ahmed, and A. Hall, 2024: "Emergent Constraint on Future Changes in the Tropical Atmospheric Circulation," submitted.
• C. W. Thackeray, M. D. Zelinka, J. Norris, A. Hall, and S. Po-Chedley, 2024: "Relationship between tropical cloud feedback and climatological biases in clouds and precipitation," submitted.
• Po-Chedley, S, J. R. Christy, C.-Z. Zou, C. A. Mears, L. Haimberger, 2024: "Global Climate: Tropospheric Temperature" [in "State of the Climate in 2023"], Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., submitted.
• Risi, C., P.-H. Blard, M. Kageyama, and co-authors, 2024: "Temperature lapse rate in the tropical and subtropical troposphere and along mountain slopes: present, past, future," in prep.

2024

• Armour, K. C., C. Proistosescu, Y. Dong, L. C. Hahn, E. Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, A. G. Pauling, R. C. Jnglin Wills, T. Andrews, M. F. Stuecker, S. Po-Chedley, I. Mitevski, P. M. Forster, J. M. Gregory, 2024: "Sea-surface temperature pattern effects have slowed global warming and biased warming-based constraints on climate sensitivity," Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 121 (12), e2312093121, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2312093121.

2023

• Sweeney, A. J., Q. Fu, S. Po-Chedley, H. Wang, and M. Wang, 2023: "Internal variability increased Arctic amplification during 1980–2022," Geophysical Research Letters, 50, e2023GL106060, doi: 10.1029/2023GL106060.
• Santer, B. D., S. Po-Chedley, L. Zhao, C.-Z. Zou, Q. Fu, S. Solomon, D. W. J. Thompson, C. A. Mears, and K. E. Taylor, 2023: "Exceptional Stratospheric Contribution To Human Fingerprints On Atmospheric Temperature," Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 120 (20), 1-11, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2300758120.
• Po-Chedley, S, J. R. Christy, C.-Z. Zou, C. A. Mears, L. Haimberger, 2023: "Global Climate: Tropospheric Temperature" [in "State of the Climate in 2022"], Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 104 (9), S36–S38, doi: 10.1175/2023BAMSStateoftheClimate_Intro.1.

2022

• Po-Chedley, S., J.T. Fasullo, N. Siler, Z.M. Labe, E.A. Barnes, C.J.W. Bonfils, B.D. Santer (2022): "Internal variability and forcing influence model-satellite differences in the rate of tropical tropospheric warming," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (48) e2209431119, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209431119.
• Santer, B. D., S. Po-Chedley, N. Feldl, J.C. Fyfe, Q. Fu, S. Solomon, M. England, K.B. Rodgers, M.F. Stuecker, C. Mears, C. Zou, C.J.W. Bonfils, G. Pallotta, M.D. Zelinka, N. Rosenbloom, J. Edwards, (2022): "Robust Anthropogenic Signal Identified in the Seasonal Cycle of Tropospheric Temperature," J. Clim., 35(18), 6075-6100, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0766.1.

2021

• Po-Chedley, S., B. D. Santer, S. Fueglistaler, M. D. Zelinka, P. J. Cameron-Smith, J. F. Painter, Q. Fu, 2021: "Natural variability contributes to model-satellite differences in tropical tropospheric warming," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (13) e2020962118; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2020962118.
• Santer, B. D., S. Po-Chedley, C. A. Mears, et al., 2021: "Using Climate Model Simulations to Constrain Observations," Journal of Climate, J. Clim., 34, 6281 – 6301, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0768.1.

2020

• Feldl, N., S. Po-Chedley, H. Singh, S. Hay, and P. Kushner, 2020: "Sea ice and atmospheric circulation shape the high-latitude lapse rate feedback," npj Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, in press.
• Rieger, L. A., J. N. S. Cole, J. C. Fyfe, S. Po-Chedley, P. J. Cameron-Smith, P. J. Durack, N. P. Gillett, and Q. Tang, 2020: "Quantifying CanESM5 and EAMv1 sensitivities to volcanic forcingfor the CMIP6 historical experiment," Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., doi: 10.5194/gmd-13-4831-2020.
• Zelinka, M. D., Myers, T. A., McCoy, D. T., Po-Chedley, S., Caldwell, P. M., Ceppi, P., et al, 2020: "Causes of higher climate sensitivity in CMIP6 models," Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL085782, doi: 10.1029/2019GL085782. [EOS]

2019

• Santer, B. D., and Coauthors, 2019: Celebrating the anniversary of three key events in climate change science. Nature Climate Change, 9 (3), 180–182, doi:10.1038/s41558-019-0424-x.
• Siler, N., C. Proistosescu, and S. Po-Chedley, 2019: Natural Variability Has Slowed the Decline in Western U.S. Snowpack Since the 1980s. Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (1), 346–355, doi:10.1029/2018GL081080.

2018

• Po-Chedley, S., C. Proistosescu, K. C. Armour, and B. D. Santer, 2018: Climate constraint reflects forced signal. Nature, 563 (7729), E6–E9, doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0640-y.
• Christy, J. R., C. A. Mears, and S. Po-Chedley, 2018: Global Climate: Tropospheric Temperature [in “State of the Climate in 2017”]. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 99 (8), S16 – S18.
• Santer, B. D., and Coauthors, 2018: Human influence on the seasonal cycle of tropospheric temperature. Science, 361 (6399), eaas8806, doi:10.1126/science.aas8806.
• Ding, Q., and Coauthors, 2018: Fingerprints of internal drivers of Arctic sea ice loss in observations and model simulations. Nature Geoscience, doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0256-8.
• Siler, N., S. Po-Chedley, and C. S. Bretherton, 2018: Variability in modeled cloud feedback tied to differences in the climatological spatial pattern of clouds. Climate Dynamics, 50 (3-4), 1209–1220, doi:10.1007/s00382-017-3673-2.
• Po-Chedley, S., K. Armour, C. Bitz, M. Zelinka, and B. Santer, 2018: Sources of intermodel spread in the lapse rate and water vapor feedbacks. Journal of Climate, 31 (8), doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0674.1.

2017

• Bilinski, A., and Coauthors, 2017: Distance to care, enrollment and loss to follow-up of HIV patients during decentralization of antiretroviral therapy in Neno District, Malawi: A retrospective cohort study. PLOS ONE, 12 (10), e0185 699, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185699.
• Santer, B., S. Solomon, F. Wentz, Q. Fu, S. Po-Chedley, C. Mears, J. Painter, and C. Bonfils, 2017: Tropospheric Warming over the Past Two Decades. Scientific Reports, 7 (1), doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02520-7.
• Santer, B., and Coauthors, 2017: Causes of differences in model and satellite tropospheric warming rates. Nature Geoscience, 10 (7), doi: 10.1038/ngeo2973.
• Ding, Q., and Coauthors, 2017: Influence of high-latitude atmospheric circulation changes on summertime Arctic sea ice. Nature Climate Change, 7 (4), doi:10.1038/nclimate3241.
• Santer, B. D., and Coauthors, 2017: Comparing Tropospheric Warming in Climate Models and Satellite Data. Journal of Climate, 30 (1), 373–392, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0333.1.

2015

• Po-Chedley, S., T. J. Thorsen, and Q. Fu, 2015: Removing Diurnal Cycle Contamination in Satellite-Derived Tropospheric Temperatures: Understanding Tropical Tropospheric Trend Discrepancies. Journal of Climate, 28 (6), 2274–2290, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00767.1.

2014

• Flannaghan, T. J., S. Fueglistaler, I. M. Held, S. Po-Chedley, B. Wyman, and M. Zhao, 2014: Tropical Temperature Trends in AMIP Simulations and the Impact of SST Uncertainties. Journal of Geophysical Research — Atmospheres, 119, doi:10.1002/2014JD022365.

2013

• Po-Chedley, S., and Q. Fu, 2013: Reply to ”Comments on ’A Bias in the Midtropospheric Channel Warm Target Factor on the NOAA-9 Microwave Sounding Unit”’ Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 30 (5), doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-12-00131.1.

2012

• Po-Chedley, S., and Q. Fu, 2012: A Bias in the Midtropospheric Channel Warm Target Factor on the NOAA-9 Microwave Sounding Unit. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 29 (5), doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-11-00147.1.
• Po-Chedley, S., and Q. Fu, 2012: Discrepancies in tropical upper tropospheric warming between atmospheric circulation models and satellites. Environmental Research Letters, 7, 044 018, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044018.

2007

• Po-Chedley, S., B. Cohen, and M. Hagerman, 2007: Fast, ultrasensitive virus detection using a young interferometer sensor. Chemtracts, 19 (9), 350 - 357.

• Deputy Director Science & Technology Excellence in Publication, 2023
• CLIVAR CDP Early Career Best Poster Award, 2022
• AGU Excellence in Reviewing – Geophysical Research Letters, 2021
• Lawrence Postdoctoral Fellowship, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2017 - 2020
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020
• National Science Foundation Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2017
• National Science Foundation IGERT Trainee in Ocean Change, University of Washington, 2014 - 2016
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, University of Washington, 2010 - 2013
• Minerva Fellow, Union College, 2008 - 2009
• Frank Bailey Prize for “the Senior who has rendered the greatest service to the college,” Union College, 2008
• Meritorious Service Award for "service beyond the normal requirement of duty," Union College, 2008
• Udall Scholar, Udall Foundation, 2006
• New York State Regents Scholar and Union College Presidential Scholar, 2004