I am a Research Physical Scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies with a joint affiliation at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). I completed a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship working with Dr. Paul A. Newman in 2016 and I worked as a research scientist with the GMAO from 2016-2018. I then joined NASA as a civil servant in 2018.
I received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Brown University (2007) and a Ph.D in Applied Mathematics from the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University (2013). My current research interests are oriented toward an improved understanding of large-scale atmospheric dynamics in determining the distributions of chemical and physical tracers in the atmosphere and the response of both dynamics and transport to future changes in climate.
Clara Orbe
(Rsch AST, Atmospheric Chemistry & Dyn)
Org Code: 611
NASA/GISSMail Code: 611
New York, NY 10025
Employer: NASA
Brief Bio
Current Projects
Development of the higher vertical resolution version of GISS ModelE and coordination of its submission to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) Phase 6.
Development of observationally-based constraints on transport timescales in the troposphere. This is in direct support of a NASA-funded proposal (18-ACMAP18-0024) on which I am PI.
Positions/Employment
Research Physical Scientist
NASA - Goddard Institute for Space Studies
March 2018 - Present
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University - New York, NY
February 2021 - Present
Associate Research Scientist
Johns Hopkins University/GESTAR - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
2016 - March 2018
Postdoctoral Fellow
NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
August 2013 - 2015
Education
May 2013 Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY
May 2011 M.Phil. Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY
May 2009 M.Sc. Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY
May 2007 B.Sc., Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, RI
Professional Service
GEOS-Chem Steering Committee (2022-present)
Nature Communications Earth and Environment, Editorial Board Member (2021-present)
AMS Middle Atmosphere Committee (2019-present)
Science Director’s Committee, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2019-present)
Steering Committee, IGAC/SPARC Chemistry-Climate Modeling Initiative (2017-present)
Session Organizer and Chair, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (2015-2018)
Grants
Transport from the Northern Hemisphere Midlatitude Surface into the Southern Hemisphere: Constraints from Trace Gas Observations and Connections with Large-Scale Dynamics
18-ACMAP18-0024 - NASA - Awarded: 2019-03-13
Dates: 2019-03-01 - 2022-03-01
Publications
Refereed
Orbe, C., D. Rind, R. L. Miller, et al. L. S. Nazarenko, A. Romanou, J. Jonas, G. L. Russell, M. Kelley, and G. A. Schmidt. 2023. Atmospheric Response to a Collapse of the North Atlantic Circulation under a Mid-Range Future Climate Scenario: A Regime Shift in Northern Hemisphere Dynamics Journal of Climate 36 (19): 6669-6693 [10.1175/jcli-d-22-0841.1]
Raiter, D., L. M. Polvani, I. Mitevski, A. G. Pendergrass, and C. Orbe. 2023. Little Change in Apparent Hydrological Sensitivity at Large CO<sub>2</sub> Forcing Geophysical Research Letters 50 (18): [10.1029/2023gl104954]
Romanou, A., D. Rind, J. Jonas, et al. R. Miller, M. Kelley, G. Russell, C. Orbe, L. Nazarenko, R. Latto, and G. A. Schmidt. 2023. Stochastic Bifurcation of the North Atlantic Circulation under a Midrange Future Climate Scenario with the NASA-GISS ModelE Journal of Climate 36 (18): 6141-6161 [10.1175/jcli-d-22-0536.1]
Martin, Z. K., I. R. Simpson, P. Lin, et al. C. Orbe, Q. Tang, J. M. Caron, C. Chen, H. Kim, L. R. Leung, J. H. Richter, and S. Xie. 2023. The Lack of a QBO‐MJO Connection in Climate Models With a Nudged Stratosphere Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 128 (17): [10.1029/2023jd038722]
Zhang, X., D. W. Waugh, and C. Orbe. 2023. Dependence of Northern Hemisphere Tropospheric Transport on the Midlatitude Jet Under Abrupt CO<sub>2</sub> Increase Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 128 (13): [10.1029/2022jd038454]
Menzel, M. E., D. W. Waugh, and C. Orbe. 2023. Connections between upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric circulation responses to increased CO2 Journal of Climate 1--26 [https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0851.1]
Casas, M. C., G. A. Schmidt, R. L. Miller, et al. C. Orbe, K. Tsigaridis, L. S. Nazarenko, S. E. Bauer, and D. T. Shindell. 2022. Understanding Model‐Observation Discrepancies in Satellite Retrievals of Atmospheric Temperature Using GISS ModelE Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 128 (1): [10.1029/2022jd037523]
Nazarenko, L. S., N. Tausnev, G. L. Russell, et al. D. Rind, R. L. Miller, G. A. Schmidt, S. E. Bauer, M. Kelley, R. Ruedy, A. S. Ackerman, I. Aleinov, M. Bauer, R. Bleck, V. Canuto, G. Cesana, Y. Cheng, T. L. Clune, B. I. Cook, C. A. Cruz, A. D. Genio, G. S. Elsaesser, G. Faluvegi, N. Y. Kiang, D. Kim, A. A. Lacis, A. Leboissetier, A. N. LeGrande, K. K. Lo, J. Marshall, E. E. Matthews, S. McDermid, K. Mezuman, L. T. Murray, V. Oinas, C. Orbe, C. P. García‐Pando, J. P. Perlwitz, M. J. Puma, A. Romanou, D. T. Shindell, S. Sun, K. Tsigaridis, G. Tselioudis, E. Weng, J. Wu, and M. Yao. 2022. Future Climate Change under SSP Emission Scenarios with GISS‐E2.1 Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems [10.1029/2021ms002871]
Mitevski, I., L. M. Polvani, and C. Orbe. 2022. Asymmetric Warming/Cooling Response to CO <sub>2</sub> Increase/Decrease Mainly Due to Non‐Logarithmic Forcing, not Feedbacks Geophysical Research Letters [10.1029/2021gl097133]
Zheng, C., M. Ting, Y. Wu, et al. N. Kurtz, C. Orbe, P. Alexander, R. Seager, and M. Tedesco. 2022. Turbulent Heat Flux, Downward Longwave Radiation and Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Wintertime Barents-Kara Sea Extreme Sea Ice Loss Events Journal of Climate 1-55 [10.1175/jcli-d-21-0387.1]
Zanna, L., C. Orbe, L. T. Sentman, and L. M. Polvani. 2022. The future intensification of the North Atlantic winter storm track: the key role of dynamic ocean coupling Journal of Climate 1-44 [10.1175/jcli-d-21-0407.1]
DallaSanta, K., C. Orbe, D. Rind, L. Nazarenko, and J. Jonas. 2021. Response of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation to Historical Volcanic Eruptions Geophysical Research Letters 48 (20): [10.1029/2021gl095412]
Chemke, R., L. M. Polvani, J. E. Kay, and C. Orbe. 2021. Quantifying the role of ocean coupling in Arctic amplification and sea-ice loss over the 21st century npj Climate and Atmospheric Science 4 (1): 46 [10.1038/s41612-021-00204-8]
Orbe, C., D. W. Waugh, S. Montzka, et al. E. J. Dlugokencky, S. Strahan, S. D. Steenrod, S. Strode, J. W. Elkins, B. Hall, C. Sweeney, E. J. Hintsa, F. L. Moore, and E. Penafiel. 2021. Tropospheric Age-of-Air: Influence of SF6 Emissions on Recent Surface Trends and Model Biases Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126 (19): [10.1029/2021jd035451]
Murray, L. T., E. M. Leibensperger, C. Orbe, L. J. Mickley, and M. Sulprizio. 2021. GCAP 2.0: A global 3-D chemical-transport model framework for past, present, and future climate scenarios Geoscientific Model Development [10.5194/gmd-2021-144]
Abalos, M., N. Calvo, S. Benito-Barca, et al. H. Garny, S. C. Hardiman, P. Lin, M. B. Andrews, N. Butchart, R. Garcia, C. Orbe, D. Saint-Martin, S. Watanabe, and K. Yoshida. 2021. The Brewer-Dobson circulation in CMIP6 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics [10.5194/acp-2021-206]
Mitevski, I., C. Orbe, R. Chemke, L. Nazarenko, and L. M. Polvani. 2021. Non‐Monotonic Response of the Climate System to Abrupt CO 2 Forcing Geophysical Research Letters 48 (6): [10.1029/2020gl090861]
DallaSanta, K., C. Orbe, D. Rind, L. Nazarenko, and J. Jonas. 2021. Dynamical and Trace Gas Responses of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation to Increased CO 2 Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126 (6): [10.1029/2020jd034151]
Martin, Z., C. Orbe, S. Wang, and A. Sobel. 2021. The MJO-QBO Relationship in a GCM with Stratospheric Nudging Journal of Climate 1-69 [10.1175/jcli-d-20-0636.1]
Zheng, C., Y. Wu, M. Ting, et al. C. Orbe, X. Wang, and S. Tilmes. 2021. Summertime Transport Pathways From Different Northern Hemisphere Regions Into the Arctic Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126 (4): [10.1029/2020jd033811]
Miller, R. L., G. A. Schmidt, L. Nazarenko, et al. S. E. Bauer, M. Kelley, R. Ruedy, G. L. Russell, A. Ackerman, I. Aleinov, M. Bauer, R. Bleck, V. Canuto, G. Cesana, Y. Cheng, T. L. Clune, B. Cook, C. A. Cruz, A. D. Del Genio, G. S. Elsaesser, G. Faluvegi, N. Y. Kiang, D. Kim, A. A. Lacis, A. Leboissetier, A. N. LeGrande, K. K. Lo, J. Marshall, E. E. Matthews, S. McDermid, K. Mezuman, L. T. Murray, V. Oinas, C. Orbe, C. P. García‐Pando, J. P. Perlwitz, M. J. Puma, D. Rind, A. Romanou, D. T. Shindell, S. Sun, N. Tausnev, K. Tsigaridis, G. Tselioudis, E. Weng, J. Wu, and M. Yao. 2021. CMIP6 Historical Simulations (1850‐2014) with GISS‐E2.1 Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 13 e2019MS002034 [10.1029/2019ms002034]
Orbe, C., D. Rind, J. Jonas, et al. L. Nazarenko, G. Faluvegi, L. T. Murray, D. T. Shindell, K. Tsigaridis, T. Zhou, M. Kelley, and G. A. Schmidt. 2020. GISS Model E2.2: A Climate Model Optimized for the Middle Atmosphere—2. Validation of Large‐Scale Transport and Evaluation of Climate Response Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (24): [10.1029/2020jd033151]
Yang, H., D. W. Waugh, C. Orbe, and G. Chen. 2020. Dependence of Atmospheric Transport Into the Arctic on the Meridional Extent of the Hadley Cell Geophysical Research Letters 47 (20): [10.1029/2020gl090133]
Orbe, C., L. Van Roekel, Á. F. Adames, et al. A. Dezfuli, J. Fasullo, P. J. Gleckler, J. Lee, W. Li, L. Nazarenko, G. A. Schmidt, K. R. Sperber, and M. Zhao. 2020. Representation of Modes of Variability in Six U.S. Climate Models Journal of Climate 33 (17): 7591-7617 [10.1175/jcli-d-19-0956.1]
Kelley, M., G. A. Schmidt, L. S. Nazarenko, et al. S. E. Bauer, R. Ruedy, G. L. Russell, A. S. Ackerman, I. Aleinov, M. Bauer, R. Bleck, V. Canuto, G. Cesana, Y. Cheng, T. L. Clune, B. I. Cook, C. A. Cruz, A. D. Del Genio, G. S. Elsaesser, G. Faluvegi, N. Y. Kiang, D. Kim, A. A. Lacis, A. Leboissetier, A. N. LeGrande, K. K. Lo, J. Marshall, E. E. Matthews, S. McDermid, K. Mezuman, R. L. Miller, L. T. Murray, V. Oinas, C. Orbe, C. P. García‐Pando, J. P. Perlwitz, M. J. Puma, D. Rind, A. Romanou, D. T. Shindell, S. Sun, N. Tausnev, K. Tsigaridis, G. Tselioudis, E. Weng, J. Wu, and M. Yao. 2020. GISS‐E2.1: Configurations and Climatology Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 12 (8): [10.1029/2019ms002025]
Abalos, M., C. Orbe, D. E. Kinnison, et al. D. Plummer, L. D. Oman, P. Jöckel, O. Morgenstern, R. R. Garcia, G. Zeng, K. A. Stone, and M. Dameris. 2020. Future trends in stratosphere-to-troposphere transport in CCMI models Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 6883–6901 [10.5194/acp-20-6883-2020]
Rind, D. H., C. Orbe, J. A. Jonas, et al. L. Nazarenko, T. Zhou, M. Kelley, A. A. Lacis, D. T. Shindell, G. S. Faluvegi, A. Romanou, G. L. Russell, N. L. Tausnev, M. P. Bauer, and G. A. Schmidt. 2020. GISS Model E2.2: A Climate Model Optimized for the Middle Atmosphere. Model Structure, Climatology, Variability and Climate Sensitivity Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (10): e2019JD032204 [10.1029/2019jd032204]
Orbe, C., K. Wargan, S. Pawson, and L. D. Oman. 2020. Mechanisms Linked to Recent Ozone Decreases in the Northern Hemisphere Lower Stratosphere Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (9): [10.1029/2019jd031631]
Orbe, C., D. A. Plummer, D. W. Waugh, et al. H. Yang, P. Jöckel, D. E. Kinnison, B. Josse, V. Marecal, M. Deushi, N. L. Abraham, A. T. Archibald, M. P. Chipperfield, S. Dhomse, W. Feng, and S. Bekki. 2020. Description and Evaluation of the Specified-Dynamics Experiment in the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI) Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 3809–3840 [10.5194/acp-20-3809-2020]
Ayarzagüena, B., A. Charlton‐Perez, A. Butler, et al. P. Hitchcock, I. Simpson, L. Polvani, N. Butchart, E. Gerber, L. Gray, B. Hassler, P. Lin, F. Lott, E. Manzini, R. Mizuta, C. Orbe, S. Osprey, D. Saint‐Martin, M. Sigmond, M. Taguchi, E. Volodin, and S. Watanabe. 2020. Uncertainty in the Response of Sudden Stratospheric Warmings and Stratosphere‐Troposphere Coupling to Quadrupled CO 2 Concentrations in CMIP6 Models Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (6): [10.1029/2019jd032345]
Wu, Y., C. Orbe, S. Tilmes, M. Abalos, and X. Wang. 2020. Fast Transport Pathways Into the Northern Hemisphere Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere During Northern Summer Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125 (3): [10.1029/2019jd031552]
Yang, H., D. W. Waugh, C. Orbe, et al. G. Zeng, O. Morgenstern, D. E. Kinnison, J.-F. Lamarque, S. Tilmes, D. A. Plummer, P. Jöckel, S. E. Strahan, K. A. Stone, and R. Schofield. 2019. Large-scale transport into the Arctic: the roles of the midlatitude jet and the Hadley Cell Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19 (8): 5511-5528 [10.5194/acp-19-5511-2019]
Yang, H., D. W. Waugh, C. Orbe, et al. P. K. Patra, P. Jöckel, J.-F. Lamarque, S. Tilmes, D. Kinnison, J. W. Elkins, and E. J. Dlugokencky. 2019. Evaluating Simulations of Interhemispheric Transport: Interhemispheric Exchange Time Versus SF6 Age Geophysical Research Letters 46 (2): 1113-1120 [10.1029/2018gl080960]
Wang, X., Y. Wu, W.-W. Tung, et al. J. H. Richter, A. A. Glanville, S. Tilmes, C. Orbe, Y. Huang, Y. Xia, and D. E. Kinnison. 2018. The Simulation of Stratospheric Water Vapor Over the Asian Summer Monsoon in CESM1(WACCM) Models Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123 (20): 11,377-11,391 [10.1029/2018jd028971]
Wu, X., H. Yang, D. W. Waugh, et al. C. Orbe, S. Tilmes, and J.-F. Lamarque. 2018. Spatial and temporal variability of interhemispheric transport times Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18 (10): 7439-7452 [10.5194/acp-18-7439-2018]
Orbe, C., H. Yang, D. W. Waugh, et al. G. Zeng, O. Morgenstern, D. E. Kinnison, J.-F. Lamarque, S. Tilmes, D. A. Plummer, J. F. Scinocca, B. Josse, V. Marecal, P. Jöckel, L. D. Oman, S. E. Strahan, M. Deushi, T. Y. Tanaka, K. Yoshida, H. Akiyoshi, Y. Yamashita, A. Stenke, L. Revell, T. Sukhodolov, E. Rozanov, G. Pitari, D. Visioni, K. A. Stone, R. Schofield, and A. Banerjee. 2018. Large-scale tropospheric transport in the Chemistry–Climate Model Initiative (CCMI) simulations Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18 (10): 7217-7235 [10.5194/acp-18-7217-2018]
Wargan, K., C. Orbe, S. Pawson, et al. J. R. Ziemke, L. D. Oman, M. A. Olsen, L. Coy, and K. E. Knowland. 2018. Recent decline in extratropical lower stratospheric ozone attributed to circulation changes Geophysical Research Letters [10.1029/2018gl077406]
Doherty, R. M., C. Orbe, G. Zeng, et al. D. A. Plummer, M. J. Prather, O. Wild, M. Lin, D. T. Shindell, and I. A. Mackenzie. 2017. Multi-model impacts of climate change on pollution transport from global emission source regions Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 17 (23): 14219-14237 [10.5194/acp-17-14219-2017]
Orbe, C., L. D. Oman, S. E. Strahan, et al. D. W. Waugh, S. Pawson, L. L. Takacs, and A. M. Molod. 2017. Large-Scale Atmospheric Transport in GEOS Replay Simulations Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9 (7): 2545-2560 [10.1002/2017ms001053]
Chen, G., C. Orbe, and D. Waugh. 2017. The role of monsoon-like zonally asymmetric heating in interhemispheric transport Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 122 (6): 3282-3298 [10.1002/2016jd026427]
Orbe, C., D. W. Waugh, H. Yang, et al. J.-F. Lamarque, S. Tilmes, and D. E. Kinnison. 2017. Tropospheric transport differences between models using the same large-scale meteorological fields Geophysical Research Letters 44 (2): 1068--1078
Orbe, C., D. W. Waugh, P. A. Newman, and S. Steenrod. 2016. The Transit-Time Distribution from the Northern Hemisphere Midlatitude Surface Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 73 (10): 3785-3802 [10.1175/jas-d-15-0289.1]
Barnes, E. A., N. Parazoo, C. Orbe, and A. S. Denning. 2016. Isentropic transport and the seasonal cycle amplitude of CO2 J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 121 (13): 8106-8124 [10.1002/2016jd025109]
Orbe, C., P. A. Newman, D. W. Waugh, et al. M. Holzer, L. D. Oman, F. Li, and L. M. Polvani. 2015. Air-Mass Origin in the Arctic. Part II: Response to Increases in Greenhouse Gases J. Climate 28 (23): 9105–9120 [10.1175/jcli-d-15-0296.1]
Orbe, C., P. A. Newman, D. W. Waugh, et al. M. Holzer, L. D. Oman, F. Li, and L. M. Polvani. 2015. Airmass Origin in the Arctic. Part I: Seasonality J. Climate 28 (12): 4997-5014 [10.1175/jcli-d-14-00720.1]
Orbe, C., D. W. Waugh, and P. A. Newman. 2015. Air-mass origin in the tropical lower stratosphere: The influence of Asian boundary layer air Geophysical Research Letters 42 (10): 4240-4248 [10.1002/2015gl063937]
Orbe, C., M. Holzer, L. M. Polvani, et al. D. W. Waugh, F. Li, L. D. Oman, and P. A. Newman. 2014. Seasonal ventilation of the stratosphere: Robust diagnostics from one-way flux distributions J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 119 (1): 293-306 [10.1002/2013JD020213]
Orbe, C., M. Holzer, L. M. Polvani, and D. Waugh. 2013. Air-mass origin as a diagnostic of tropospheric transport Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 118 (3): 1459--1470
Orbe, C., M. Holzer, and L. M. Polvani. 2012. Flux distributions as robust diagnostics of stratosphere-troposphere exchange Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 117 (D1):
Holzer, M., C. Orbe, and F. W. Primeau. 2012. Stratospheric mean residence time and mean age on the tropopause: Connections and implications for observational constraints Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 117 (D12):
Gerber, E., C. Orbe, and L. M. Polvani. 2009. Stratospheric influence on the tropospheric circulation revealed by idealized ensemble forecasts Geophysical Research Letters 36 (24):