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Karnauskas, Kristopher Benson

Associate Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • The Oceans and Climate Lab at CU Boulder explores the dynamics of the coupled Earth system toward useful predictions of impacts ranging from marine ecosystems to human health. Specifically, we aim to understand the circuitry of the tropical ocean and atmosphere, its interaction with ecosystems and with higher latitude regions, how and why the climate system has changed in the past, and how climate will continue to change in the future–both naturally and as driven by human activities. We employ a 'big data' methodology, leveraging satellite and instrumental observations, large international ensembles of global coupled climate model simulations, and running several ocean and atmosphere circulation models in house.

keywords

  • climate dynamics, physical oceanography, climate change, climate impacts, ocean circulation, hurricanes, human health

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ATOC 1060 - Our Changing Environment: El Nino, Ozone, and Climate
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2024
    Discusses the Earth's climate for nonscience majors, focusing on the role of the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and land surface. Describes the water cycle, atmospheric circulations and ocean currents, and how they influence global climate, El Nino and the ozone hole. Discusses human impacts from climate change. Recommended prerequisite: ATOC 1050.
  • ATOC 3070 - Introduction to Oceanography
    Primary Instructor - Summer 2018 / Fall 2018 / Summer 2019 / Summer 2020
    Explores Earth's dynamic oceans. Discusses the disciplines of oceanography including marine geology, chemistry, biology and physical oceanography with emphasis on global change. Specific topics may include: tectonics, currents, biogeochemical cycles, ecology and global warming. Recommended prerequisite: any 1000-level ATOC or GEOL course or ATOC major. Same as GEOL 3070.
  • ATOC 4215 - Descriptive Physical Oceanography
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
    Introduces descriptive and dynamical physical oceanography, focusing on the nature and dynamics of ocean currents and their role in the distribution of heat and other aspects of ocean physics related to the Earth's climate. Dynamical material limited to mathematical descriptions of oceanic physical systems.
  • ATOC 4500 - Special Topics in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences - Upper Division
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Summer 2018 / Spring 2019 / Summer 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2021 / Summer 2022
    Acquaints students at the upper division level with current research in atmospheres, oceans, and climate. Topics may vary each semester. May be repeated up to 18 total credit hours within the degree as long as the topic is different. Students may register for more than one section of this course in the same semester. Recommended restriction: students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
  • ATOC 4730 - Physical Oceanography and Climate
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
    Introduces the field of physical oceanography, with emphasis on the ocean's interaction with the global atmosphere. Analysis of the ocean's heat, salt, and momentum budgets, wind-driven and thermohaline circulations, climate cycles including El Nino, and the ocean's role in climate change. Theory complemented by state-of-the-art observations and models. Department recommended prerequisites: ATOC 1060 or ATOC 3070 or ATOC 3600 and one semester of calculus. Same as ATOC 5730.
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