Christopher Skinner

Expertise

Climate Change, Weather Extremes, Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions, Climate Modeling

Research Interests

I am interested in the intersection of climate change and climate impacts. In my research I use process-based numerical models (i.e. climate models) to study how perturbations to the earth system influence weather and climate events. The insights from this work can be used to better understand the role of climate and weather in shaping societies and ecosystems in the past, and to prepare for climate-related impacts in the future.

Education

• Ph.D.: Environmental Earth System Science, (2014), Stanford University
• BS: Atmospheric Science, (2008), Cornell University

Selected Awards and Honors

• Department Teaching Excellence Award EEAS (2022)

Selected Publications

• Fallah A, Barlow M, Agel L, Kim J, Mankin J, Mocko DM, Skinner CB (2024), Impact of Vegetation Assimilation on Flash Drought Characteristics Across the Continental United States. Journal of Hydrometeorology.
• Oster J, Macarewich S, Lofverstrom M, de Wet C, Montañez I, Lora JM, Skinner CB, Tabor C (2023), North Atlantic meltwater during Heinrich Stadial 1 drives wetter climate with more atmospheric rivers in western North America. Science Advances, 9(46), eadj2226, .
• Skinner CB, Harrington TS, Barlow M, Agel L (2023), The contribution of precipitation recycling to North American wet and dry precipitation extremes. Environmental Research: Climate, 2(4), 045010, 
• Lora JM, Skinner CB, Rush W, Baek S (2023), The hydrologic cycle and atmospheric rivers in CESM2 simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(18), e2023GL104805
• Harrington TS, Nusbaumer J, Skinner CB (2023), The contribution of transpiration, ground evaporation, and canopy evaporation to local and remote precipitation across North America. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128.
• Skinner CB, Lora JM, Tabor CR, Zhu J (2023), Atmospheric river contributions to ice sheet hydroclimate at the Last Glacial Maximum, Geophysical Research Letters, 50(1), e2022GL101750.
• Thompson AJ, Zhu J, Poulsen CJ, Tierney J, Skinner CB (2022), Northern hemisphere vegetation drives a Holocene thermal maximum. Science Advances.
• Singh J, Ashfaq M, Skinner CB, Anderson WB, Mishra V, Singh D (2022), Enhanced risk of concurrent regional droughts with increased ENSO variability and warming. Nature Climate Change.
• Pagsuyoin SA, Salcedo G, Santos JR, Skinner CB (2022), Pandemic wave trends in COVID-19 cases, mobility reduction, and climate parameters in major metropolitan areas in the United States. Environment Systems and Decisions, 42 (3), 350-361.
• Coe D, Barlow M, Agel L, Colby F, Skinner CB, Qian JH (2021), Clustering analysis of autumn weather regimes in the Northeast U.S. Journal of Climate, 34, 18.
• Agel L, Barlow M, Skinner CB, Colby F, Cohen J (2021), Four distinct Northeast US heat wave circulation patterns: associated mechanisms, trends, and electric usage. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4, 31.
• Harrington TS, Zhu J, Skinner CB (2021), Terrestrial sources of summer Arctic moisture and the implication for Arctic temperature patterns. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4, 25.
• Singh J, Ashfaq M, Skinner CB, Anderson WB, Singh D (2021), Amplified risk of spatially compounding droughts during co-occurrences of modes of natural ocean variability. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 4, 7.
• Thompson AJ, Tabor CR, Poulsen CJ, Skinner CB (2021), Water isotopic constraints on the enhancement of the mid-Holocene West African monsoon. Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
• Christopher, C.B., Lora, J.M., Payne, A.E., Poulsen, C.J. (2020). Atmospheric river changes shaped mid-latitude hydroclimate since the mid-Holocene. Earth and Planetary Science Letters,541.
• Thompson, A.J., Skinner, C.B., Poulsen, C.J., Zhu, J. (2019). Modulation of mid‐Holocene African rainfall by dust aerosol direct and indirect effects. Geophysical Research Letters,46.
• Skinner, C.B., Poulsen, C.J., Mankin, J.S. (2018). Amplification of heat extremes by plant CO2 physiological forcing. Nature Communications,9(1).
• Webb, M.J., Andrews, T., Bodas-Salcedo, A., Bony, S., Bretherton, C.S., Chadwick, R., Chepfer, H., Douville, H., Good, P., Kay, J.E., Klein, S.A., Marchand, R., Medeiros, B., Siebesma, A.P., Skinner, C.B., Stevens, B., Tselioudis, G., Tsushima, Y., Watanabe, M. (2017). The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) contribution to CMIP6. Geoscientific Model Development,10(1) 359--384.
• Chadwick, R., Douville, H., Skinner, C.B. (2017). Timeslice experiments for understanding regional climate projections: applications to the tropical hydrological cycle and European winter circulation. Climate Dynamics,49(9-10) 3011-3029.
• Skinner, C.B., Poulsen, C.J., Chadwick, R., Diffenbaugh, N.S., Fiorella, R.P. (2017). The Role of Plant CO2 Physiological Forcing in Shaping Future Daily-Scale Precipitation. Journal of Climate,30(7) 2319-2340.
• Skinner, C.B., Poulsen, C.J. (2016). The role of fall season tropical plumes in enhancing Saharan rainfall during the African Humid Period. Geophysical Research Letters,43(1) 349-358.
• Horton, D.E., Skinner, C.B., Singh, D., Diffenbaugh, N.S. (2014). Occurrence and persistence of future atmospheric stagnation events (4:8 pp. 698-703). Nature Climate Change
• Skinner, C.B., Diffenbaugh, N.S. (2014). Projected changes in African easterly wave intensity and track in response to greenhouse forcing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,111(19) 6882--6887.
• Skinner, C.B., Diffenbaugh, N.S. (2013). The contribution of African easterly waves to monsoon precipitation in the CMIP3 ensemble. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres,118(9) 3590-3609.
• Skinner, C.B., Ashfaq, M., Diffenbaugh, N.S. (2012). Influence of Twenty-First-Century Atmospheric and Sea Surface Temperature Forcing on West African Climate. Journal of Climate,25(2) 527-542.
• Ashfaq, M., Skinner, C.B., Diffenbaugh, N.S. (2011). Influence of SST biases on future climate change projections. Climate Dynamics,36(7-8) 1303-1319.
• Skinner, C.B., DeGaetano, A.T., Chabot, B.F. (2010). Implications of twenty-first century climate change on Northeastern United States maple syrup production: impacts and adaptations. Climatic Change, (3-4) 685.

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

• Quantification of biophysical, physiological, and phenological vegetation contributions to future climate (2024), Grant - National Science Foundation, Skinner, C.B. (Principal)
• Observed and modeled interactions between droughts and heat waves for the Northeast US (2020), Grant - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Barlow, M. (Principal), Skinner, C.B. (Co-Principal)
• Collaborative Research -- Elucidating the drivers and consequences of changes in atmospheric rivers from the last glacial maximum to the present day (2019), Grant - National Science Foundation Skinner, C.B. (Principal)