Larissa E. Back

Larissa E. Back is a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on tropical dynamics, deep convection, and precipitation extremes, addressing fundamental questions about the vertical structure of rainfall, convective intensity differences between land and ocean, and climate sensitivity to warming. She employs observations, simplified theoretical models, and high-resolution numerical simulations to explore these phenomena.

• Research interests: Tropical Dynamics, Deep Convection, Precipitation Extremes, Climate Modeling
• Teaching: Tropical Meteorology (AOS 522), Dynamics of Atmosphere and Ocean I & II (AOS 310, AOS 311), The Warming Papers (AOS 801)
• Email: lback@wisc.edu

Her recent publications analyze tropical rainfall patterns, moist static energy budgets, and convective responses to climate forcing, emphasizing theoretical frameworks and observational validation. She has contributed to understanding the diurnal cycle of convection, land-ocean contrasts, and global warming impacts on precipitation extremes.