Sebastián Ortega Arango

Sebastián Ortega Arango is a Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Department of Climate Physics, working in the Wave Driven Circulations group. His research focuses on kilometer-scale climate modeling, specifically analyzing the implications of physical parameterizations and diffusive processes in high-resolution non-hydrostatic models like ICON. This work aims to optimize model configurations for kilometer-scale simulations and understand their impact on large-scale circulations.

Education:

• Ph.D. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology (2016)
• M.Sc. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology (2016)
• B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (2010)

Research Interests: Sebastián’s work centers on the planetary-scale circulation of the upper tropical troposphere, tropical weather dynamics, and the role of potential vorticity in monsoonal systems. He investigates quasi-biweekly oscillations in the South Asian monsoon and their co-evolution across atmospheric layers. His studies also explore the African Easterly Jet’s influence on Atlantic hurricanes and the impermeability constraints in tropical-extratropical communication.

Publications: His research spans topics like potential vorticity flux effects on tropical circulation, monsoon dynamics, and the design of storm-resolving climate models. Recent work includes analyses of the African Monsoon’s impact on hurricane seasons and the behavior of tropical rainbelts under varying surface heat flux conditions.

Advising & Grants: No formal advisees or grant leadership roles explicitly stated in the text.

Labs & Teams: Part of the Wave Driven Circulations group within the Department of Climate Physics, contributing to projects like ORCESTRA and the ICON climate model development.