Simon de Szoeke

Simon de Szoeke is a Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. His research focuses on atmosphere-ocean interaction and its influence on climate, with particular emphasis on tropical regions. He conducts observational studies and modeling work to understand air-sea interactions, cloud processes, and their representation in climate models.

Dr. de Szoeke received his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in spring 2004, with a dissertation on "Evolution of the cross-equatorial atmospheric boundary layer in the east Pacific: observations and models." He earned his B.A. summa cum laude in Physics with departmental honors and Mathematics from the University of Oregon Robert D. Clark Honors College in 1997.

His research interests center on atmosphere-ocean interaction, stratiform clouds, and tropical meteorology. He investigates how clouds influence the Earth's radiative heating, the processes responsible for the transition from stratiform to cumuliform clouds, and the role of inversion strength in cloud maintenance. His work on the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) involves analyzing data from the DYNAMO international field campaign to study air-sea flux feedbacks and the role of sea surface temperature in tropical weather phenomena.

Dr. de Szoeke is particularly known for his groundbreaking research on cold pools in the tropical ocean, which he describes as "footprints" of convection. His research shows that these cold, invisible phantoms play an important role in the atmospheric heat budget and can organize towering clouds at their intersection points. Contrary to previous assumptions, he found that cold pools are drier than their surroundings, challenging existing theories about their role in convection.

His scientific contributions include numerous publications on air-sea interaction, tropical meteorology, and cloud processes. His research has been supported by major field campaigns including DYNAMO in the Indian Ocean and VOCALS in the southeastern Pacific, with findings published in leading journals such as Journal of Climate, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and Monthly Weather Review.

Dr. de Szoeke teaches courses in atmospheric sciences including The Changing Climate (AS 320), Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Cloud Physics (AS 411/511), and Large-Scale Interactions of the Atmosphere and Oceans (AS 615). He has advised several graduate students, including June Marion who graduated in summer 2014 with a thesis on turbulent heat flux estimates, as well as Michael Makiyama and Kathryn Verlinden.