Welcome to the UNC Charlotte Hydroclimate Lab! My name is Jacob (Jack) Scheff and I am an Associate Professor in Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences. Our group’s research asks how and why global climate change affects Earth’s water cycle, atmospheric circulation and weather systems. I teach classes related to climate, climate change, and the water cycle, and serve my profession and department in a variety of ways.
We have several ongoing research projects. With national colleagues and my PhD student Grace Mazaleski, I am untangling rival theories for how climate change affects surface water availability differently from how it affects precipitation. My recent M.S. graduates Maya Robinson and Nick Golden and I analyzed what controls the jet stream’s response to climate change, and whether the evolution of the jet to date gives us any insight on that response. Another M.S. graduate Cody Burroughs has quantified long-term trends in extreme summer dewpoints across the U.S. With my departmental colleague Pat Fall and her collaborators, I am using models and proxies to help reconstruct Holocene-era Mediterranean paleoclimate and interactions with Near Eastern prehistory. Finally, with interdisciplinary Charlotte colleagues Beth Whitaker, Alex Kustov and Michael Ewers I am examining links between precipitation trends and international migration, with a focus on Africa.
I also enjoy teaching a full menu of courses in our Meteorology and Earth Science programs. At the sophomore/junior level, I teach Global Environmental Change (ESCI 3101) which is a broad, extensive introduction to the science behind global warming. At a higher level, Hydroclimatology (ESCI 4201/5201) examines how climate, geography and circulation drive the patterns of precipitation, water resources and vegetation on our planet, and how climate change has altered and will alter those patterns. Likewise, Climate Dynamics (METR 4205 / ESCI 5205) gives Meteorology majors hands-on computational (Matlab) experience in analyzing large datasets to understand major climate phenomena like El Niño and the North Atlantic Oscillation.
Service to my profession and to the public is also a central aspect of my work. I am an active member of the American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society, and regular organizer of international research workshops and sessions. I am also closely involved in public communication on weather and climate, including national and local media pieces as well as visits to Charlotte-area community and faith groups.
Please visit our group webpage for more about us!